Laboratory Exercise: Application of Operant Conditioning:
Operant conditioning has many uses in our everyday lives. Behavior modification uses mostly operant methods in an attempt to change undesirable behaviors such as bad habits. Similar principles are also used in behavioral therapy for a wide range of psychological disorders. Closer to home, operant conditioning can be used to modify the behavior of children and to train pets. In this exercise, we will look at how an animal can be trained by using reinforcement of desired behavior.
As you complete this exercise, consider the following:
How can the principles of operant conditioning be applied to changing behavior? How does reinforcement contribute to behavior change?
By the end of this activity, you will be able to:
Explain the principles and processes involved in operant conditioning Complete the following exercise: This exercise will allow you to use the operant conditioning principle of reinforcement to train a bird to peck at a button. By reinforcing the bird with food, you will be able to increase the desired behavior over time and you will see a graph that records the result. This same technique can be used for training a dog or for helping children to develop good habits.Operant Conditioning After a few seconds, the bird and laboratory apparatus should appear. The experiment will start running automatically, so you need to be ready to start. You can reset it by using the “Refresh” button in your browser. If the bird does not appear, you may need to install Shockwave from the link provided.The bird will randomly jump, turn and peck at a button. Your job is to reinforce the bird by clicking on the food dispenser every time the bird pecks at the button. Do not click on the chart or you will change the action being graphed. The word “pecks” should appear at the top left of the chart before beginning. If it does not, click on the chart repeatedly until it appears. It is enough to give one food pellet if the bird pecks the button several times at once. Keep this going until the graph line reaches the right side of the chart. Once the graph is at the end of the chart, stop reinforcing but let the experiment continue until the graph moves across the chart a second time.After completing the experiment, view the brief video Pigeon Ping Pong. The same technique you just used to promote a simple behavior was used in the experiment shown to build up a more complex series of behaviors. Using a word processor, write a brief report (about one page, double spaced) describing the changes that you have observed in your bird’s behavior (and in the graph) first, as a result of reinforcement, and second, as a result of stopping reinforcement. What behavior did you condition? What reinforcement schedule did you use to condition the behavior? Be sure to use the correct vocabulary related to operant conditioning and to relate your observations to operant principles. Sources of information need to be documented with citations and references in APA format. Then give an example of how this technique could be applied to changing the behavior of an animal or a person.