Kathryn Meade EDPS 457 Tuesday 7:00pm Abbott

I got my first job at McDonalds when I was 16. On my first day I was really nervous about doing everything perfectly. When I got to work, I quickly realized that McDonalds put a lot of time/money into creating training programs that are fast and efficient. These are my stories that I experienced during my first day at work…

Expert Model Expert Model: a person that can perform a task perfectly and has the primary goal of teaching others Peer Model Peer Model: does not perform a task perfectly; is similar to learner in age, sex, ethnicity, or “coolness”; primary goal of being a motivation factor for learners Live Model Live Model: a model that is physically present

 Models can either be an Expert or Peer Model.  Expert models are used for learning while Peer models are used for motivation.  Models can be live or symbolic.

One of the first training activities I did was an interactive computer game. Since I was going to be a cashier, the game focused on taking/filling orders. The facilitator of the training was a cartoon McDonalds “Crew Member” that helped me accomplish all of the tasks. This person took the role of the Symbolic Expert Model. After completing the computer based training, I met my “Crew Trainer” at a register and he basically took me through the same steps the computer game did. Since I had an idea of what was going on, my trainer simply encouraged me. I also had the opportunity to observe him taking real orders and interacting with customers, which ultimately made me want to perform the task to his ability. My Crew Trainer took the role of a Live Peer Model and as a Live Expert Model.

Questions 1. What benefits do live models have over symbolic models? Symbolic over live? 2. Do you think the Expert model or the Peer model is more effective when training new employees?

Classical Conditioning Classical Conditioning: a form of learning in which a new, involuntary response is acquired as a result of two stimuli being presented at the same time Association Association: a mental connection between stimulus 1 and stimulus 2 Conditioned Response Conditioned Response: the response that begins to be elicited by a particular (conditioned) stimulus through classical conditioning

 New behaviors can be learned through Classical Conditioning  An Association between two stimuli emit a Conditioned Response  S 1 → R (Unconditioned Response) S 1 + S 2 → R (Association) S 2 → R (Conditioned Response)

In order to work at McDonalds, one must be proficient at properly cooking fries. My crew trainer taught me the proper way to start frying the fries. Unknown to me, at the time, I was being Classically Conditioned. Here is how it worked: “Shake fry basket” → Shake fry basket (Unconditioned Response) “Shake fry basket” + Beep → Shake fry basket (Association) Beep → Shake fry basket (Conditioned Response) I associated the beeping sound with shaking the fry basket. Later I would associate different beeping tones/rhythms with different tasks. The Conditioned Response for all of these different beeps were the various tasks I needed to complete.

Questions 1. Do you think McDonalds thought about using Classical Conditioning while designing the equipment employees would use at work? 2. What are some advantages of using Classical Conditioning in a fast paced environment like McDonalds?

Self-Efficacy Self-Efficacy: the belief that one is capable of executing certain behaviors or reaching certain goals Performance Seeking Performance Seeking: the drive to be good enough to reach a certain goal Resilience Resilience: the ability to bounce back after failure and continue with learning

 When learning a new task, an individual can have a Performance Seeking attitude.  Self-Efficacy determines the level that One is able to complete a task.  Self-Efficacy can cause Resilience or Initiation.

I had been listening to everything my Crew Trainer had been teaching me, because I wanted to be as successful as possible and to one day become a Crew Trainer (Performance Seeking). I felt I was ready to start taking/filling orders and I was quite confident in my abilities (Self- Efficacy). My customer wanted a Big Mac without pickle. Without the help from my Trainer, I punched in a #1 Value Meal, with a Medium Coke. I then “grilled” the Big Mac so there were no pickles on it. I filled my order and told him to have a great day. About 2 minutes later, my customer came back, slammed his Big Mac in front of me, and said “I said NO pickles!” (this is quite a common occurrence). I then gave my Crew Trainer a deer-in-the head-lights look. I had accidently hit “Extra Pickle” instead of “No pickle.” I was a little bummed that I had messed up my first order. I could have thrown my hat/tie on the ground and quit, but I had the Resilience to continue through work. I knew I could complete the next order with perfection…and I did

Questions 1. Do you believe employees with a Performance Seeking attitude have better customer service than Performance Avoidance (“I just don’t want to get fired”) employees? 2. What do you think would have happened if I had little Self-Efficacy? Do you think I would have failed even worse or relied on my Crew Trainer more?

Learning Models Conditioned Response PeerExpert Resilience Self-Efficacy Performance - Seeking Live/Symbolic Association Classical Conditioning uses can be causes type of learner plays a role in uses emits a uses

Any Questions?