Habits and Behaviors
Last week, I spent time reflecting on my personal theory of learning. This theory has been shaped and molded from all my educational and professional experiences endured over the last seventeen years. Recently, I spent time reading articles and journals about the psychology of learning; more specifically habits, behaviors, and the visible indicators of learning. In Charles Duhigg’s book, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, I read how habits form, how to create new habits, and why habit transformation occurs. To better understand these concepts, we first need to take a look at the habit loop. Animal and human brains form habits to save work and energy. The habit process within our brains is a three-step loop: the cue, the routine, and the reward (Duhigg, 2014). The cue is a visual trigger and tells the brain to disengage and proceed in automatic mode. The routine is the actual behavior, and the reward helps the brain evaluate if the particular loop is worth remembering for the future (Duhigg, 2014).
Duhigg’s habit loop theory resonated with me. I started thinking about my own habits, and determining which ones I would like to add or change. I have a Peloton exercise bike that has been sitting in my bedroom, untouched, for two months. When it was brand new, I used it approximately four times a week, in the evenings, after I put my son to bed. When I returned home from a vacation in March, my workout habit had become extinct. Due to the vacation, my Peloton workout routine was disrupted, and the habit disappeared. After reading several articles on behaviorism this past week, however, I have learned I can’t blame the vacation entirely. My short stint of evening workouts did not permanently last, because I was not able to create a neurological routine that overpowered my desire to relax or go to bed (Duhigg, 2014). I was never able to completely control my exercise habit loop. So, how can I successfully transform and make a habit change? Well, I am going to turn to B.F. Skinner for some guidance.
B.F. Skinner was a radical behaviorist who pioneered research on operant conditioning. According to operant conditioning, a person behaves in order to obtain a reward or a reinforcement (Nebel, 2017). My exercise habit loop was incomplete. The cue was established (putting my son to bed) and there was a routine (a Peloton class), however, the reinforcement or reward was missing. After the evening workout, I went right to bed.
In operant conditioning, there must be an association contrived between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior (Moore, 2011). Much of Skinner’s work and contribution to the field of psychology was inspired by Edward Thorndike’s research on connectionism (when learning is the outcome of associations between sensory experiences and neural responses) and his principles of learning (Schunk, 2016, as cited in Miller, 2020). One of Thorndike’s principles included the law of effect. The law of effect says that actions that are followed by desirable outcomes, like positive reinforcements are more likely to reoccur (Moore, 2011). To complete my Peloton habit loop, I need to think about incorporating a reward or reinforcement, so my habit does not face extinction again.
Learning about habit loops and behavior theories did not only resonate with me in my personal life (Peloton workout classes). It also connects to my professional life as an educator. These theories are extremely valuable in the classroom, as well. I can utilize operant conditioning ideas by creating a positive classroom environment that precepts desirable behaviors and focusing on a variable ratio reinforcement schedule for my students, by giving rewards to them at unpredictable times. This type of reinforcement tends to be the most effective, since unpredictability keeps students interested and prevents reinforcement turning into a boring reward (Miller, 2020). According to Nebel (2011), many student behaviors need to be shaped. These are great tools and strategies to integrate into my personal classroom management procedures.
References
Duhigg, C. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. Random House.
Great Job Gif [Giphy]. (2020). https://gph.is/g/Z8Jy8rn
Miller, K. D. (2020, March 25). Operant conditioning theory: Examples for effective habit formation. Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/operant-conditioning-theory/
Moore, J. (2011). Behaviorism. The Psychological Record, 61(3), 449-463. doi:http://dx.doi.org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/10.1007/BF03395771
Nebel, C. (2017, August 10). Behaviorism in the classroom. The Learning Scientists. https://www.learningscientists.org/blog/2017/8/10-1
Schunk, D. (2016). Learning theories: An educational perspective. Pearson.