When we’re not getting the results we want from the behaviors we’ve been performing, we can fall into a vicious cycle. We can be tempted to do something that reinforces the behavior. Our subconscious mind is like a self-aware machine, it knows when it’s being stimulated and it doesn’t like that. The cycle repeats itself until we just start acting like robots.
The problem is that we really only understand how our behavior works when we’re in a position of control. For example, even when you’re driving and have absolutely no control over the situation, you still know whether or not you’re going to hit the brakes. When you’re in a position of control like with your car, you can make conscious decisions about what you are going to do.
The reason why we are conditioned to respond to our environment is because the environment has an effect on us. When you are in a position of control, you can consciously decide how to respond. You can consciously choose to do something that you know will help maximize your own well being, or you can make an unconscious decision to just let go.
In operant conditioning, the more you do something, the more you do it, and the more you do it, the more you do it. There is a lot of research showing that doing things will get you more of what you want in life. As the saying goes, “you can’t go home again.
Operant conditioning is one of the most classic findings from psychology, and one of the first things you learn in Psychology 101. You learn that if you want something, you have to do something to get it. The more you do something, the more you do it. Thus, operant conditioning is the process of making something happen just because you want it to happen. It works the same way in almost all life situations.
The problem is that many people have difficulty controlling their desires. They have to think “I want to go to the movies,” and “I want to go shopping,” and “I want to eat lunch,” and “I want to go to school.” In order to achieve these things, they have to do something. The problem is that there’s only so much willpower a person can muster to get what they want.
If we can just get ourselves to go to our favorite restaurant that’s good for us, and to go to school that’s good for us, then we can be successful. To be successful, we need to develop the ability to learn to control our impulses. The problem is, that’s usually a skill that we can’t take to school, because it’s hard for us. We have to learn it at home.
Respondent and operant conditioning is the process of training the brain to learn to control the impulses that usually accompany our behavior. The key to doing this is to force the brain to learn that it can only learn to control these impulses if we make ourselves do it. It sounds easy, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Its not easy to learn that if someone tells you what to do, then you can only do it if you do it.
Another key to making this work is to set up a “learning environment.” Your school days can be as boring as someone’s summer vacation, so you can get used to the idea that learning new things will be a slow process. What your learning environment needs is a variety of different things to occupy your attention. One of these things is to create a learning environment in which you can perform a behavior, and, if you get the results, then you can do it again.
In the past, students have done this by making a learning environment that has a variety of things to do. This is not the case with respondent and operant conditioning. Here your learning environment is really the same as your classroom. You’re just waiting to see if your teacher will reward you with a small amount of money so you can do something else.
