Before implementing the Competency-Based Approach (CBA) in 2003, the Algerian educational system was based on traditional teaching methods that focused mainly on acquiring the knowledge about language delivered by the teacher and the amount of information the learner could accumulate to pass the exams. Although CBA has shifted the teacher's role…

An overview is provided of the principles of cognitive psychology that can be used to enhance the effectiveness of computer-assisted instruction (CAI). First, the paper looks at the features of classical and operant conditioning that provide the foundation for important parts of mastery learning and CAI programs. Next, findings from four areas of…

This conference report consists of two presented papers and a selected bibliography. The paper by Joan Gussow, "Behavioral Management and Educational Goals," is concerned with operant conditioning as a theory of learning and an instructional method. Basing their methods on the work of B.F. Skinner, educators who are proponents of this…

Described in this article are five pilot studies that explored the effects of the learning strategy of the total physical response under a variety of conditions using Japanese and Russian with adults and children. Some general conclusions suggest that dramatic facilitation in learning listening skills for a second language is related to acting out…

This paper provides the teacher with a brief introduction to the principles of behavior modification. Major areas of concern deal with the history of behavior modification, implications for the concept of mental health, the teacher's role, the difference between behavior modification and other forms of control, reinforcement, the role of…

An easy-to-implement method for demonstrating classical conditioning in an introductory psychology course is described. (RM)

Discussion about teaching to psychology students the Watson and Rayner study in 1920 on fear of rats. (ND)

Five experiments were conducted to determine whether properties inherent in some training procedures may subtly influence the adaptability of skilled performance of complex tasks. The first two experiments assessed the insensitivity of low-rate performances. Examined in the third experiment was the issue of whether instructions that focus…

Currently, three theories of learning dominate classroom practice. First, B.F. Skinner's Theory of Operant Conditioning states that if behavior, including learning behavior, is reinforced, the probability of its being repeated increases strongly. Different types and schedules of reinforcement have been studied, by Skinner and others, and the…

The primary thrust of this book is the presentation of two divergent models of man, the explicit and implicit philosophical assumptions which characterize each view, the conditions of learning compatible with each model, and the educational implications of each position. An introductory section considers the two models of man--the phenomenological…

The paper reports the highlights of three learning models (behaviorist, cognitive, and humanist), and examines them for the guidance they offer for instruction and learning in shorthand. Included are the theories of Skinner, Gagne, Carroll, Bloom, Wittrock, Ausubel, Bruner, Dember, Nebes, Scriven, Anderson, and Rogers. (Author/AJ)

The first part of this paper is a general introduction which defines programmed instruction, traces the history of the concept, and explains its basic ideas and terminology. Progress and problems in research and in evaluating programmed materials are also briefly considered, and a short selective bibliography is included in this first section. The…

This book, written for students, teachers (clinicians), and researchers, presents a behavioral interpretation of language, a resultant teaching strategy, and data from eight years of experience with the method. The first chapter of the book presents a behavioral description of the critical concepts involved in language training and puts forth a…

This discussion of programed instruction begins with the fundamental psychological aspects and learning theories behind this teaching method. Negative and positive reinforcement, conditioning, and their relationship to programed instruction are considered. Different types of programs, both linear and branching, are discussed; criticism of the…