What Are the Benefits of Behavioral Theories?

Behavioral theories derive from behaviorism, a broad philosophical and psychological theory that explains psychological states with behavioral information. The benefits of behavioral theories help us understand why we behave in certain ways, and how we learn. The benefit of behavioral theories includes applications of abstract concepts of conditioning behavior, persuasion and learning. Behavioral theories can explain ways to deal with things like bad habits, gambling, employees and convincing others to do things.

Classical Conditioning

• Behavioral theories help us understand classical conditioning. Classical conditioning occurs when a person changes his behavior after experiencing a new stimulus. It affects our motivational and emotional reactions to events. Classical conditioning models describe one way that people respond to relationships among events and how people prepare for likely events in the future. Casinos make money by applying principles of classical conditioning. A person who wins a prize while playing a slot machine usually puts money back in the machine; a person who loses money while playing a slot machine usually stops playing, and the casino generates a profit from the player's loss.

Persuasion

• Behavioral theories explain some kinds of persuasion, which involves changing another person's behavior from the way that he wants to behave to the way that you want him to behave. Behavioral theories support positive gradual persuasion by only reinforcing actions that are desired with positive responses. For example, a teacher may persuade students to raise their hands to ask a question by only acknowledging a student who raises his hand and completely ignoring students who talk out of turn.

Observational Learning

• Behavioral theories explain how people learn some things with a theory of social learning, based on behavior. The behavioral social learning model involves observation, imitation and goal setting. People observe how the behavior of others and the result of that behavior. Individuals set personal goals that are another person's positive results, and imitate the behavior that brought those results. For example, a woman who wants to lose weight may see her husband practice a nutritional diet and lose twenty pounds. Behavioral observational learning theory explains why the woman decides that she wants to lose twenty pounds and adopt the same diet regimen as her husband.

Employee Benefits

• Behavioral theories are the foundation for many employee benefits or reward programs. Companies give benefits and rewards that encourage employee behavior that benefits the company. For example, some companies supply a free gym membership or build in-house exercise facilities, because employees that are healthy and active are generally happier and more focused at work. Employers grant stock options to employees, because an employee that perceives personal some ownership of the company's will likely exhibit behavior that supports company growth.