Dr. Phelans Magic vs. B.F. Skinner - Book Report/Review Example

?Running head: Dr. Phelan’s Magic vs. B.F. Skinner Dr. Phelan’s Magic vs. B.F. Skinner s name] [Date] Dr. Phelan’s Magic vs. B.F. Skinner Parenting seems like a grueling task and there are many things that the individuals fail to do correctly when dealing with young children. Dr. Thomas Phelan’s book titled “1-2-3 Magic” specifically focuses on a disciplinary tactic that would help parents to deal with their children’s unruly habits; particularly those, who are between the ages of 2 and 12. Being a behaviorist, the primary hypothesis that Dr. Phelan uses to base his theories on is that all behavior in human beings is developed as a result of conditioning, which refers to various cues that regulates the probability of the behavior occurring again. As a result, there may be certain similarities between Phelan’s 1-2-3 Magic and B.F. Skinner’s operant conditioning theory. However, before subjecting the contents of the book to a comparison with the works and theories developed by Skinner, the substance of this prose will first summarize the notions discussed by Dr. Phelan. According to Phelan’s Magic theory, children should not be dealt with using force and the only way to properly tackling them lies in giving them due warning before applying consequences to their behavior; hence, it is 1, 2, 3 and then ‘Magic’. To further elucidate this theory, one can use baseball as an analogy that involves the player getting three strikes before he is declared ‘out’. The first two strikes enable the player; and in real setting, the child to get their act together and stop whatever it is they are doing. (Phelan, 2003) Whether it is talking back or the child refusing to comply with one of the parents’ commands, the best method according to Dr. Phelan is to give the child a warning before taking any action. Dr. Phelan discourages the use of force or anger to deal with children, because it will only make them more stubborn and the child will respond aggressively as a result. Therefore, the best way to tackle such issue without using anger is to use non-aggressive measure, for instance depriving the child of a benefit or giving them time-out. The latter refers to isolating the child, giving him or her the opportunity to deliberate over their action and calm down, whereas the former may involve cutting down the number of hours they are given to watch TV or not getting them their favorite sweet. Dr. Phelan deems young children as wild animals that need to be trained by the parent, so they become more tamed in their behavior. Although, Dr. Phelan has published countless books on similar subject and even has a DVD on parenting, but the truth is that this type of technique is actually not novel and is commonly used by parents at one point or another. Both Skinner and Dr. Phelan have been known to be proponents of the Behavioral paradigm of psychology. Phelan’s Magic theory may have some overlapping elements that are derives from the theory of operant conditioning; such as the use of the concept of consequences, which was initially proposed by Skinner. However, there still are plenty of disparities between these two theories. Operant or Instrumental conditioning refers to the learning or un-learning of a behavior as a result of the consequences that are followed by it. The perception of these consequences by the learner may cause a significant change in the frequency, form and the strength of the behavior. (Skinner, 2011) Skinner’s theory of operant condition was initially a derivative of Pavlov’s Classical Conditioning, which involves the associating of unrelated stimuli to produce a certain kind of reaction to each one of them; the salivating of the mouth when looking at something delicious clearly demonstrates this point. However, the primary difference is that operant conditioning is attaching consequences to a behavior in order to modify it. If a behavior is followed by encouragement or a favorable outcome then it is highly likely that the individual will perform the action, whereas a negative consequence will definitely deter them from doing it again. Skinner came up with the notion of reinforcers to further demonstrate this aspect of behavior modification. These consequences are also referred to as reinforcers, which can also be negative or positive but the difference lies in the way it operate in modifying a behavior. Reinforcers are tools that increase the probability of the action being repeated; positive reinforcers refers to encouraging a behavior by adding something positive to the environment, whereas negative reinforcers also perform the same function but involvement the removal of a negative consequence that is deterring the behavior. However, for an event to be classified as a reinforcer, it should immediately precede the behavior. Positive reinforcements can take a wide variety of shapes in today’s world; it can either be an increase in allowance, candy, praises or any other benefit that the child may desire. (Ashford et.al, 2001) On the other hand, positive reinforcements are often considered as rewards, but negative reinforcements should not be confused with punishments. Negative reinforcement involves the removal of a negative event that deters the individual from performing the behavior again. For instance, boredom is often associated by young children with academics, as they continue to rote learn and regurgitate facts; the teacher can use a negative reinforcer to ignite their interest in their studies. They can use fun and interactive ways to learn, such as using games to teach students course material; which will automatically reduce boredom, thereby making them more likely to study diligently in the future. Operant conditioning is very much different from the act of disciplining one’s child, because it is more overt in nature which primarily focuses on deterring a child from partaking in undesirable behavior by attaching undesirable consequences to it. Therefore, Dr. Phelan’s theory vastly focuses on deterring a child from indulging in the same behavior again. He seeks to condition the child to respond and become alert of his actions when he hears his parents counting, but his theory does not focus on causing the behavior to reoccur but to reduce the behavior by giving the child the latitude to change his behavior before he or she are to bear the consequences. Dr. Phelan’s overall tone of the book is more jovial and casual, whereas Skinner’s theories are more straight-forward and professional. Skinner’s works are more universal in its nature and can be applied to people from all age groups, whereas the disciplinary method that Dr. Phelan speaks of, can only be applied to young children and it is also not always effective in truly deterring the child from performing the behavior again. As a matter of fact, upon closer analysis, it can be observed that Phelan’s technique may only be effective in deterring a child for a certain time period and does not lead to any long-term changes in one’s behavior. Moreover, in public places, the concept of time-out becomes extremely difficult, to find a spot that can be used to isolate the child and it is also a possibility that the child may become desensitized to this form of punishment and automatically head to his time-out zone, without any change in his or her behavior. Therefore, parents needs more than just 1-2-3 magic and a healthy communication is necessary to enlighten the child as to why he is being deterred from carrying out the undesirable behavior. Skinner’s theory entails manipulating the environment, whereas Dr. Phelan focuses more on manipulating the child in to listening to the adults. This clearly indicates that Phelan’s theory fails to take the environmental factors in to account that may or may not be triggering the behavior, which is why before giving out a warning, parents must analyze as to what are the factors that trigger the undesirable behavior in the children. Dr. Phelan glorifies the use of 1-2-3 Magic without fully taking the child’s needs and best interest in to consideration. The entire process will only alarm the child that their behavior has angered their parents, but it fails to answer the fundamental question as to how the child should be approached and prevented from getting him or herself a time-out again. Young children do not have good understanding of their surroundings, whether it is from a physical or emotional perspective. Therefore, this technique, if used in isolation, is not sufficient in helping the parent cater to and meet all demands of their child. As compared to Skinner’s work, Dr. Phelan’s postulations do seem extremely amateurish, as it fails to become an all-encompassing theory that takes all factors into account. In conclusion, it is not implied that Dr. Phelan’s theories are completely inept at providing a sound technique for effective parenting, but when used without full understanding or communication with the child, 1-2-3 Magic will do nothing but break down communication with the child and even cause him to become rebellious in the process. The child needs a combination of rewards, reinforcers and punishments, in order to regulate or moderate their behavior. On the other hand, Skinner’s theory that focuses more on the behavior that the child needs to repeat rather than counting down to three, to make the child realize that they are doing something wrong. Therefore, a combination technique is also necessary and the parents needs to change their attitude towards the child as he or she grows into adulthood, which is why they reinforcers and punishments that are applied as per the child’s interests. References: Ashford, J.B. et.al. (2001). Human Behavior in the social environment: A Multidimensional Perspective. Wadsworth/Thomson Learning. Phelan, T. (2003). 1-2-3 Magic: Effective Discipline for children 2-12. Parent Magic Inc. Skinner, B.F. (2011). About Behaviorism. Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. Read More