Unit 8 Assignment

Essay Instructions:

PS515-4: Determine the appropriate tool to modify behavior. By now, you know that reinforcement is a powerful tool to develop and maintain behavior. As it turns out, the schedule by which that reinforcement is delivered makes a difference in terms of behavior. Further, it would be frustrating to teach a behavior that disappeared after the lesson was over. Therefore, it is important to learn how to apply reinforcement and how to make behaviors last over time. For this assignment, you will write a 4- to 6-page essay that describes how you would apply reinforcement tools within the working world. You have 25 new employees, and you want them to complete several new-employee onboarding tasks, such as selecting a health insurance plan, federal withholding, state withholding, 401(k) selection, setting up direct deposit, etc. You also want them to turn in biweekly reports on time. Several months later, you have noticed that there are many employee absences on the Monday after the biweekly payday. Attendance seems to improve the closer it gets to payday. In your essay, be sure to do the following: Describe a fixed reinforcement schedule, a variable reinforcement schedule, a duration schedule, a response rate schedule, and a noncontingent reinforcement schedule. Explain how each works and when you might use each one. Refer to the case above. Evaluate the best schedule of reinforcement for the initial paperwork and to get employees to turn in biweekly reports on time. Apply the schedule, explaining specifically how and when you would reinforce the employee. Be sure to provide your rationale. Discuss what seems to be happening with the employee absences (explain in terms of operant conditioning), and why you think it is happening. Refer to the scenario above. Evaluate the best schedule of reinforcement to improve attendance. Apply the schedule, explaining specifically how and when you would reinforce the employee, and provide your rationale. Explain how you would work to generalize the attendance behavior across time. Identify what sociocultural factors should be considered when trying to encourage better attendance. 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 8 Assignment Student’s Name Institution Course # and Name Professor’s Name Submission Date Types of Reinforcement Schedules A fixed reinforcement schedule provides reinforcement after a predetermined number of responses or a set period. This means that the reward is only given when the proper action occurs after a certain amount of time, and participants are not offered these awards between intervals (Johnson et al., 2022). For example, employees can receive a gift card after completing every five onboarding tasks, or an evaluation is conducted, and the best-performing employee is recognized. This reinforcement helps establish regular submission reports and increases employee task completion rate. In the onboarding context, it encourages employees to complete multiple tasks efficiently to receive reinforcement. Second, a variable reinforcement schedule offers reinforcement following an erratic number of responses or varying intervals of time (Johnson et al., 2022). When employees are programmed for this type of reinforcement schedule, they will work hard to increase the desired behaviors that attract this reward. The unpredictability keeps employees motivated and engaged because they do not know when the next reward will come (Johnson et al., 2022). This schedule can address attendance issues by providing unpredictable rewards for attending work, particularly on Mondays after payday. A duration schedule involves reinforcing a behavior if performed continuously for a specified period. For example, employees can be rewarded for continuously working diligently on onboarding tasks. This will be important for tasks that require sustained attention and effort. There should be both fixed and variable duration schedules. Fixed duration schedules will recognize employees who are consistent with current tasks, and variable duration schedules will motivate employees to maintain effort over uncertain periods. Moreover, the response rate schedule reinforces behaviors based on the rate of responses within a certain period (Johnson et al., 2022). This type of schedule can be used to reinforce both high and low work rates. For example, employees who complete a minimum number of onboarding tasks within a day will be rewarded to increase their frequency of task completion. Employees can also be rewarded for maintaining low rates of errors in their biweekly reports, and this type of recognition helps eliminate undesired behaviors. Furthermore, noncontingent reinforcement provides reinforcement independently of the individual's behavior (Kelley et al., 2022). For example, the employees will receive regular monthly wellness bonuses irrespective of their performance. This type of reinforcement can reduce problematic behaviors like absenteeism because these bonuses create a positive association with coming to work. Continuous and intermittent reinforcement can significantly enhance employee compliance and attendance. Best Schedule of Reinforcement for the Initial Paperwork and Timely Submission of Biweekly Reports The response rate reinforcement schedule is appropriate for ensuring the timely completion of initial onboarding tasks and improving the punctuality of biweekly report submissions. In this company, the initial paperwork includes setting up direct deposit, selecting health insurance plans, and choosing 401(k) options. Timely completion of these tasks is needed for the smooth running of the company and respect for deadlines given by stakeholders. Employees who record high responses and constant collaboration will accumulate higher rewards. Employees who do not miss any business day are entitled to a commission of 3% of total personal sales. The new employees will be given a commission of 5% for the first six months of work. However, an employee who misses even a day is not entitled to this commission. The rationale for this approach is its straightforward nature of ensuring initial task completion and reducing absenteeism. Johnson et al. (2022) report that the reinforcer and the schedule of reinforcement influence response rates. The management at the company can vary the percentage of commission earned by each individual depending on the stay at ...

Updated on October 2, 2024

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