PSY100 class (( Operant Conditioning ))

Writing Assignment 3: Operant Conditioning

(Chapter 4)

This assignment gives you a chance to demonstrate how we can learn new behaviors through operant conditioning. By completing this assignment, you will be meeting the following course goal: Applying aspects of the scientific method and psychological principles to human behavior outside the classroom.

Instructions: Write a short paper addressing all parts of the assignment described below. This option asks you to use operant conditioning to modify your own behavior. You will be putting some of the principles of this type of learning into actual practice. [Note: The instructions for this assignment are based on the Do It Yourself! activity on page 166 in your text. It may be helpful to read over that segment as you prepare.]

Due date*: Tuesday, September 30th

BEFORE you begin writing, you will need to do the following:

1. Identify a specific behavior you want to start doing. Be careful not to make your goal too broad. For example, rather than “I want to start exercising,” be more specific. The behavior could, instead, be “spend 20 minutes on the treadmill every day.”

2. Think about how you could use operant conditioning to help you achieve this goal. What could you use as reinforcement after you engage in the behavior you’ve selected? Would you use more than 1 type of reinforcer? Would you want to use punishment for times when you engage in an opposite behavior? Consider the timing, frequency, & schedule of reinforcement you might use as well.

3. Once you have decided how you will use operant conditioning to help you meet your goal, get started! For 1 week, keep track of your progress. Note when you engage in the behavior (and when you don’t), and how you apply the consequences you decided on. Pay particular attention to how reinforcement affects your likelihood to engage in that behavior in the future. (Of course, feel free to make adjustments along the way! Hopefully this assignment can help you meet a personal goal, and not just one for the class!)

AFTER a week’s time, you will need to report your results. Include the following information in your paper:

1. What you planned to do for this assignment. Share the behavior you wanted to condition, as well as your plan for using operant conditioning. Indicate any changes you made in that plan as you went through the week.

2. Describe your data. How often did you engage in the behavior? How did reinforcement (and/or punishment) affect your behavior? Did you successfully learn the behavior?

3. Last, discuss why you think you were (or were not) successful in this attempt to modify your behavior. If you could do it again (or if you were to continue doing it), what factors would you change? Why? How did this activity help you understand the principles of operant conditioning (or learning, in general)?