Behavior Modification through Operant Conditioning



Behavior Modification through Operant Conditioning

Ms. Larson cannot understand why scolding her sixth-grade students for disruptive behaviors makes them more unruly. She wants her students to be courteous, cooperative, and engaged in learning, but as a new and inexperienced teacher, her strategy isn't working but she doesn't understand why.

Explanation of Mrs. Larson's Predicament Using Operant Conditioning Terms and Principles

A child's success and development has a lot to do with their discipline. Teachers and academics would attest to this assertion. Discipline is often confusingly viewed as punishment, though this does not necessarily hold at all times. The main idea behind the concept of operant conditioning is to encourage positive reinforcement. Furthermore, this concept finds invariable application in classroom environments. In such environments, good behavior of students can be positively reinforced through rewards. Operant conditioning was purposed by Skinner (2011). He suggested that negative reinforcements can be used for deterring unwanted, unruly and disruptive behavior whereas positive reinforcement can be used for encouraging wanted and good behavior. Behavioral psychologists assert that all actions have consequences, and if these consequences are worthwhile, the behavior is conducted in future too. Similarly, if the consequences are displeasing; the stimuli behavior is alternated to attain better results, as consequences. As such through this process of reinforcement's i.e. operant conditioning, children and individuals develop their behavior. Further, they gradually understand what is useful, appropriate and required and what is not wanted.

Mrs. Larson, a new secondary school teacher, finds difficult to maintain discipline in her classroom. She has adopted the practice to scold students that are unruly. Though, her scolding's are not having the desired effect on student's behavior. In light of the principles of operant conditioning, the teacher is negatively reinforcing the operant behavior of class's disruption practices. Although, unlike the theory suggests Mrs. ...