Modified: 2020-03-27
Call forwarding--When I call forward to another extension, I turn the handset on my wired office phone upside down, then, when I return I do not have to remember that I set the phone to call forward. The upside down receiver is a discriminative stimulus for me to turn off call forwarding. I did have to tell the building custodian not to turn the handset over, however.
Piles on the floor--Before I go to class, I make a pile of the materials I will need in front of my door. The pile has to be in a location that I will have to step over it before I walk out. Again, the pile serves as a discriminative stimulus for the behavior of picking up the pile. In fact, I often have to admonish visitors not to pick up the pile!
Put it on my chair--Over the years, I have conditioned my colleagues NOT to put items on my desk; they will be lost forever. Instead, I reward them for putting those items on my chair. If they do, I am guaranteed to see them because I will not sit down without picking them up and looking at them.
Brat prevention--Children are good operant conditioners because they are so persistent. Take the following situation, for example. A child is riding with an adult, and the child is thirsty. So, the child asks to stop and get a drink. The adult says no, the child asks again, and again, and again... Finally, the adult gives in, saying, "All right, just this once." Big mistake, right? Why? The adult has now put the child on a partial schedule, guaranteeing a repetition of the same behavior later on. Instead, the adult should have said, "All right, I'll get you a drink IF you don't ask for one for the next 10 (time may have to vary, depending on the child) minutes." Then, the adult is providing the child with positive reinforcement for being quiet.
Breaking relationships--College students often want to end a relationship. Again, they should realize that the person being dumped should not be placed on a partial schedule. If, for example, that person persists in calling, then the dumper should not reinforce the calling by conversing. Further, if the dumper agrees to go out on occasion, real problems will occur. Many relationships show an off-and-on pattern because of such partial reinforcement. (Of course, if the dumper is not really sure that the relationship is over, another set of problems exists.)