Introduction
The 20th century saw an influx of eminent psychologists who did not only study children behavior but proposed development theories that are still relevant today. A prime example is B. F. Skinner, whose discovery of operant learning has been highly influential in the study of modern-day psychology. Skinner’s postulations have not only had a significant impact on behavioral change theories but have shaped how the field of infancy and childhood development is approached. While Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory would be useful in measuring childhood development, it is still limited as it mainly focuses on personality, whereas Skinner’s stimulus-response theory explains how the environment can be adjusted to implement behavioral change.
Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Theory vs. Skinner’s Stimulus Response Theory
Erik Erikson’s psychosocial development theory suggests that personality development takes place in phases from childhood through maturity. At each stage, a person undergoes a unique psychosocial crisis that leaves a permanent positive or negative impact on their personality. In chronological order, the eight stages are trust vs. mistrust, anatomy vs. shame, initiative vs. guilt, industry vs. inferiority, identity vs. role confusion, intimacy vs. isolation, generativity vs. stagnation, and ego vs. despair (Maree, 2021). Successful completion of each stage ensures that a person acquires the basic human virtues.
The only similarity between Erikson and Skinner’s theory is that they both focus on certain aspects of human development. On one hand, Erikson’s main focus is on personality development whereas Skinner’s theory is mainly focused on behavioral development. However, they are largely different on different levels. For instance, Erikson’s theory revolves around an aspect of social development which occurs at specific age groups in life (Maree, 2021). On the other hand, however, Skinner’s theory revolves around learning behavior as per the guidelines of operant conditioning. Skinner proposes that change occurs when consequences are reinforced while change in Erikson’s theory is as a result of conquering a psychosocial dilemma.
B. F. Skinner’s theory posited that stimulus could be used to either reinforce positive behavior or make undesired behavior extinct. Doing away with unwanted behavior requires the introduction of punishment or hostility. The stimulus-response theory proposed that the frequency of a behavior can be increased with appropriate reinforcement. The process of reinforcement is often scheduled and can come either as a variable ratio, fixed interval, variable interval, or fixed ratio (Schlinger, 2021). Therefore, unlike classical conditioning, where learning is said to be unconscious and uncontrolled, Skinner’s classical conditioning experiments revealed that learning is a scheduled process.
Skinner’s stimulus-response learning offers a solid foundation for examining child development behavior. Since stimuli do not exist in a vacuum, and that it greatly affects the behavior of a child as it grows, then it can be deduced that the environment plays an important role in childhood development. Using operant conditioning, researchers have found that the onset of development phenomena such as early communication, auditor perception, social referencing, and joint attention are all developed from interacting with the environment (Pelaez & Monlux, 2017). With this understanding, then operant conditioning can be used to alter the behavior of a child by manipulating their environment.
A child who has been brought up in a home full of hostile aggression will have their development affected. Under Skinner’s stimulus-response theory, hostile aggression would be categorized as a negative stimulus capable of negatively affecting a child’s behavior. However, the use of appropriate positive reinforcement could enable such a child to overcome the effects of their usually hostile environment. Reinforcement is a fundamental block of Skinner’s theory as it constitutes anything that strengthens and evokes a desired response (Pelaez & Monlux, 2017). For example, the use of verbal praise, tangible rewards, and nonverbal cues are positive reinforcers that would set a child on their way to positive behavioral change.
Skinner’s stimulus-response theory is heavily reliant on the idea that behavior is malleable depending on one’s environment as it can be made extinct or it can be reinforced further. It also suggests that environmental development causes progressive changes in how people interact with their environment (Schlinger, 2021). While interactions with one’s environment are subtle, they are fundamental triggers of behavioral change. For a child who has been subject to hostility, a change in their environment would introduce new ways of interaction that would ring them desired behavior.
For the stimulus-response to be effective, a behavior plan or program has to be developed. It takes into account the need for a proactive approach towards implementing change. In a classroom setting, for instance, teachers or behavioral coaches cannot assume that children will automatically learn social skills without proper planning (Gil-Madrona et al., 2019). Cooperative activities are platforms where feedback can be shared between teachers and learners to facilitate development of social and auto-control skills. Without a behavior program, the process of behavior modification will not take place. In the case of a child from a background of hostility, it is paramount that a behavior program is implemented consistently.
Conclusion
In summary, B. F. Skinner’s stimulus response theory is an important tool that advocates for change. The theory is heavily based on the idea of using reinforcers to modify the environment and subsequently introduce change. Since the theory is focused on how behavior can be influenced, it can be used to positively impact the behavior of a child whose background has been filled with hostile aggression. With a concrete behavior program, positive reinforcers could be used to encourage such a child to adopt more desirable behavior.
References
Gil-Madrona, P., Gutiérrez-Marín, E. C., Cupani, M., Samalot-Rivera, A., Díaz-Suárez, A., & López-Sánchez, G. F. (2019). The effects of an appropriate behavior program on elementary school children social skills development in physical education. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1-8. Web.
Maree, J. G. (2021). The psychosocial development theory of Erik Erikson: critical overview. Early Child Development and Care, 191(7-8), 1107-1121. Web.
Pelaez, M., & Monlux, K. (2017). Operant conditioning methodologies to investigate infant learning. European Journal of Behavior Analysis, 18(2), 212-241. Web.
Schlinger, H. D. (2021). The impact of B. F. Skinner’s science of operant learning on early childhood research, theory, treatment, and care. Early Child Development and Care, 191(7-8), 1089-1106. Web.