Unit 4 · Learning Theory · Reading 11 of 13
Conditioning in Real Life
Before you read
Name one app or store that gives you points, streaks, or rewards. What is it trying to get you to do?
Words you'll own by the end
- Behavior modification: using conditioning techniques to change behavior.
- Aversive conditioning: pairing an unwanted behavior with something unpleasant to discourage it.
- Token economy: earning tokens for desired behavior, then trading them for rewards.
1. Behavior modification
Behavior modification uses conditioning to break unwanted habits or help treat some psychological disorders. You've seen it in school: gold stars for good behavior, or lost recess for misbehaving.
2. Aversive conditioning
Aversive conditioning pairs a harmful or unwanted behavior with something unpleasant. If Helen bites her nails when she's nervous, her mother might paint them with bad-tasting polish. Some treatments for alcohol use disorder use a drug that makes the person nauseated if they drink. In both cases, the behavior now comes with an unpleasant result.
Check-in: Helen's bad-tasting nail polish is meant to decrease nail-biting by adding something unpleasant. Which quadrant from Reading 7 is that?
3. Token economies
Secondary reinforcers can help people in treatment. Some mental health facilities run token economies: people earn tokens for completing tasks, then trade them for prizes or privileges. A person with severe depression who struggles to get out of bed might earn a token for getting dressed and to breakfast on time, and later trade tokens to skip a chore or get extra free time.
Some psychologists are skeptical. Remember overjustification and continuous reinforcement: when the rewards end, the behavior often ends too. Critics argue the goal of treatment is to prepare people for everyday life, where nobody hands out tokens.
Try it: Which technique?
Name the technique in each example.
Students earn class cash for participation and spend it at an end-of-month store.
A smoker uses a mouth spray that makes cigarettes taste terrible.
Patients earn points for attending group therapy and trade them for outdoor time.
A dog collar beeps unpleasantly whenever the dog barks.
Check-in: What is the main criticism of token economies?
Am I ready for a pop quiz?
Check a box only if you can say the answer out loud without scrolling up.
Come back to your "before you read" question
Your app's points or streaks are a token economy aimed at you. Which behavior is it reinforcing?