Operant Conditioning In Children

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Part 1:
Operant Conditioning-When a child’s behaviors are shaped by the consequences or reaction it is considered operant conditioning. For example, if a child I knows that every time they turn I homework they will receive 5 extra minute of outside time then they are more likely to do said homework. The same thing can be said for the opposite. If a child knows that their free time will be taken from them if they do not do homework they will be more like to stop the behavior of not doing homework so they can avoid the punishment. Another example of this would be when Rovee-Collier designed a procedure of tying one end of a string to a baby’s foot and the other to a mobile, when the child would move his or her foot the mobile would move. It didn’t take long before the infant knew what to do and would move around to induce the effect of the mobile. (Lightfoot 2003 pg.147)
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For example a person may dress a certain way because they believe that a person of their gender is supposed to (a woman may wear a dress) but it also begins earlier in life too, as Piaget points out a baby may start make a sucking motion with their mouth when they would like a nipple. As the child grows and assimilates this motion may mean anything with a nipple (bottle or pacifier). When a child grows older, and new experiences arise the concept of equilibration comes into play and a child needs to find a balance between what they already believe and know and what is now new to them. (Lightfoot 2003