Question

Psychologists like B. F. Skinner have studied how we can use operant conditioning to change the behavior of people and animals. Drawing on your personal experience, choose a person or animal whose behavior you want to change. (You may select your own behavior for this question if you wish.) How could you use operant conditioning to change the behavior of this person or animal?

In a multi-paragraph essay, describe your plan to change this behavior. Be sure to mention what type of reinforcer and reinforcement schedule you would use and explain why you made those particular choices. Include information from class materials, readings, and research on operant conditioning to support your discussion.

Answer 1

Answer . Operant conditioning is a wonderful concept given by BF Skinner. It involves reinforcement and puncishment that increases or decreases the behaviour. In real life I would want to use operant conditioning with my younger brother who is in class 10th. He is very lazy and careless and hates studying. He does not like studying at all neither in school nor at home. I am planning to teach him this year . He loves to eat pizza and would do anything to eat it . I would reinforce him using his favourite dish i.e. pizza. While teaching I would give him tasks and work to accomplish and I will be checking it at the end of every week . If he completes it by the end of the week I would give him a pizza treat every weekend . This will act as a positive reinforcement for him and likelihood of behaviour will increase. I would be using FIXED IMTERVAL SCHEDULE since i will be reinforcing after every one week if desireable behaviour occurs . This would ensure positive and long lasting results.