Utility and Importance of Conditioned Reflex Theory in Education

Conditioned Reflex Action, famous by the name of Connected Reflex, Conditioned Reflex, Connected Response and Connectionism action delivered by Pavlov, is very important and useful in the learning theory and method education, because the beginning of man’s learning is possible by the expecting responses. In the educational way, the utility and the importance of conditioned reflex theory can be highlighted in the following way.

1. More advantage can be taken in the education of the child by the connectionism process. In the childhood many actions are related to the peculiar things and continue to adolescence. For example if a child is uninterested, hates, fears any peculiar thing and person, in the stage of adolescent his behavior is same towards the same things. Connectionism should be used carefully for the learning of good habits for the children.
2. This method helps in removing bad habits and in changing the conduct and behavior.
3. With the help of this method fear related mental diseases can be cured.
4. For the establishment of discipline, the theory of reward and punishment is also depended on it.
5. This method helps children in the social awareness and adjustment with the environment.
6. The scholars of society and uncommon psychology have explained many subjects on the basis of this theory. This theory can be helped in the explanation of uncommon human behavior. The opinion of Crow and Crow is, “This method is useful for the education of those subjects, in which rumination is not needed, as-writing, alphabet series.”
7. It is the natural method of learning. Child always gets the opportunity of learning by this method.
8. The seeing, hearing material, which is used in the learning, is depended on this theory.
9. The learning process happening in the home and school can be explained easily with the help of this method.
10. This method should be used properly for the conditioning work of children. This method is very useful in the learning process.
11. The opinion of Pro. Anderson is—‘’The best contribution of conditioned response theory is, we get such an imaginary scientific basis material in it, by which we can developed a theory of learning.”

Summary

• On the basis of the experiment done by Pavlov on the dog, this theory has been given the name of ‘Classical Conditioned Theory’. On the basis of nature of this theory it has been given the name of ‘Response Bond Theory’. Here the main thing is to deliver the opinion of Pavlov’s experiments on the dog and applying its conclusion on the human behavior in the field of learning.

• Edward L. Thorndike delivered famous connectionism in 1898 in his book ‘Animal Intelligence’. In the field of learning psychology, connectionism means to create connection between stimulus and response. In the connectionism relationship is established between stimulus and response. So it is known by the name of stimulus response theory.