Criticisms of behaviourism

Behavioural psychology, also known as behaviourism, is a theory of learning based upon the idea that all behaviours are acquired through conditioning. Conditioning occurs through interaction with the environment. According to behaviorism, behavior can be studied in a systematic and observable manner with no consideration of internal mental states. E.g. Ivan Pavlov, was able to condition a dog to salivate by ring a bell 10 seconds before feeding this continued until every time the bell rang the dog would salivate, even if no food was presented.

Criticisms Of Behaviourism

• Behaviourism does not take into account all the ways in which we learn.
• Behaviourism does not take into account that learners all learn at different levels and speed.
• Behaviourism does not recognise that children are able to create new learning patterns that are not related to stimulus and response techniques.
• Behaviourism lacks the applicability to the more complex human behaviors of language and memory, these activities are not developed with behaviourist techniques.
• Behaviourism does not take into account that each person has different motivations, attitudes and emotions and therefore what motivates one person to learn may not motivate everyone,