Essay 1 Questions
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Essay 1 Questions
Question 1
Classical conditioning is referred to as the form of learning through an association with
environmental stimulus and the naturally occurring stimulus (Gormezano, I., & Moore, J. W.
1966). To model the idea of classical conditioning, I will offer a hypothetical experiment in
which conclusions on various stimulus can be drawn. This hypothetical experiment is a
Reflection on own experience with Jane, my college roommate, who developed health
complications due to stress. Jane developed ulcers early last semester due to financial constraints
that caused much stress. On this, a doctor recommends that, to contain the health issue, Jane
shouldn’t take plain coffee in the next few months. Jane, being a coffee addict, would fall into
the trap of taking coffee almost every day. Due to her continuous complaints on abdominal pains
after taking coffee, I decided to step in to help Jane refrain from taking coffee.
On the kitchen shelves, I installed a motion detector that would signal an irritating red
flash light whenever one takes hand into the cupboard where we store coffee. This was just
meant to create a reminder to Jane that she is not supposed to take coffee and instead she was
supposed to take plain milk. Here, opening the cupboard represents the expected natural
stimulus (NS), while the installed motion detector represents the unconditioned stimulus. During
the first days after installing the motion detector, whenever Jane opened the cupboard, she would
get frightened by the red flash light. Having no prior knowledge on the presence motion detector,
Jane gets frightened by the red flash light and this represents the unconditioned response
depicted by Jane.
After getting used to the frightening red flash light, Jane would just avoid the cupboard
even without having the flash light made by the motion detector. This shows that, the natural
stimulus and the unconditioned stimulus developed to form conditioned stimulus. After a while, I
took off the motion detector from the coffee cupboard and Jane did not realize this. Jane would
always look into the milk cupboard whenever she visited the kitchen. This shows that the
unconditioned response developed into conditioned response. Jane would still fear getting
shocked by the flash light coming from the motion detector.
In conclusion, for classical conditioning to work, the conditioned stimuli must come
before, not after, or at the same time as the unconditioned stimulus. As a result, the conditioned
stimulus serves as a signal or cue to the unconditioned stimulus. A neutral stimulus is placed in
front of a naturally occurring reflex in classical conditioning. Responses like phobias and fear
show the power of classical conditioning.
Signal Natural Stimulus (NS)
Opening the cupboard
Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)
Frightening flash light
Unconditioned Response (UCR)
Getting shocked
Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
Opening the cupboard
Conditioned Response (CR)
Shocked
Question 2
Operant conditioning is a learning technique that uses rewards and consequences to
motivate people to behave in certain ways. An association is formed between a behavior and a
result for that behavior using operant conditioning (Skinner, B. F. 1971). When teaching a new
behavior, it's often easier to begin with a continuous routine and then progress to one of the
partial reinforcement schedules over time. Partial reinforcement schedules have the benefit of
preventing the reward from losing its meaning too easily. When a reinforcer is provided too often
and too quickly, it loses its effectiveness as a reinforcer. Weaning off the reinforcer steadily until
the desired action is done without it is a smart idea. Reinforcement and punishment occur often
in natural environments and play an important part in daily learning (Skinner, B. F. 1971). To
model operant conditioning, I will use a hypothetical example where I employ the basics
principles of operant conditioning to change the behavior of my roommate.
My roommate has a behavior of leaving her bed unmade whenever she wakes up. This is
just a hint of how messy she is. To impact a change in her behavior, operant conditioning can be
effective in generating a desired behavior where Jane can be making her bed neatly. To do this, it
is essential for me to use of shaping and negative reinforcement models. Having known that that
Jane is committed to surfing through the social media early morning using a phone, I would first
take away her phone so that she would always have some time in the morning to make the bed.
This would serve as a punishment to produce a desired behavior in Jane. Taking away Jane’s
phone is an example of a negative punishment in which a positive stimulus is taken away.
Another way to have Jane change her behavior through operant conditioning would
include taking away unpleasant stimulus. For a fact, I know that Jane would feel much ashamed
if I chase her away to look for another roommate. I would promise Jane that for the remaining
two academic years, I would choose not to have her away from the room only if she would be
making her bed neatly. Here, Jane would be negatively reinforced to make the bed neatly every
morning by removing unpleasant stimulus through making a promise to stay with her for the
rest of the academic years.
In another way to produce a desired behavior in Jane, I'd make sure she understand how
much her unkempt bed irritates me. Here, I'll take away her blanket and place it in some other
room or on her reading desk. As a result, she'd have to look for her blanket, creating irritation,
and therefore the blanket would be an antecedent stimulus (AS) and the frustration would be the
response. In addition, I would leave some money on her pillow every time she kept their bed
clean, as well as praise her verbally. Jane began to make her bed more often over time, and I
finally stopped removing the cover.
Antecedent Stimulus (AS)
Blanket, phone
Response
Feeling ashamed
Reinforcement
Promise to stay with her
Question 3
In this case, to modify the child's aggressive biting behavior, I will use operant
conditioning and a variant of punishment II. I'd begin by telling the child that if she bites
something, I'd take away her stuffed animal that she had taken with her. I would then promise
that, after a time of no biting, I will give back the animal and praise the child verbally . Her
response would most likely be anger and disappointment, which would likely cause her to
become enraged, scream for a brief period of time, or devolve into a full-fledged rant. This is one
way to modify the child’s behavior in an appropriate manner. However, if the relatives do not
continue the punishment and reinforcement process at home, the process would be ineffective.
And if this does not happen at home, she would wrongly learn not to bite only while I am there,
and that all else is good, which is a means of evasion. Praise, which is really helpful on young
children, will also be a perfect reinforcer in this case. Particularly when the praise comes from
someone in a position of influence who is demonstrating the desired behavior.
Operant conditioning has the potential to bring about behavioral modification without the
use of punishment in certain situations. The stuffed animal is the antecedent stimulus (AS) in
this case, and praise is the reinforcement. I've found that she bites out of rage or rage, and that
when she gives up, she seems to turn the feelings into biting. As a result, I'd pay attention to her
cues and make comments that would inspire her. I'm also deleting the AS to affirm her right
away. Her disruptive behavior will ideally begin to decrease from the first day, but nothing can
be predicted. She could continue to escape the situation by not taking the stuffed animal and
instead bringing a blanket. As a result, he blanket will become the AS on this day. As a result, I
conclude that operant conditioning through punishment is the most effective method for
improving young children's negative habits.
According to the behavioral perspective, both human behavior can be defined in terms of
environmental factors,. Learning, according to John B. Watson and B.F. Skinner, happens solely
by processes of association and reinforcement. Progress is seen as a response to incentives,
punishments, stimulation, and reinforcement in behavioral child development theory. According
to Vygotsky’s social structural theory, learning is an inherently social process. Learning becomes
incorporated into an individual's structure of the world as a result of interactions with others.
This theory would then be applicable in this case involving a child learning new behaviors.
Question 4
The learning environment is an excellent place to model successful positive influence
action. The easiest way to learn in the classroom is to lead by example. Modeling is a crucial
component of successful learning. Knowing that my behavior has an impact on others' behavior,
modeling my own behavior is critical in assisting others in regaining power and making positive
decisions. Being rationally detached in the classroom allows me to regain influence by not taking
critical suggestions or actions personally. Being respectful of other people is an important part of
modeling in the classroom and people sometimes act out unless they feel neglected,
marginalized, or uncared for. Validating a person's emotions and being attentive is an important
way to overcome anxiety. Accepting one's own limitations and remembering that often the right
decision is to devote time is another excellent way to influence other people's behavior in the
classroom.
Albert Bandura's goal in developing the social learning theory was to understand how
children learn in social situations by observing and then imitating the behavior of others.
Bandura proposes five essential steps in order for the learning to take place: observation,
attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation (Bandura, A. 1969). In essence, it was
accepted that learning could not be entirely clarified by reinforcement alone, and that the
intervention of others played a role as well. He found that the effects of perceived behavior often
dictated whether or not children followed the behavior. The theory of behavior reinforcement
comes from behaviorism, and cognitive processes like attention, motivation, and memory come
from cognitive psychology. Social modeling is a very effective educational technique. When
children see that a certain form of behavior has beneficial effects, they are more likely to
replicate that behavior. In contrast, if they suffer unfavorable effects as a result of their behavior,
they are less likely to repeat them.
In a classroom, I would pay attention to concepts taught in a particular unit so as to
encourage other pay attention to. For we can only recall information obtained, internalizing the
knowledge learnt in classroom to boost my grade is key to academic excellence. For one can
only reproduce previously learned behavior or knowledge when it’s required, practicing to
respond accurately in assignments would help me inspire others in modifying their behaviors.
Additionally, motivation is key element in developing one’s behavior. Seeing someone else
being rewarded or punished for what they've done is always enough to motivate someone. Being
a best performer in class would help me gain social praise from my professor and this would
motivate others to put extra efforts in their course work. Students who receive positive
reinforcement have greater trust in themselves and their skills, and this behaviour stands out in
their minds, prompting them to continue to replicate it.
Principle of social learning theory
Application in modeling
Observation
Leading by example
Attention
Being respectful others
Retention
Accepting own limitations
Reproduction
Perform excellently in course assignments
motivation
Validating others’ ideas
Reference
Gormezano, I., & Moore, J. W. (1966). Classical conditioning. Experimental methods and
instrumentation in psychology, 1, 385-420.
Skinner, B. F. (1971). Operant conditioning. The encyclopedia of education, 7, 29-33.
Bandura, A. (1969). Social-learning theory of identificatory processes. Handbook of
socialization theory and research, 213, 262.
