Operant Conditioning And Relationships

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Operant Conditioning and Relationships Renee King Psychology 1101 October 23, 2011 Applied behavioral analysis, also known as Behavior Modification, is a study of human behavior through observation (King, 2010). According to this analysis along with behaviorism it is believed that a persons’ behavior can be measured, trained, and changed (King, 2010). For instance, Operant Conditioning, which indicates that you can shape a person’s behavior by controlling the consequences of the behavior (King, 2010). The Consequences that accelerate the behavior are termed reinforcers where as those that hinder behavior are termed punishers. Through Operant Conditioning, you are able to mold the behavior of a person using reinforcements, punishments, and reinforcement schedules. Reinforcements can play a vital role in communication with the people around us. A positive reinforcement strengthens a behavior by providing a consequence a person finds rewarding (King, 2010). A negative reinforcement also strengthens a behavior by the removal of an unpleasant experience which is also rewarding (King, 2010). These two reinforcements are especially important when dealing with relationships. They can help to eliminate an annoying behavior of a spouse that needs to be changed. For example, the spouse has a tendency to leave his clothes on the floor of our bedroom and bathroom, and although this behavior is annoying, I would pick the clothes up and place them in the hamper. After reading about operant conditioning, it was time for another approach. The principles of operant conditioning were applied by attempting to change his behavior using reinforcements. The program was started by encouraging him to place his clothes in the hamper instead of on the floor. The rewards of positive reinforcements were complements and hugs when he completed the task. This reinforer worked

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