---
title: "Behaviorism"
artifact: "summary"
resource_person: "Hank Green"
resource_person_role: "Presenter, Crash Course Psychology"
vertical: "pedagogy"
module: "Learning Theories"
lesson: "Behaviorism"
lesson_key: "behaviorism"
source: "curated"
source_channel: "CrashCourse"
---
# Behaviorism

**Resource person:** Hank Green - Presenter, Crash Course Psychology

**Curated from:** CrashCourse

## Summary

Behaviorism studies learning through changes that can be observed. The video begins with associative learning: an organism connects events, stimuli, and consequences through experience. Pavlov's dogs provide the working model for classical conditioning. Food produces salivation without training; a previously neutral cue gains the power to produce that response after repeated pairings.

The second half turns to operant conditioning. Skinner's work shows how consequences change the future probability of a behaviour. Reinforcement increases a behaviour; punishment reduces it. The words positive and negative describe whether something is added or removed. They say nothing about whether the consequence feels pleasant. That distinction matters whenever a teacher designs praise, privileges, correction, or practice routines.

A classroom application starts with a behaviour specific enough to see: submitting an exit ticket, attempting every problem, or beginning group work within two minutes. The teacher then chooses a consequence, applies it consistently, and watches what actually changes. Reinforcement schedules also matter. Continuous feedback helps establish a new routine; intermittent reinforcement can help sustain it once the routine is stable. Behaviourism gives teachers a precise tool for shaping routines and practice, while other theories are needed to explain understanding, motivation, and meaning.