Question

For this assignment, you will be creating a hypothetical operant conditioning and observational learning scenario. Be creative with your examples!

Choose a behavior that you would like to change (either your own behavior, someone you know or an animal in your life) and use the techniques of operant conditioning and observational learning to change this behavior. You can use a different behavior to change for each type of learning or you can use the same behavior.

Part 1: Operant Conditioning

Explain how you would use operant conditioning to increase a desired behavior in an organism by answering the following questions. (Please be very specific and detailed in your answers and write in full sentences.)

1. What is the target behavior and the person and/or animal that is part of this scenario?

2. Why did you choose this behavior?

3. In your example, will you use positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, or negative punishment? Why?

4. What are the challenges to getting the organism to do the target behavior?

5. Are there biological, personal or cognitive limitations in your example?

6. What type of reinforcers and reinforcement schedule did you use and why?

7. How would you shape through successive approximations? (If you already included this in your example explanation, you can skip this question.)

8. How would you prevent against generalization?

9. How would you extinguish the response?

10. How would you check for spontaneous recovery?

11. Would this example be ethical if executed? Why or why not?

Answer 1

1. Operant conditioning

Target behavior - Make my younger sibling (8 years old) study for 1 hour every day in the evening.

Reinforcer used - positive reinforcement - if he studies, I will allow him access to my laptop so that he can watch his favorite cartoon show online.

Reinforcement schedule used - continuous reinforcement schedule - after completion of every single target behavior reinforcement will be provided.

Explanation - Why have I chosen this behavior? Because I want my younger brother to develop the habit of studying for an hour every day. I have decided to use positive reinforcement - i.e.. he will get to watch his favorite cartoon show, because the reinforcement would increase the likelihood of him studying, thus increasing the occurrence of this target behavior.

There are various challenges like cognitive limitations on the part of my sibling. He might find it hard to delay gratification or think 'I will not study even if that means not watching the cartoon show'.

To prevent generalization. my brother must understand that reading comic book or a novel is not the same as studying. So he will get the positive reinforcement if reads anything other than his course materials.

If I want to extinguish this behaviour I will stop giving him access to my laptop even if he did study. This will automatically extinguish the behavior of studying after some days. If after the behavior has been extinguished, my brother suddenly starts studying again, this is an example of spontaneous recovery.

I can also reward him at every step (successive approximations) till the final target behavior, e.g.. praise him as soon as he sits on the study table, give him a pat on his back if he completes the full 1 hour and so on.  

The example will be totally ethical if executed because we are reinforcing a good habit and in the right way.