PSY 211- Module Three Journal

Overview

Although their self-awareness is limited, newborns demonstrate some degree of it; this can be observed in the rooting response and what triggers it. From their earliest moments of life, newborns learn that their own crying may result in the attention of a caretaker on a continuous, interval, or ratio reinforcement schedule. This conditioning process, which involves a stimulus and a response, represents the fundamental basis of classical conditioning. Likewise, small children may get teased by their classmates or scolded by a teacher for picking their noses, causing them to refrain from engaging in the behavior in front of others. This associative learning process, or operant conditioning, continues throughout the life span.

These scenarios suggest that our self-awareness and self-regulation have social origins, which are influenced by our environment and experiences. Self-awareness, understanding what affects our behaviors, enables us not only to build upon our strengths, but to identify opportunities to improve upon those strengths. Self-regulation, the ability to control our emotions, thoughts, and behaviors, enables us to learn new behaviors and change existing ones. Recall that both self-awareness and self-regulation are elements of emotional intelligence (EI).

Prompt

The following resource supports your work on the activity:

Module Three Activity Template Word Document

For this journal activity, in order to better understand the principles of behaviorism, you will review the overview as well as thoughtfully apply theory to your lived experiences to complete the Module Three Activity Template. In the template, you must address each of the following rubric criteria with a minimum of 2 to 5 sentences.

• Describe a specific behavior that you learned in response to an external stimulus. Address the following in your response:

What external stimulus affected your behavior?

Were you aware that your behavior was being influenced by the stimulus? If so, how did you know?

Explain whether the conditioned behavior was positive or negative.

• If positive, in what ways can you continue to reinforce this behavior?

If negative, what are some steps you can take to change this behavior?

Describe a specific behavior that you changed in response to an external stimulus. Address the following in your response:

• What external stimulus affected your behavior?
• Were you aware that your behavior was being influenced by the stimulus? If so, how did you know?
• Explain whether the change in behavior was positive or negative.

If positive, in what ways can you continue to reinforce this behavior?

If negative, and if it is something that you would like to change again, what are some steps you can take to change this behavior?

• Explain why one of the behaviors described above is an example of classical conditioning (Watson), operant conditioning (Skinner), or neither of these. Address the following in your response:
• If one of the above types of conditioning applies to your example, which specific features helped you to identify it?
• Explain why this type of conditioning is most effective in learning or changing this behavior.

If neither type of conditioning applies to the behavior, why is this the case? Explain your response in terms of specific conditioning features (e.g., stimulus, response, association) or inherent aspects of the behavior itself.