How would the concept of positive reinforcement explain Sally’s disruptive behavior?
The concept of positive reinforcement can be applied to explain Sally’s behavior, especially her interactions with teachers or peers. It should be noted that Sally takes much pride in her ability to make teachers lose their temper; to a great extent, this response is the main goal of her disruptive behavior. In their turn, teachers, who remove her from class or display their emotions, simply provide a reward to her; this is why she chooses to enter into conflicts with educators. Overall, these people should remember that their ability to control emotions is critical for managing the behavior of students like Sally. One of the main tasks is to show that her antics may not produce any significant effect on them; in this way, they will remove the potential rewards of disruptive behavior. In her turn, Sally will have fewer incentives to act aggressively or defiantly in the classroom.
How would the concept of negative reinforcement explain Sally’s behavior?
The notion of negative reinforcement can also be useful for showing why Sally often chooses to act defiantly. One should keep in mind that in many cases, this girl wants to be removed from class because she does not do tasks that seem very difficult to her. Therefore, she perceives her disruptive behavior as a means of removing an aversive stimulus; moreover, in this way, she attempts to find the path of least resistance. In their turn, the task of educators is to change the tasks that they give to Sally. These assignments should be challenging and interesting at the same time because, in this way, teachers can make learning activities more engaging for Sally. The main advantage of this strategy is that they will show that Sally does not have to confront teachers in an attempt to avoid learning.
How could the idea of classical conditioning be used to explain the father’s emotions when he walked up to the front door of the school?
The theory of classical conditioning may also throw some light on the behavior of Sally’s father who feels very uncomfortable when he needs to go to school. It is possible to assume that his reaction can be explained by some negative experiences associated with the school; for example, one can speak about possible confrontations with peers or teachers. Very often, the memories of being bullied can be the underlying cause of such a response, but it is only a conjecture that cannot be fully tested. In this case, one can speak about the pairing of unconditioned responses, namely sickness and anxiety, and unconditioned stimulus, school. These are the main details that can be singled out because they are useful for describing the factors that prompt this person to act in this way.
Based on an understanding of classical conditioning extinction, what could happen to the father’s reactions to school if he comes back to school several times and nothing bad happens to him? Why
By relying on the principle of classical conditioning, one can conjecture that the fathers’ behavior will eventually change, especially if nothing bad happens to him during his school visits. This process can be described as extinction which means that this person sees that a certain stimulus is not associated with some negative experience. Therefore, he/she eventually changes his/her responses to this particular stimulus. So, in the future, this person will feel more comfortable during his visits to the school. Moreover, this individual will realize that many of his concerns were not justified; very often, they were simply irrational. So, the main assumptions underlying classical conditioning can explain the changes in the behavior of individuals and groups.