Identification of the Concept (operant Conditioning)
One of the psychological concepts covered in operant Conditioning under the adaptive mind. It is a psychological concept developed by B.F Skinner focusing on how behavior is shaped through punishment and reinforcement. The three guiding models of behavior modeling under operant Conditioning are either positive or negative reinforcement and punishment. Positive reinforcement enhances the frequency of behavior through the provision of the desired outcome, while negative reinforcement involves behaviors allowing an organism to avoid or escape an unpleasant outcome. According to the operant conditioning concept, people are more likely to embrace behaviors with positive outcomes and are less likely to repeat behaviors or actions with negative or painful outcomes (Akpan, 2020).
Description of the Observation Made
My observation of the operant conditioning concept at work relates to an experience at my workplace. At the workplace, I observed operant Conditioning when our team supervisor implemented a reward system to encourage each team member to meet their sales target goals. The reward system introduced by the supervisor included a recognition program. In the recognition program, the best-performing team members would be given a certificate of outstanding performance, recognition during meetings, and some monetary bonus.
Before the implementation of the reward system by the team supervisor, the team members’ sales targets were most of the time unmet by the members. There were large deviations between the members’ projected or expected sales targets and the actual sales achieved. Besides, there was limited competition among the team members resulting in an almost similar number of sales achieved by each of the team members. Patterns of outcomes in the number of sales made by each of the team members also had a defining element, with some team members always becoming top as the leading in the number of sales made and some always remaining last in the sales made and never making efforts to shift positions. However, following the implementation of the reward system by the team supervisor, the situation changed. One of the observable changes noticed was that sales targets by the team members were not only met by a majority of the team members, but some surpassed the targets. Competition among us increased, and there were major positive variations in the number of sales made by each member of the team. Further, the defining patterns of who led in the number of sales made and who came last in the team ended. Due to the high competition, any member of the team could find themselves either at the top or at the bottom of the ranking, and it took work for one to become leading or the last in terms of sales made consecutively. Members kept shifting positions, informed by the need to attain the rewards instituted by the supervisor.
Explanation of How the Observation Made is an Example of Operant Conditioning
The observed experience at the workplace is a perfect demonstration of operant Conditioning addressed in Chapter 8 through its positive or negative reinforcement and punishment concepts. Through the implementation of the reward system, the supervisor utilized positive reinforcement. The positive reinforcement championed the likelihood that each of the team members would make efforts to realize their target sales to attain the reward, which is a positive expected outcome associated with positing higher sales within the team. Based on operant Conditioning, positive reinforcement has the characteristic of providing pleasant consequences aimed at behavior strengthening. In the above workplace observed scenario, the reward system instituted by the supervisor served as a positive consequence intended to reinforce meeting sales target behavior in the members.
By employing the concept of operant Conditioning, the supervisor has been able to shape and maintain a behavior of meeting sales targets among our team members. Witnessing the team’s colleague who eventually takes the reward, the team seeks to learn, emulate, and improve their efforts to beat them in the following monthly reward and be the beneficiaries of the award. Besides, the example aligns with B.F. Skinner’s idea of scheduled reinforcement, where the supervisor has anchored the reward system on a monthly recognition program representing a fixed interval schedule. A fixed interval schedule reinforcement model aimed at the end of the month elicits behavior patterns where the team members tend to maximize their sales efforts towards the approach of the end of the month associated with the reward.
Further, the observed behavior demonstrates the power of positive reinforcement in inspiring behavior change in the workplace. The reward system was not only a way of inspiring our time by the supervisor to work towards meeting our sales targets, but it also motivated us, thereby fostering a sense of camaraderie and competition between us. It demonstrated the significance of building a positive work environment where employees feel recognized, motivated, and valued to give their best input, knowing that their efforts count for something as, in the end, they gain positively from it.
Conclusion
One of the psychological concepts covered in operant Conditioning under the adaptive mind. It is a psychological concept developed by B.F Skinner focusing on how behavior is shaped through punishment and reinforcement. My observation of the operant conditioning concept at work relates to an experience at my workplace where our supervisor’s introduction of a reward system resulted in behavior change within our team. Each team member made efforts to meet the desired reward. Before the implementation of the reward system by the team supervisor, the team members’ sales targets were most of the time unmet by the members. However, following the team supervisor’s implementation of the reward system, the situation changed. One of the observable changes noticed was that sales targets by the team members were not only met by a majority of the team members, but some surpassed the targets. The observed experience at the workplace is a perfect demonstration of operant Conditioning addressed in Chapter 8 through its positive or negative reinforcement and punishment concepts. Through the implementation of the reward system, the supervisor utilized positive reinforcement.
Reference
Akpan, B. (2020). Classical and Operant Conditioning—Ivan Pavlov; Burrhus Skinner. Science Education in Theory and Practice: An Introductory Guide to Learning Theory, 71-84.
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