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Janet Schwarz
ECI 517, Fall 2019
NC State University

Reflexive Synthesis on Behaviorism, CIP, and Constructivism

For this paper, I will be evaluating the theories of behaviorism, cognitive information
processing, and constructivism. As a distance education learner, I will be examining these
theories from a distance learning perspective. Although each theory maintains its own concept
of truth, these ideas are equally met with skepticism. From my research, I have found that
behaviorism, CIP, and constructivism do not necessarily hold up to every situation,
environment, or person. Although each theory specifically lays out how humans learn, every
human may not effectively learn by means of each theory.
Behaviorism, as the first cohesive theory of learning, states that behavior can be
interpreted in terms of conditioning without drawing on thoughts and feelings. To me, positive
punishment, negative punishment, and positive reinforcement are all effective in their own
ways. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but each one can be used effectively and
appropriately. As a distance education student, positive reinforcement would not work if I did
not fully understand why my actions were inappropriate. For the sake of argument, let’s
assume I didn’t know that copying information from a web site was unethical. Perhaps I never
really understood why plagiarism was wrong. Whether my punishment is positive
(reprimanding) or negative (decreasing my grade by a letter on the plagiarized report),
behaviorism indicates that punishments are the quickest way to teach correct behavior and
decrease negative behavior.
Of course, this methodology fails to consider the complexity of my emotions throughout
this learning process. If this were truly me, I would be upset, angry, and despondent—all at
once. Assuming my professor then required me to complete a module on plagiarism, I would
likely choose the correct behavior if I were in this position again. Most likely though, my intense
emotional state would ensure that I would never let this happen again, but behaviorism doesn’t
take emotions and feelings into account.
Next, let’s say that for some unknown reason, I plagiarize again in my distance
education class. If I wanted to apply positive punishment (adding an unpleasant consequence
to decrease behavior), I might be required to write a research paper on why plagiarism is
wrong. If plagiarizing then happened again, perhaps a visit to the Office of Student Conduct
would deter my behavior. If negative punishment were then applied (removing something
valued), I would probably be looking at Academic Suspension. It would have been great if
critical thinking and reasoning prevented me from going down this path, but behaviorists are
not big on thinking. And after going through all of this, I would probably no longer be motivated
to learn.
Cognitive information processing explains learning by detailing how information is
processed, stored, and recalled (see Appendix 1). Cognitive psychologists attempt to build
models of information processing that occur within the mind, similar to how a computer works.
In principle, humans learn information by storing it in long-term memory until they need to
retrieve the information.
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As a distance education learner, I do not often have to retrieve information to take

quizzes, assessments and so forth. However, that does not mean that I’m not learning! For my
distance education classes so far, I am able to continually look up the information I need until I
eventually retain that information. (I say something similar to my Spanish students when they
rely on paper dictionaries to look up translations. I tell them that they’ll remember the
translation more quickly if they continue looking up the words themselves.) Reading from
multiple sources, writing independently, and collaborating online certainly helps me remember
information.
The process of retrieval is based on previous knowledge, but begs the question What
kind of response? When information is recalled, learners do not receive cues or hints to help
them remember what to say or write. As a distance education learner, I do not necessarily
require cues or hints because I am able to look up information as I need to if I cannot recall
something. But many students do have to recall information on the spot. Whether in a class
discussion, while taking a quiz, or working on the essay portion of a test, how do learners
activate prior knowledge with no cues provided? In essence, it’s a difficult task because learning
comes from relating prior knowledge to new information. As an undergraduate, I wrote essays
as summative assessments about a given topic, but I couldn’t possibly recall all of the
information I had studied to include in my essay. No amount of thinking could help me recall all
of the facts I wanted to include.
Opposite of recall is recognition, which is not any easier to work with. As a distance
education learner, I have not seen many yes-no or old-new scenarios. I also have not seen any
multiple choice or matching assignments. As an undergraduate though, I saw plenty of
multiple-choice summative assessments. Memory strength certainly played a role in my
decision-making process, as did risk conditions and distractors. I would get stuck second-
guessing myself, especially when the answer choices were very similar. Yet, I hated taking a
random guess because I felt that I knew the information well. According to McLeod,
“information processing researchers focus mostly on the logical aspects of cognitive processing
and less on the emotional, creative and social aspects that also affect thinking” (2015). As an
undergraduate taking a multiple-choice test, I was frustrated and worried when I was stuck and
left to guess.
Rehearsal is not something I encounter as a distance education learner. I also cannot
recall verbally reciting information as an undergraduate. Repeating information over and over,
otherwise known as maintenance rehearsal, is not sufficient for storing information in long-
term memory. Although rehearsal is part of the CIP theory, it has not been proven effective. I
saw a lot of this as a K-12 teacher though. Before quizzes and tests, I would often hear students
repeating vocabulary terms to themselves. Sometimes I would hear it in the hallway, but most
often I heard it in the classroom. The one takeaway from this is that students did not typically
score higher on their tests compared with previous quizzes and practice tests. (Apparently,
students just wanted to hear themselves rehearse. Perhaps it was a confidence booster.)
Constructivism basically functions by utilizing collaborative learning and different
modes of representation in order to enable students’ understanding of different perspectives
(McLeod 2002). According to McLeod, “each individual learner has a distinctive point of view,
based on existing knowledge and values” (2002). One of the best parts about my experience as
a distance education learner is that I can better understand different perspectives and points of
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view by thoughtful communication with others. I know that K-12 teachers are facilitating more
collaborative learning overall, but students are not necessarily better at understanding each
other’s perspectives in classroom discussions. As an adult distance education learner,
constructivism and collaborative learning provide easy ways for me to learn. Plus, having a lot
of life experience behind me gives me quite an advantage.
Teachers of the constructivist mindset typically serve as coaches and resources to
students. Rather than controlling the learning process, they share in the process (Driscoll p.
400). From a distance learning perspective, these statements describe what I’m currently
experiencing in my classes. First of all, I’d like to clarify that most people do not have the
determination, self-control, nor the skillset to focus within a self-paced learning environment.
For those of us who do, we enjoy being part of the learning process. Certainly, we all have
assignments to do and classmates who depend on each other for group work and discussions.
But, we’re also capable of learning for ourselves within a guided environment. It’s great to be
able to work at our own pace and reach out for help when needed. However, it’s important to
also recognize that this type of learning environment cannot be used by everyone, especially
younger learners and those who cannot direct themselves.

Appendix 1

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Effects-of-cues-in-information-processing-modified-from-
Driscoll-2000_fig2_260388869
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References

Driscoll, M. P. (2004). Psychology of learning for instruction. Harlow: Pearson Education.

McLeod, S. (2015, February 5). Cognitive psychology. Retrieved from

https://www.simplypsychology.org/cognitive.html

McLeod, S. A. (2019, July 17). Constructivism as a theory for teaching and learning. Retrieved
from https://www.simplypsychology.org/constructivism.html