Question

STEP 1: Your assignment is to choose one of your OWN behaviors that you would like to modify, using the conditioning principles you learned about in the text. Consider bad habits you might be interested in changing, such as biting your nails, procrastinating, not exercising, etc. You can utilize principles of classical or operant conditioning, recruit others to help you, employ successive approximations and shaping and modify schedules of reinforcement in order to improve your life.

You must spend at least 10 solid days devoted to this project in order to see solid results. Please get started right away.

STEP 2: Write a 2-3 page paper (500-800 words) about your project that explains your project, the type of conditioning you used, and the methods and procedures used to execute your project. You should explain the process of shaping the behavior and utilize any or all appropriate vocabulary. Finally, include a discussion of the results and an analysis of recommendations for improvement or future changes.

Answer 1

The bad behaviour which I dont like about myself would be the practice of smoking .

People knowing that having cigarettes are bad and injurious for health , still there are ones who prefers to have it . Smoking causes cancer. Having cigarettes after every 3 hours is very dangerous and its called an addiction. Smoking takes a toll on our health .

I would like to use Operant Conditioning . Operant conditioning involves a kind of behaviour / action for which a person will be rewarded / punished if required to do so.

Eg : If a person commits a crime , for which he/she would be punished .

If a person does social work , and benefits the poor people . This is a work for which the person is rewarded .

In the above case of smoking , I would like to employ operant conditioning. By the help of operant conditioning , I might be punished , as there is no scope of being rewarded for my action. In order to improve this problem , the person will be sent to the rehab . Rehab focusses to reduce the act of addiction and helps the person to be back in his normal life.