PSYC FPX 1000 Assessment 1 Conditioning and Learning Plan PSYC FPX 1000 Introduction to Psychology Conditioning and Learning Plan

After viewing the Conditioning and Learning Practice media piece, I have created my own operant conditioning training plan.

Instructions: In Part 1, describe your scenario and the behavior that you would like to change. Ideas include (but are not limited to):

• Teaching your child to hang up their coat or backpack when they come in the door.
• Getting yourself to exercise a certain number of minutes a day or week.
• Teaching your dog to ring a bell when they need to go outside.
• Getting a trainee to come to work on time.

Part 1: Scenario

Scenario and Behavior

In this scenario, a second-grade student with unmedicated ADHD struggles with impulsively calling out distracting phrases during class. This behavior stems from a lack of impulse control and the enjoyment he derives from eliciting laughter from his classmates with comments like “Potato Popcorn!” and “Dinosaur Laser Beams!” My goal is to establish a behavior pattern where the child refrains from calling out, either by diminishing the joy he receives from the reactions of his peers or by increasing his enjoyment from positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior in class. Achieving one of these outcomes will necessitate the involvement of the entire class. With a small class size of 17 students, many are frustrated by losing class privileges and events due to the teacher’s need to restore order.

The alternative outcome would involve collaboration between the teacher and the student. I believe this situation allows for a dual approach utilizing operant conditioning, with the cooperation of key individuals.

Part 2: Plan

Conditioning Principle

Your Plan

Notes

Targeted Response: What is the behavior you want to see occur?

I want the disruptive student to remain quiet during instructional time and for the other students to refrain from reacting to his outbursts. This will require collaboration between the student and the teacher, as well as support from classmates—particularly a few key individuals who can model appropriate behavior for the group.

Primary Reinforcer

A star tracker for the individual student and a bean jar for the class scenario. A tracker will be displayed on the board. For every set period of time without disruptive behavior (perhaps starting with 20-minute increments), the student will earn a star on the tracker. Each time the student is disruptive but the class does not respond, a bean will be added to the jar. Once the jar is full, the class will earn a group privilege. A potential risk is that the student may realize his outbursts could lead to him being perceived as the hero for winning a class party, so it is crucial that he remains unaware of this aspect initially.

Secondary Reinforcer

After accumulating a certain number of stars, the student will have a list of prizes to choose from. This list will include options that can also benefit the whole class, helping to compensate for any previous losses. Having a variety of prizes ensures that there will always be something appealing for the student. Simple rewards could include lunch with the teacher or principal, or an additional five minutes of recess.

Conditioning Principle

Your Plan

Notes

The behavior I want to address is the disruptive actions of the student during instructional time. When the bean jar is filled, the class will earn a fun privilege or have the opportunity to enjoy an event that was previously lost due to the extended time required to complete regular instruction. The entire class will work collaboratively towards a common goal. They will be rewarded for not reacting to the disruptive behavior, which will help diminish the appeal of the behavior that the child can control. Another approach could involve the entire class earning beans for every 20 minutes that everyone remains on task. The peer pressure of being the one who causes the class to lose beans could serve as an additional incentive for appropriate behavior.

Schedules of Reinforcement

Given the student’s young age and neurodivergent status, reinforcement will need to occur frequently. Since this is happening in a classroom setting, the reinforcement must be non-disruptive, as enough instructional time is already being lost. I believe that every 15-20 minutes would be a manageable increment, but the teacher may have further insights into the most appropriate timing. A timer can be set to signal each increment, allowing the teacher to quietly add a star or a bean while continuing with the instruction.

Shaping

As the rewards are earned more consistently, the time increments can gradually be extended. Eventually, the reinforcement can be provided l