Instructions are attached
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Respond to at least two (2) peers
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200 words each reply
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APA format in-text citations and references
Peer1: Paytn
Classical conditioning can be a handy tool for shaping behaviors at home or at work. Let’s explore how you can use sensory preconditioning and blocking in everyday situations:
Sensory Preconditioning in Family Life
Imagine you want to make mealtimes more enjoyable for your kids, especially when introducing new foods. You could use sensory preconditioning to create positive associations with mealtime.
Conditioned Stimuli (CS1 and CS2): CS1 could be a specific colorful table setting, and CS2 could be a fun jingle played right before meals.
Unconditioned Stimulus (US): Their favorite food.
Unconditioned Response (UR): The joy they naturally feel eating something they love.
Conditioned Response (CR): Excitement or happiness when they see the special plates or hear the jingle, even before they know what’s for dinner.
By pairing the fun table setting and the jingle with meals they already love, the kids will start to feel happy and excited about mealtime in general, making them more open to trying whatever is served (Fournier et al., 2021).
Blocking in the Workplace
Blocking can help streamline workplace training. It’s about focusing on what adds the most value and not overwhelming staff with redundant information.
First Conditioned Stimulus (CS1): A thorough training session on new software.
Second Conditioned Stimulus (CS2): Follow-up emails that just repeat what was already covered.
Unconditioned Stimulus (US): Actually using the software.
Unconditioned Response (UR): Getting the hang of the software.
Conditioned Response (CR): Feeling confident in using the new tool.
In this case, the initial detailed training (CS1) provides all the needed info, making any extra emails (CS2) unnecessary. This shows how effective a solid first training session can be and why additional follow-ups might just clutter the learning process without adding benefit (Zhao et al., 2020).
Both these strategies show that with a bit of thought about how and when to present certain stimuli, you can cleverly shape positive behaviors and reactions in both personal and professional settings.
Reference:
Fournier, D. I., Cheng, H. Y., Robinson, S., & Todd, T. P. (2021). Cortical contributions to higher-order conditioning: A review of retrosplenial cortex function.
Frontiers In Behavioral Neuroscience, 15, 682426.
Links to an external site.
Zhao, Y., Zeng, Y., & Qiao, G. (2020). Brain-inspired classical conditioning model. iScience, 24(1), 101980.
Links to an external site.
Peer 2: Amanda
Classical conditioning can be implemented in different areas of my life. Second-order conditioning is when a conditioned stimulus acquires the ability to elicit a conditioned response without ever directly being paired with an unconditioned stimulus. (Lee, 2021). Using second-order conditioning to encourage my children to eat more healthy foods is an example of how I can implement classical conditioning in my personal life. The conditioned stimulus would be offering a reward such as a toy or a dessert when they finish the healthy food. The unconditioned stimulus would be the taste of healthy food. The conditioned response would be my kids being motivated to eat the healthy food when they see the toy or dessert. The unconditioned responses would be them enjoying, or not enjoying the taste of the food. The second-order conditioned stimulus could be giving verbal praise to my kids when they show interest in the toy or dessert, and the conditioned response would be my children feeling motivated to eat their healthy food when they hear the verbal praise.
The next example I’m going to use is latent inhibition. I work in an ABA center with a 7-year-old girl who has a lot of fear and anxiety when it comes to going into the bathroom. She does not like it and will refuse to go in completely. My BCBA and I have been working on trying to help her with this. So, in this case, the conditioned stimulus would be exposure to this specific environment (the bathroom). The unconditioned stimulus is her feeling anxious or uncomfortable. The conditioned response is feeling anxiety or fear when she enters the bathroom. The unconditioned response is her natural feeling of anxiety in an environment that is small, enclosed, and makes her uncomfortable. We have recently begun implementing latent inhibition using social stories during sessions. These social stories break down the process of using the bathroom using pictures and words that explain what we do in the bathroom. Every day, 3 times a day I read her this story and have her look at the pictures so she can become more familiar with the bathroom and what to do in the bathroom. This is to help expose her to the environment without inducing anxiety or making her uncomfortable.
Since we’ve started the social stories, we have begun trying to gradually expose her to the bathroom environment. She will let me or the BCBA walk her into the bathroom if we keep the door open and hold her hand. We are working towards her being able to go into the bathroom and close the door with the ultimate goal of her being able to use the toilet on her own as well as form a new association with the bathroom and reduce her fear responses over time.
Reference:
Lee, J. C. (2021). Second-order conditioning in humans.
Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience,
15, 672628.
Links to an external site.
