Finally, In the case of no reinforcement, the operant .
would be to let the child be and leave them to either succeed or fail without any type of .
encouragement or discouragement. The consequences in this case are varied because there is no .
reinforcement, the child can become discouraged and quit, or do poorly for attention and even .
succeed for attention. That of course is the *ideal outcome* or what should happen, but there are .
always certain variables that can alter the effect on behavior, such as a defiant child. In my .
opinion, I believe that positive reinforcement is the most effective and would achieve the best .
results, although in some cases negative is needed to get a child motivated, positive reinforcement .
is usually the best way to go.
My research project for classical conditioning would involve a small child, seeing as they are the .
most impressionable, as the test subject and light and dark as the unconditional stimulus and pots .
and pans as the neutral stimulus with the response being fear. In this project I would use light and .
loud noises to condition the small child to be afraid of the dark or any other stimulus. In order to .
do this I would turn out the lights while banging pots and pans together. The loud noises of .
course startle the small child and they begin to cry, the lights are then turned on again and the .
banging stops. The child then in turn will stop crying when the lights are on because the jarring .
noise has stopped and so the fear is relieved. This process is continued several times with the .
same result. I would then take away the pots and pans and turn the lights off. The child's natural .
response would then be to cry in fear of the dark with or without the pots and pans because the .
now developed fear of the dark and anticipation of what happens. This then could be transferred .
into anything such as spiders, or dogs or even cats. By simply introducing the unconditional .
