Classicial/Operant Conditioning

An example of operant conditioning I used is getting a toddler off the bottle. My toddler is two years old and she is still on the bottle. The first time I got her off the bottle was probably when she was about 1 1/2 years old. I started with pouring juice in the bottle, next pouring juice into a sippy cup, and than having her drink milk in the sippy cup. She didn't mind at all because I everytime she drinks milk from the cup I would priase her and give her a sweet to go along with it. Sometimes the sweet is a cookie, a piece of candy or crackers. She continue drinking from the cup for about two months than, my mom gave her a bottle and she got hooked again. The next thing I know she wouldn't drink anything unless it's in the bottle. What I found worked out was that sometimes when I tell her how good she is and hand her a sippy cup with juice or milk she would take it and drink from it for a while and than wants it in her bottle. As I continue to give her sweet or praise her and slowing trying to get her off the bottle she's not crying all the time or throwing a temper. I just hope my mother doesn't undo it but she's slowly getting off the bottle.

At work, if a manager or supersivor want the crew to bahavior a certain way or learn something new they would give positive feedback. Giving me feedback and tell me how good of a job I did when it was busy made me feel good and want to work harder. There was this one time. All the crew did such a good job because we were short people, the manager asked the supervisor to give each of us 10 dollar. We all were so happy as each of us was handed a 10 dollar bill. I was so glad I got that 10 dollar for the day because I was short on cash and needed it. This made me want to work that hard everytime so I can get extra cash. So a few weeks later the same thing happen. All the crew and I worked hard hoping to get some more cash but we didn't instead the supervisor told us we did a great job. Even though we didn't get any cash we still wanted to work there because the feedback was good and I always hope that if I continue to work hard I will recieve that 10 dollar bill again.

I had seen classical/operant conditioning at supermarkets when parents brings their children along to shop. The children were doing more of a study on their parents then parents on their children. One day I was at the market and this child wanted a kitkat bar. She looks to be about two or three years old. She grab the kitkat and brought it to her mother. The mother explains to her that she couldn't have the kitkat bar because they don't have enough money for it. The child refuses and as the mother put it back the child screamed and cried. Her mother is embrass of the scene the child place and decide to buy the kitkat bar. I have seem it worked with my toddler at times with my mother.


When I hear the term positive behavior support to me this means giving feedback and helping others understand. In terms of behavior or getting them to learn something, letting them know how good they are doing or explaining to them that the behavior they display wasn't good make them understand not to do it encourage them to be better.