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Unit 6 Assignment
Essay Instructions:
PS515-3: Apply operant conditioning strategies to behavior modification.
Operant conditioning is one of the most commonly used behaviorist techniques. Who has not seen a parent give a child a treat after doing a good job? Have you ever noticed how a well-timed frown or raised eyebrow from a parent can stop a child’s misbehavior in its tracks? Operant conditioning is not only used by parents, but also within organizations. Employers often give raises with the hope of maintaining good employees. It is also used in the classroom. That gold star or “Good work!” from a teacher is often designed to bolster performance. These are all examples of operant conditioning that are used in the real-world!
Since operant conditioning is so prevalent, it is important to be able to use it well. Therefore, for this assignment, you will write a 4- to 6-page essay that describes how you would apply operant conditioning to a specific case.
Select one of the following behaviors:
Teaching a puppy to stop biting
Getting a teenager to clean their room
Working with a child on the autism spectrum to make eye contact with an adult
Working with a client to reduce self-injury behavior
Another behavior of your choosing — check first with your instructor.
In your essay, be sure to do the following:
Briefly recap and describe the target behavior you wish to shape.
Break the behavior down into the manageable parts that you will shape (list each part).
Evaluate a minimum of four specific reinforcers that could be used to shape behaviors; select the most appropriate one.
Describe at least two factors that you need to consider when selecting a reinforcer and why you selected the reinforcer you chose.
Using the behavioral parts and the selected reinforcer, describe the process that you will use to shape the target behavior.
Discuss how you will balance eventually removing tangible reinforcement while preventing extinction during shaping.
Your assignment should be a 4- to 6-page essay, not including the title and reference pages, and should include the following elements:
Title page: Provide your name, title of assignment, course and section number, and date.
Body: Answer all the questions in complete sentences and paragraphs.
Your responses should reflect professional writing standards, using proper tone and language. The writing and writing style should be correct and accurate and reflect knowledge of skills and practice of the psychology profession.
Reference page: Sources listed in current APA format.
Include a minimum of three scholarly or academic sources to support your responses and conclusions.
Use Arial or Times New Roman 12-point font, double-spaced and left aligned.
Use standard 1" margins on all sides.
Use current APA formatting and citation style.
Essay Sample Content Preview:
Unit 6 Assignment Paper
Student’s Name
Institution
Course # and Name
Professor’s Name
Submission Date
Introduction
According to Chen (2023), operant conditioning can be theorized as a method of learning that forms an association between a behavior and a consequence by using rewards and punishments. Ian Pavlov’s scientific work discusses the concept of modifying the behavior of animals using rewards. Operant conditioning is not only applicable in laboratory settings. There are many instances of reinforcement and punishments in therapy sessions, classrooms, and the natural environment. When a parent raises concerns about their child in response to a specific misbehavior, the child will stop immediately. Schools also reward top performers to encourage them to keep working hard. Students who break school rules are punished, suspended, or expelled so that the remaining students can learn from other students' mistakes. Operant conditioning has been part of learning for many years. This paper will apply operant conditioning to get teenagers to clean their rooms.
Recap of the Target Behavior
The target behavior to be addressed is instilling a consistent habit of a teenager cleaning their room. Habits are formed after assuming that specific behavior is normal, and one accepts it as part of one's life. A teenager that rarely cleans their room should be reminded that there are health benefits of living in an organized and tidy space. The behavior will be broken down into small manageable tasks, and the behavioral intervention will focus on making small tasks at a time. Rewards, praises, and privileges will reinforce desirable changes positively (Kadzin, 2021). By consistently reinforcing the desired behavior and gradually increasing the complexity of cleaning tasks, the teenager will develop a habit of keeping their room clean.
Breakdown of Manageable Parts
The teenager will be tasked with organizing personal belongings, disposing trash, cleaning surfaces, and making the bed. Organizing personal belongings will involve separating clean clothes from dirty ones by folding clean ones and putting dirty ones in a laundry basket, tidying up personal accessories, and arranging study material on neatly organized shelves. Remove unnecessary items by ensuring that wastebaskets are emptied regularly and disposing of items that are no longer valuable, such as outdated belongings, old papers, and broken items. The teenager will also be tasked with cleaning various surfaces in the room. Sweeping the floor will be done daily, and desks, shelves, and windowsills will be dusted daily. Moreover, the teenager will also establish a daily routine of making and regularly changing bedding to ensure hygiene and comfort. Breaking down these tasks will help the teenager develop a systematic room-cleaning approach.
Evaluation of Reinforcers
In operant conditioning, desirable behaviors are maintained using appropriate reinforcers to increase the likelihood of the behavior occurring again. There are many types of reinforcers, and each type will have distinct characteristics and potential impacts on the teenager’s behavior. First, positive reinforcement will be given immediately after completing a task. Verbal praise and acknowledgments after completing cleaning tasks will boost the teenager’s morale (Lynette et al., 2021). I will ensure that these positive reinforcements are done consistently and reflect on current achievements or tasks that the teenagers are involved in. Second, material reinforcement can also increase the likelihood of a desirable activity happening again. Offering tangible rewards, additional screen time, and access to favorite items in the house after completing the tasks can motivate the teenager (Malik et al., 2020). Material rewards should not be overused because they can lose appeal over time.
Third, a token system economy can motivate teenagers to complete tasks promptly. The teenager will earn tokens for each completed cleaning task, which will be exchanged for desired rewards. For example, the teen will use ten tokens for a small gift, movie night, or extra gaming time. Moreover, social reinforcement is a good motivation factor for the teen, especially if the ...
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