Comparing Two Theories Of Behavioural Theory

Behaviour is a complex mechanism, which stills remains hard for psychologists to determine a definition. Bergner (2011, p.147) states that one definition of behaviour from the Oxford Dictionary of Psychology (Colman, 2006) claims “behaviour is essentially observable physical activity: a pigeon pecks a disk, a woman says “hello”, a student raises his hand, and so forth”. Others argue that it is not only in the way we act but the way we think and feel. Behaviour is not always so easy to assess, it can have many factors which determine why it occurs. Behaviour can also be known as a socio-cultural construct. This helps determine what behaviours are positive or negative guided by culture, background, religion, location, tolerances, rules or socioeconomic

The two behavioural theories chosen for this essay are sociocultural theory and behavioural theory. Both these theories are very different and explore different factors of how behaviours can arise. The theories of behaviour back up the research that behaviour is a socio-cultural construct. As stated earlier, this shows that the impact of the behaviour will change depending on the society or cultures idea of what is ‘normal’. Looking first at sociocultural theory, it is found to be mainly from the work of Lev Vygotsky who found that influences from an individual’s parents, caregivers, peers, and cultures assists in their development or ‘higher order functioning’ (Cherry, 2017). For example, a child who always listens in class and follows the rules. They may come from a background of a strict but supportive family who provides rules at home so the child knows to also perform this way in the classroom. The behavioural theory looks a different type of aspect of behaviour, founded by two main psychologist Ivan Pavlov and B.F. Skinner. It explores that through learning new behaviour occurs (Andrews, 2010). Behaviourism believes that a learner starts off with nothing, and their behaviour is then developed through their positive and negative reinforcement to make the behaviour continue or hinder it. Positive reinforcement is giving praise and providing a

“Shyness is a temperamental trait characterized by wariness, fear, and self-consciousness in social situations” (Kalutskaya, Archbell, Moritz, Rudasill, & Coplan, 2015, pp. 149-157). If looking at behaviours of a child who is being withdrawn this may include shyness, keeping to themselves, not making eye contact, not interacting, hiding behind other children and playing on their own. An individual who has poor social skills is at risk of developing withdrawn symptoms and then a lack of confidence within the classroom. Basing on the sociocultural theory, this may stem from the child growing up in a family where they may have had minimal interaction. They may have spent a copious amount of times on their own, so learned that being independent is best. This has aided in the child finding it difficult interacting with others and socialising is then a skill that is lacked (Scott & Palincsar, 2010, pp. 5-7). From looking at the other side, the child may come from a large family, and with many individuals trying to seek attention, the child has had to learn to be by themselves and using their siblings as a cover at times. If looking at the behaviour from a behavioural theory, a child that is shy or withdrawn, this theory would determine this by looking at the child’s external circumstances. This could include the child being anxious and scared of speaking out in class or trying to make friends due to