The Foundational Principles

Running head: FOUNDATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
FOUNDATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author note

FOUNDATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY1
Contents
Background information..................................................................................................................2
Range of Behaviours displayed in the classroom – overview and analysis....................................3
Application of operant conditioning, its strengths and weaknesses................................................6
Through positive and negative reinforcement.............................................................................6
Through positive and negative punishment.................................................................................7
Strengths and weaknesses............................................................................................................7
Suitability of Operant Conditioning................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

FOUNDATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY2
Background information.
Secondary year 2 students usually fall in the age group of 13 – 14 year old children. This
particular age group is the onset of the adolescence period, where the children make transition
from their childhood stage to the stage of adulthood (Curtis, 2015). This transition results in the
development of a variety of features that are both physical and psychological in nature. Even
though the physical changes are quite prominently visible in them, the psychological attributes
are much harder to observe. Curtis (2015) elaborates that the psychological attributes like
thought, emotions, behaviour and social roles involving interpersonal relationships are the ones
mostly affected in this phase and undergo the most radical changes. These changes can be quite
difficult for the person to deal with on his own, as the classroom in the current context has
shown. Mr. Tan’s Class consists of secondary 2 students who display similar attributes of not
being able to cope with the changes, especially through their non – participation in the class and
non – cooperation with the teacher. This is a common trait among a lot of students in the current
age group.
This essay deals with a wide range of behavioural and social psychological concepts and
theories, with special focus on operant conditioning by B.F. Skinner. In order to test the validity
of applying operant conditioning in the current context, the theory is also compared and
contrasted against several other relevant theories, precisely the theory of Moral Development by
Lawrence Kohlberg, Erikson’s stages of psychosocial development, Social Learning Theory by
Albert Bandura and the Cognitive Learning Theory by Jean Piaget.

FOUNDATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY3
Range of Behaviours displayed in the classroom – overview and analysis.
Looking at Mr Tan’s classroom, there are a few significant attributes that can be
identified from the class to be present amongst the students. The scenario states that Mr. Tan is
finding it difficult to manage the class primarily because most of the students do not comply with
the teacher’s decisions and directions. They are mostly non – cooperative in the class, meaning
that they neither take part in the class discussions, nor do they complete and submit their
assignments and homework on time. They also lack significant knowledge about the content that
is being taught in the class as most of them display a blank face when a question is asked to them
and most do not even reply to the questions asked. This kind of a display of behaviour can be
justified in a smaller number of students stating that they lack interest in studying and are
therefore unresponsive in the classroom. However, for a larger number of students, this kind of a
behaviour can generally be attributed to a large scale developmental concern and therefore needs
to be looked at in detail.
Cherry (2018) states that the adolescent period of life ranges normally between 13 and 19
years of age, similar to the stage that is highlighted as adolescence by Erikson in his Stage of
Psychosocial Development. Erikson’s stages further highlights that the previous stage, middle
childhood, extends from 9 to 12 years of age. This puts the secondary 2 students at the
juxtaposition of the two stages. In these two stages, the development of the students happen in
terms of their self – identity, various skills and abilities, understanding of power and position as
well as their role and place in this world. They start to understand, question and re – establish
their objectives and goals and attempt to look at their place in the world in terms of what they
can become (Dunkel & Harbke, 2017). This is therefore the period when children, in their
transition to adolescence, start making stronger connections and relationships with their school,