This theory, first developed by B. F. Skinner in the 1950s,
uses the concepts of ‘‘positive’’ and ‘‘negative’’ reinforcement
to control behavior. This theory explains learning
behavior very simply: Reward students who perform well,
and punish students who do not. Behaviorist theory, although
certainly observed among student populations, does not
explain all learning (i.e., learning that takes place without
overtly rewarding the behavior) and so has fallen increasingly
out of favor in recent years. In addition, behavior
learned by this method has been found to be easily changed
later on when conditions change or additional information is
encountered