Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Parental Use of Operant Conditioning
Today in class we discussed our papers that we handed in for grading. Some of the examples about parents using operant conditioning to shape our behavior got me thinking about how my parents used operant conditioning. I remember every Sunday my family would take me to church and after church we ate lunch and then went to my grandmother's house. If I behaved in church I got to have an extra piece of candy at grandma's but if I misbehaved I had to sit inside with my mom and dad and couldn't go outside to play with my sister and cousins. My parents unknowingly used positive reinforcement (the candy) and negative punishment (taking away play time) to get me to behave in church.
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This doesn't necessarily have to do with my parent's but I remember having to use operant conditioning in babysitting a boy a few years ago. He was around 5, and his parents had told me that the only way they could get him to quietly take a nap and not make a big fuss about having to go to sleep was to tell him that if he took a nap when he was told, then afterwards he would get a new toy car from this big plastic bin that was filled with them..So every naptime, I would tell him if he behaved and fell asleep he'd get a car when he woke up, and everytime I told him this he'd fall asleep with no problem as long as he received the toy after. I remember one day there were no cars left and he knew that, so he refused to fall asleep and threw a fit because there was no positive reinforcement (the toy car) to motivate him to take be obedient and take a nap.
ReplyDeleteOperant conditioning can be used in a variety of different circumstances. I bought a new dog at the beginning of the summer and he was just a puppy when I got him. Since he is my dog I was responsible for training him. Whenever he would use the bathroom in the house, I would put his face in it and say no. When he went to the bathroom outside I would yell good boy and pet/play with him. When we got into the house I would say good boy once again and give him a treat. In doing this I used operant conditioning to teach him to go to the bathroom outside rather than inside the house.
ReplyDeleteMy parents used operant conditioning in many ways, but particularly to discourage my tendency to fight with my brother. Whenever I got into a fight or argument with him, my parents would punish me by taking away my tv privileges, a toy, putting me in a “time-out” in the corner, etc. Each time I was punished, I was discouraged to fight with my brother. Thus, my tendency to start fights with my brother decreased as I gradually recognized that particular behavior to be undesirable by my parents.
ReplyDeleteOver the summer, I babysat for my two year old cousin. My aunt told me that if he misbehaved, I could threaten him with the naughty spot, which was a playpen in their bedroom. My cousin does not like the time out spot at all. So every time he did something that he knew he wasn't supposed to do, I would threaten him with the naughty spot. I don't think he really believed I would ever put him in the naughty spot though, because sometimes he would continue with his bad behavior. I finally did put him in the naughty spot a couple times for throwing food, hitting me with toys, and various other things. After he was actually put into the spot a couple times, he learned that I was serious and he stopped misbehaving deliberately. I taught my cousin that purposely doing things he wasn't supposed to do resulted in negative outcomes, as in the naughty spot. He learned that if he behaved well, he would not have to go to the naughty spot and he also learned that when I threatened him with the naughty spot, I meant business.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger my dad mom used operant conditioning. If I was good and didn’t misbehave she would give me a toy or something she had got for me. She would usually do this when she went away for a day or two and it would also help me behave for my grandparents. This helped me learn that if I was good then I would get a reward which made it worth it for me. I think it is a useful strategy because kids listen to it.
ReplyDeleteMy grandmother used operant conditioning every christmas dinner when the family would gather. I would always refuse to eat the vegetables on my plate, but she told me I wouldn't be allowed to open presents until my plate was cleared. Needless to say my plate was cleared almost instantly because at the age of five getting those presents was my positive reinforcer. Every Christmas after that I would clear my plate as soon as I possibly could and wouldn't complain about the vegetables because I knew I would get to the presents faster that way.
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