Operant Conditioning Case Study

When discussing the definition of extinction in the context of Applied Behavior Analysis, subsequentially the extinction burst is consistently observed prior to any extinction.

A weight loss program in a month is a hard obstacle to tackle. If a roommate is in need of help so that he can lose weight to make the football team, there are ways in which you can help. A behavior modification program can be set up to help the roommate. To begin, the principles of operant conditioning will get him started on his weight loss journey. In order for a successful program we need to use positive reinforcement, progress reports, and a schedule of reinforcement.

Operant conditioning is the effects punishment and reinforcement have on behavior; “the law of effect, which states that behaviors associated with good consequences (satisfiers) are more likely to occur again in the future, whereas behaviors associated with bad consequences (annoyers) are less likely to occur again” (Durwin 162). This is a necessary component used by many psychologists and educators to provide the best positive outcome in a child’s behavior. When analyzing the “Billy Scenario,” it is obvious that the teacher, Ms. Allen, tried different techniques of punishment to decrease the students’ misbehavior, but was unsuccessful; leading to an increase in the frequency of response or more disruptive behavior.

Learning is the act of changing an organism’s behavior in response to an experience. Associative learning is when an organism links two events that occur close in time. When an organism learns to make associations, it is being conditioned. There are two types of conditioning. Operant conditioning is when an organism associates an action and the consequence of that action. It results in the organism adapting its behavior to maximize rewards and minimize punishment (Skinner). On the other hand, classical conditioning is a type of learning where an organism associates a certain stimulus and the response to it with a different stimulus. A neutral stimulus is associated with an unconditioned response to an unconditioned

Operant conditioning is a great technique that can be used in studies in order to gain more information on how humans or other species learn but it is also an effective method in bettering ourselves. Whether it is learning a new skill or diminishing a negative habit, operant conditioning can help us achieve our goals if done the correct way. For this method, I chose to utilize operant conditioning to better my study skills. Like many students, I have trouble with studying effectively without getting distracted and not truly retaining the information for a long period of time. I chose to improve this behavior in order to achieve higher grades as well as learn material and know it for a longer amount of time. By the end of my operant conditioning journey, I hoped to have built the foundation of a new studying skills that I would be able to use for the rest of my college career and beyond.

Skinner’s theory observes individuals from the point of view of the behavior that they demonstrate. The key weakness of this theory is its attempt to explain the behaviors of an individual solely through visible phenomena. Critics sometimes accuse behaviorists of denying that ideas and thoughts exist (Jensen & Burgess, 1997). The major opposition that behaviorists face is that behavior of a person cannot be understood without including the mental activity of the individual. Critics have accused behaviorists of focusing only on behavior and ignoring the role of physiology, neuroscience, and genetics (Weiss & Rosales-Ruiz, 2014). Sometimes the reactions that people demonstrate have are not related their experience and therefore they have another

Operant conditioning relies on consequences to behaviors, and one of the consequences is reinforcement. Reinforcement has two options: positive and negative. Positive reinforcement consists of the presentation of a stimulus that strengthens the probability of the

A client is struggling with a compulsive habit that includes smoking more than three packs of cigarettes a day. As a therapist you want to help them overcome the habit. To go about doing this, there are two techniques you have available to you. The techniques are operant conditioning and classical conditioning. Operant conditioning is a cause-and-effect relationship between a person’s behavior and the consequences. When a behavior is punished, it decreases; and when a behavior is rewarded it increases. Classical conditioning involves a natural, unconditioned response that follows an unconditioned stimulus, then a neutral stimulus becomes associated with the unconditioned stimulus which then becomes the conditioned stimulus, finally the conditioned stimulus creates a conditioned response.

In order to aid my roommate's diet regimen the use of all aspects of operant conditioning will become significant. Since operant conditioning is the method through which an individual's behavior is modified via the use of consequences, positive and negative, both punishment and reward should be a part of my roommate's diet plan. Since grasping the inital plan is an underlying problem of this conditioning, a reinforcer, like a delicious snack will be used at five minute/ fixed ratio schedule to ensure that the subject understands all aspects of the study--like the reinfrocements and the punishments. First, a strict plan must be laid out in which the ultimate reward is made clear, this is the reward that is laid out by Throndike's Law of Effect,

Over several decades, primates have been known for their contribution within experimental research because of similar characteristics that human beings and other primates share amongst one another. Many countries, including the United States, participated in the launching of monkeys into space before successfully sending humans. Their primary goal was to investigate biological effects of space traveling, but scientists had to train the monkey to learn different safety procedures when returning for impact.

Operant conditioning focuses on a system of reinforcement and punishers where actions will have a consequence (Skinner, 2016). In operant conditioning, behaviour that is reinforced will be strengthened while behaviour that is not reinforced will weaken with time (Skinner, 2016). There are three types of operants. The neutral operants that will neither increase nor decrease the chances of repeating a behaviour (Skinner, 2016). The reinforcers will increase the chances of repeating a behaviour (Skinner, 2016). The punishers will decrease the chances of repeating a behaviour (Skinner, 2016). Positive reinforcement strengthens a behaviour as an individual gains rewards through it (Skinner, 2016). Negative reinforcement strengthens the behaviour by removing an unpleasant consequence

I have learned so much about this chapter, but the key concept that stuck out to me was shaping in operant conditioning. I absorb the information that you had to teach someone or an animal to perform an action and that it could be done by learning what to do and what not to do in different environments to reach an ultimate goal. An example of this could be teaching your pet a new trick by positively reinforcement and negative reinforcement until they reach the objective.

Situation 3. The situation is an example of Operant Conditioning. Negative Punishment= patient steals food and is moved to a room with no food.

Example of Operant conditioning, is when you decided to snooze the alarm in the morning after partying all night long. Finally you decide to get up to go to work you are running 15 min late. And decide to step on gas pedal. You are now driving 50 mph on a 35 mph road. You think you are fine and won 't get caught because everyone else is driving fast also. All of sudden a cop is hidden in between the trees and bushes. You try to brake, in order to slow down a bit, but it 's too late…. The cop has turn on the lights and tail-gating you already. You pull over and you try to convince him that you had a “tough night”… even though it 's a lie, and to let you off with a warning. The cop tells you he doesn 't care and you should know better. Therefore he gives you a speeding ticket of about two hundred dollars and a court date if you decide to fight it. In order to go to court you will have to miss work, which means you won 't get paid. Then you have to pay for all the additional court fees if you want to go to clear your record; your insurance will go up, have to pay for driving school and miss more work also. You will have to go through all this trouble, time and money. Just for being too lazy and “tired” to get up on time.

As a dog owner, I know how important it is to teach your pets how to behave. Yet, it is important to understand how learning works so that you can develop a strategy to properly and quickly teach your dog. The example of training a dog to roll over is a great model for analysing the aspects of learning involved with this process. Understanding how operant conditioning works and how to reinforce a desired response to that stimuli will help trainers effectively teach dogs. Psychologists, such as Myers (2013), define learning as the process of acquiring new knowledge and behaviors. In this case we are specifically discussing the acquisition of a certain response to a stimulus. The stimulus is the trainer’s command and the desired behavior is the dog to roll over onto his back. These ideas all are based on Edward L. Thorndike’s principle called the law of effect, wherein he stated that behaviors followed by a positive outcomes are more likely to increase in probability. These are all important components of the learning process, especially on the level of training a dog or instilling a simple behavior.