If Rats Can Change, So Can You A Learning Theory Class Project Nancy Alvarado California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Most Students Don’t Identify with Rats  This is unfortunate because rats have a lot to teach us about how to change our own behaviors.

Empowerment for Change  When Behaviorism is taught as a dead & discarded theory, students assume the principles of learning are ineffective too. Learning theory is the basis for today’s Behavior Modification & Cognitive-Behavioral therapies (Beck, Seligman, Wolpe)  Ill-conceived projects that do not analyze their results may unintentionally teach students that change is difficult or impossible.

Steps in the Project (See Handout)  Select a behavior  Observe and measure it to establish a baseline.  Analyze the behavior and develop a contingency plan (described in textbook).  Implement the new contingencies and measure behavior.  Analyze the results and write a report on the project (with graph or log).

Guidelines for Effective Projects  Select the right behavior.  Analyze the existing situation (baseline).  Select effective reinforcers Do not use punishment! Reward size and timing matter  Look for a trend, not all-or-nothing change.  Modify the contingencies based on experience.

Selecting the Behavior  Generally, what was learned can be unlearned but biology is hard to change.  Avoid projects focusing on: Smoking, drinking & other addictions Obsessive habits (hair pulling, nail biting) Amount of sleep, water consumption, other biological functions  Suggest behavior substitution to eliminate an unwanted habit.

Select the Contingencies  Use reinforcers – not punishers. Students may confuse negative punishment (response cost) with absence of reinforcement.  Reward size matters: Rewards need not be money, food, clothes. Remind students to use secondary reinforcers. Remember Premack’s principle.  Reward timing matters – encourage immediate small rewards along with long-term larger ones.

Lessons Learned the Hard Way  You can’t reinforce dieting with food.  Rewards work better when their administration is controlled by someone else.  Sometimes circumstances are beyond the student’s control: Flu, family, work

Analyze the Results  Students frequently assume that learning is all or nothing. Help them see gradual change and partial success and talk about how factors affected the rate of change. Graphing results makes the trends more visible.  Encourage students to use the vocabulary and ideas of learning theory when documenting their projects.

The Goal  Change is not the goal – understanding how change happens is the goal. Failure sometimes teaches more than success.  Students frequently learn unintended lessons about their own motives and behavior: Rediscovering simple pleasures. Understanding persistence over time. Developing a more internal locus of control.