PSYC 320 WK5 DB Replies - Essay Example

PSYC 320 WK5 DB Replies Response I agree with your post and support the use of your child’s attempts to learn to ride her bicycle without the training wills to be a fantastic one. I see the same sort of shaping behavior used when my family members are “potty training” their toddlers. To me it does not seem that different than any other form of psychological manipulation to gain a desired goal; like Pavlov’s dog or Skinners endeavor to teach rats to pull levers (Boundless Psychology, 2014).

Despite the very dramatic definition, “shaping,” in many ways, is a lot like commons sense and natural learning through exposure and observation. The idea of using positive reinforcement to get what we want has been around a lot longer than human beings began to develop psychological principles. Shaping is very much part of the societal and developmental paradigm. ReferenceBoundless Psychology. (2014). Shaping. Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/psychology/learning/operant-conditioning/shaping/ Response 2 I find your post very interesting; relating it to the experiences that you had in the military are intriguing, however, I do not entirely agree with you.

Shaping to me is about positive reinforcement, like rewarding a toddler for using the potty, or B.F. Skinner’s rats learned to pull the lever knowing that the reward would be praise or a treat (Boundless Psychology, 2014). However, in your example physical exhaustion and denial of water are used to shape that behavior, which to me is an example of gaining the desired response through negative reinforcement. No disrespect intended, but I consider the need for water to be essentially the same as the need for air.

This to me is no different than having them duck-tape a recruits nose and mouth shut and deny them oxygen until they achieve the desired goals and behaviors. Rest, the required nutrition to maintain life, water, and air are essentials that should be used as a means to condition any behavior from anyone. ReferencesBoundless Psychology. (2014). Shaping. Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/psychology/learning/operant-conditioning/shaping/