Behaviorism and Constructivism in Psychology: Theoretical bases and differences

These two currents of psychology study learning from different starting points.

Learning is the process by which the organism incorporates new knowledge or skills to its repertoire through experience. It is the way by which we acquire, generalize, contextualize or vary our behavior and our way of seeing reality.

There have been multiple theories and currents of thought that have dealt with the learning process, and different paradigms have emerged that have been opposed throughout history. Two of the most recognized have been and continue to be behaviorism and constructivism.

Behaviorism: learning as association

Behaviorism is one of the best known paradigms of psychology and one that has expanded the most throughout history, having had a notable influence on various dimensions of psychology such as clinical and educational psychology.

Born at a time in history when currents based on unverifiable theoretical assumptions were predominant, behaviorism was born as an attempt to to base knowledge of human behavior on empirical criteria that could be contrasted experimentally.. 

This current explains behavior from the learning of behavioral patterns derived from the association between different possible stimuli, in which elements that by themselves generate harm or well-being are linked to others when in contact in space and time, the latter acquiring the characteristics of the former and provoking the same reactions in the organism. Subsequently, the individual can generalize these associations to similar stimuli and situations..

Behaviorism tries to work on the basis of totally objective variables, so its methodology is based on the collection of information from experiments in which both the stimuli and the response are directly evident as physiological information or even observation.

Throughout the history of psychology there are numerous authors who worked in this current or who gave rise to it, some of the main ones being Pavlov, Skinner or Watson.

The behaviorist model

Behaviorism maintains a strictly mechanistic point of view and proposes that behavior is governed by the proposes that behavior is governed by clear and invariable laws.. The environment is considered to be solely responsible for human or animal behavior, leaving the individual as a totally passive entity that receives information from the environment and learns to act by associating this information or stimuli with adaptive responses.

Although it is recognized that the mind is part of the learning process, it is seen as an inaccessible element that cannot be known. The main elements to be taken into account are the stimuli, the responses, the association between both and the possible reinforcements or punishments derived from the behavior finally performed.

In classical behaviorism it is considered that in the acquisition of knowledge and behaviors the subject will be a passive and reactive entity, capturing the stimulation and linking it to the stimulus.capturing the stimulation and linking it to what is appetitive or aversive to end up responding accordingly. Learning is acquired through the repetition of associations between stimuli, so the educational approach will be based on repetitive training and memorization.

As far as the world of education is concerned, the teacher or educator has a role of great importance, being the one who provides the information through the use of reinforcement or through the use of reinforcement or avoidance of punishment. Learning is considered to be established when the responses given by the individual are those considered correct to the stimulation given by the environment, having become accustomed to giving the appropriate stimuli.

Constructivism: learning as the creation of meaning

Despite the fact that many of behaviorism is based on empirical data, mere association is not enough to explain how learning occurs and other phenomena such as the importance of beliefs, motivations and emotions in the acquisition of knowledge, being the mental processes of individuals obviated. This would change with the advent of cognitivismwhich would focus on analyzing information processing, and eventually constructivism as a different way of understanding learning.

Constructivism observes learning as a process of acquisition and consolidation of information based on the learner's mental processes. The subject is an active element in this process, annexing information or modifying his mental schemas based on the experiences he lives, trying to give the world around him a meaning. As can be glimpsed in its name, for this theoretical current, learning is achieved through the construction and reconstruction of structures whose foundations are previous knowledge, and whose element of union with new knowledge is the ability to give it a meaning within the system.

Thus, if one learns, it is not simply because one acquires external information, but because from examining the characteristics of the new, one will extract a meaning of one's own from this information. Subsequently, what has been learned, what has been understood and what has been given meaning, can be generalized if it is understood.

Furthermore, when learning, there are no single laws, but aspects such as the capabilities, the level of attention and the desire to learn of the person or entity learning, as well as the fact that the material to be learned must be adaptive and useful for the subject in question, must be taken into account.

The role of context in constructivism

For this current, the environment and stimuli are indeed important, but it is considered that the interaction between the external and internal variables of the person is the most important. In learning situations what is known as the interactive triangle is taken into account.which refers to the interaction maintained between the characteristics of the learner, the material to be learned and the person or thing that transmits the information. These three elements will affect each other and will allow or not the acquisition of the material in a meaningful way by the learner.

The role of the instructor is not directive, but must provide guidance so that the learner is able to draw his own conclusions from reality. Such guidance contributes to the learning process generating a shared and adaptive meaning for the environment. Relevant aids must be provided and adjusted to each case. so that whoever acquires knowledge can begin to do so, and as he/she begins to master the material, these must be withdrawn (in a process called scaffolding). In this way the individual can reach his maximum possible potential, going beyond what he can learn by himself thanks to the provision of external aids.

Constructivism is currently the predominant theoretical current as far as pedagogical practice is concerned, based on authors such as Piaget and especially Vygotsky.

Main differences

As we have seen above, there are many aspects in which both theories differ. Some of the most notable are the following.

Active or passive role

One of the main differences is that while behaviorism sees the individual as a passive entity when acquiring knowledge, constructivism considers that the most important aspect of learning is in fact the activity of the subject..

2. The importance of interaction

Related to the above, while for behaviorism the most relevant for learning is the environment as a set of stimuli to which the subject has access, for constructivism all the components of the process and not only what is learnable are necessary, being the interaction between person and environment what produces learning.

3. Different methodologies

For behaviorism, the objective of learning is to produce an observable modification of behavior, while constructivism considers that the achievement to be undertaken is to create new learning processes. the achievement to be undertaken is to create new meanings, whether these are directly observable or not..

4. The role of the educator

They also diverge in that, while for constructivism the role of the educator or transmitter of information is that of guide and support. for behaviorism the role must be hierarchical and directive.

5. Differences in teaching

The method of learning will also be different: for behaviorism the ideal is the continuous repetition of the association between stimuli, producing a more rote learning, while constructivism is based on creating meanings from the union between the old and the new. from the union between the old and the new, making the learning making learning meaningful to the learner.

Points in common between both perspectives

Although behaviorism and constructivism have many elements that differentiate them from each other, they share some aspects in common.

In both schools of thought, behavior is seen as the product of learning throughout life, focusing their methodology on practices that contribute to the acquisition and improvement of the adaptive capacities of individuals.

Likewise, due to the importance of learning for both behaviorism and cognitivism, both paradigms have been applied at a practical level in the world of education and the training of skills and knowledge.

Finally, in both cases they work from data and constructs based on empirical data supported by experience.