Operant Conditioning Demonstration

Can you use positive reinforcement and positive punishment to condition your partner to
begin their sentences with a certain word? To find out, following the directions below
during this operant conditioning demonstration.

1. Face across from your partner (not side by side), and keep your paper covered so
they can't diagnose the intention of the demonstration.

2. Pick what word you want to try to condition your partner to begin their sentences
with. The easiest options are "The" or "I", but the choice is up to you.

Word Choice: ______

3. Instruct your partner that they will be taking part in a study on sentence structure. Inform them that their job is to say 50 sentences to you. Do not give them any other instructions.

4. Below is a checklist of the 50 statements they will make. Keep track as they go through their statements. If their statement DOES begin with your word choice, checkmark the appropriate box. If not, leave it blank.

5. When your partner DOES begin a sentence with the word you chose, give them immediate positive reinforcement. The method of reinforcement is up to you--it can be a smile, a nod, a "good job", etc. It doesn't have to be the same reinforcement every time.

6. When your partner DOES NOT begin a sentence with the word you chose, then apply positive punishment. This can be a shake of the head, a frown, etc. It doesn't have to be the same punishment every time.

7. After you finish, you can debrief your partner on the nature of the experiment.

8. The 50 statement checklist is separated below into five chunks, just so you can see if the reinforcement became more effective as the demonstration continue.

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Total: ___ Total ____ Total: _____ Total: _____ Total: ____