Operant Conditioning Essay Example for Free

Operant Conditioning Essay The term operant conditioning is heard all over the psychology world. It is one of the first theories that one is introduced to during their psychology learning years. So, what exactly is this theory? While learning about operant conditioning we must pay attention to two necessities, positive and negative reinforcements. These two play a key role in operant conditioning and behaviors. But which reinforcement method works better? Positive or negative? There are a few aspects to look into when determining which method works the best. Once operant conditioning, positive reinforcement, and negative reinforcement are learned, then it becomes easy for an individual to take the information and shape a behavior. Along with shaping behaviors, the creation of a reinforcement schedule can also be applied to the selected behavior. The Theory of Operant Conditioning Operant Conditioning was created by behaviorist BF Skinner. Operant conditioning occurs through rewards and punishments for behaviors. This creates a link between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior. Skinner had believed that it was not really necessary to look at internal thoughts and motivation in order to explain behavior. Instead we should look only at the external observable causes of human behavior (Cherry, 2005). When we have actions that are followed by reinforcement, they will be strengthened and then more likely to occur again in the future. However, actions that result in punishments or non-desirable consequences will be the opposite. These actions will be weakened and less likely to occur again (Cherry, 2005). An example of operant conditioning would be a young child during potty training. The young boy would receive a cookie along with praise right after he goes potty in the toilet but receives nothing when he goes in his diaper. As a result of this, he learns to go in the toilet and  avoids going in the diaper. Positive and Negative Reinforcement Let us first begin with what a reinforcement is. A reinforcement is any event that strengthens or increases the behavior it follows (Cherry, 2005). Now, there are two types of reinforcements and they are negative reinforcement and positive reinforcement. With positive reinforcement, favorable events or outcomes are presented after the behavior. This is where the behavior is strengthened (Cherry, 2005). This occurs because there is the addition of something new such as praise or an instantaneous reward. An example of this would be little Johnny receiving a dollar right after he cleans his room. On the other hand, with negative reinforcement there is removal of an unfavorable event or outcome after the display of a behavior. This in turn will strengthen the response when something that is looked at as unpleasant is removed (Cherry, 2005). An example for this would be the professor offering to cancel the quiz for week two if everyone turns in their homework for week one. Now as one can see negative reinforcement is different from punishment because in the cases of punishment the behavior decreases. In either one of these cases the behavior of the individual increases. To look at both positive and negative reinforcement, can we decide which one is more favorable or which one will produce a better outcome? It seems as if that would depend on the individual themselves. Not everyone responds or reacts to stimuli in the same way. In an opinion, reaction can be based on personality. For example, a young child could consistently be given the option of money after cleaning their room on their own and still not do it because it is not favorable to them. However, the same child could jump for the opportunity of not having to attend church if all their homework is turned in the week prior. On an individual level, a household can contain one child that responds to positive reinforcement while the other responds to negative reinforcement. The Scenario and Schedule There are two reinforcement schedules, continuous and partial. Continuous reinforcement is reinforcing the behavior every single time it occurs (Cherry, 2005). With partial reinforcement, responses are only reinforced part of the time (Cherry, 2005). There are four schedules with partial  reinforcement, fixed ratio, fixed interval, variable ratio, and variable interval. Fixed ration is reinforcing a behavior after a specific number of responses have occurred. With fixed interval, a behavior is reinforced after a specific period of time has elapsed. Variable ratio involves reinforcing the behavior after an unpredictable number of responses and variable interval is reinforcing the behavior after the unpredictable period of time has elapsed. To better understand these schedules, it would be helpful to apply a selected behavior and first learn how operant conditioning can be applied. As a single parent of two daughters, ages 14 and 11, learning how to apply operant conditioning to shape their behavior, has been very helpful. It was set up for the children to bring home weekly progress reports after a few incidents of missing assignments. If the progress reports were positive with no missing assignments the children were praised on site and each given a dollar per class. If there were any missing assignments in any of their classes, then the children would not receive any money or praise. This is a positive reinforcement choice. The completion of assignments and grades from the children in school increased in order for them to receive a reward. Now, it is time to choose the reinforcement schedule for the scenario just talked about. It is understood that positive reinforcement was used by giving praise and a reward once the desired assignments and grades were met every week. This would be an example of a continuous reinforcement schedule. The desired behavior is reinforced every single time that it happens. With the scenario, every week that goes by with good grades and no missing assignments, the children are rewarded with praise and money. This creates a strong association between the behavior and the response (Cherry, 2005). Conclusion Operant conditioning relies on a fairly simple premise; actions that are followed by reinforcement will be strengthened and more likely to occur again in the future (Cherry, 2005). This can be good or bad behavior. Good behavior was reinforced with the above scenario. However, if you give into the child that kicks and screams every time he wants a candy bar in the store, you are strengthening that negative behavior. Learning occurs with positive and negative reinforcements being key parts to operant conditioning. Both of these help to increase or decrease the likelihood of  the desired behavior. Determining which reinforcement is better, depends on the individual at hand and what their personality will respond to better. With the above scenario the children responded better to positive reinforcement and with the reinforcement schedule, the likelihood that no missing assignments and good grades occur, increases. Operant conditioning is used every day and plays a vital role in the world. By learning about the fundamentals of operant conditioning, shaping behaviors can be easier than ever! Well, not really but hey, Rome was not built in a day. REFERENCE Cherry, K. A. (2005). Operant conditioning. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/a/introopcond.htm Cherry, K. A. (2005). Schedules of reinforcement. Retrieved from http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/a/schedules.htm

Life of Ludwig van Beethoven Essay -- Ludwig van Beethoven Composers M

Life of Ludwig van Beethoven Ludwig van Beethoven, also known as â€Å" The General of Musicians,† was born on December 16, 1770. However, this date is not exact because it is believed that Beethoven’s father lied about his son’s age in order to portray him as an infant prodigy. As a result, Beethoven is convinced he was born on December 16, 1772 at the Rheingasse home, which belonged to the Fischers, who were close friends of the family (Orga 8). Johann van and Maria Magdalena Beethoven bore five children of which three survived. Ludwig van Beethoven was the first child to survive, probably making him the most cherished especially in his father’s eyes. The other two surviving siblings were Casper and Nikolaus. They were said to have played extremely important roles in Beethoven’s life. Johann van said to be a lesser man than his father Ludwig Louis van Beethoven, who was a trained musician and later appointed Kapellmeister. Many believed he could not compare to his dad because he did not have a high-ranking job, instead his income was based on giving piano, singing, and violin lessons to the public (Kerman 354). Johann wanted his first son to be great, especially in the music field, so he pushed him to learn the piano and violin at a very early age. For instance, Beethoven had his first public appearance at the age of eight on March 26, 1778. He performed at a concert with one of his father’s other pupils. His performance consisted of concertos and trios on the keyboard. Beethoven continued to play at concerts, as well as taking music lessons with instructors other than his father. When visiting the Fischer Family one day Johann proclaimed, â€Å"My son Ludwig is my only comfort now in life. He is improving in his music to such an extent that he is admired by everyone. I foresee that in time he will be a great man in the world† (Orga 29). During this time he also attended elementary school in Bonn, but he did not exceed grade school. Beethoven learned all he could by age ten and from then on he lived off his wits and curiosity (Orga 28). In 1779, Beethoven met his first very important teacher at Bonn by the name of Christian Neefe. Neefe automatically saw Beethoven’s talent and had a strong liking to him from the beginning. Moreover, when he took a short leave of absence from Bonn, he appointed Beethoven, at only eleven years o... ... His funeral was held on the 29th of March and about 15,000 guests attended his burial. The surrounding schools were closed that day in respect of the composer. Also, out of respect the choir sang the Miserere in an arrangement from one of his Equali for trombones. Following the singing, about 200 horse carriages accompanied the coffin on its final journey (Orga 8). To conclude, Beethoven was know as â€Å"The General of Musicians,† â€Å"The Young Genius,† and the most admired composer in the history of western music. His musical ability, his passion, and his harsh losses all helped to contribute to his undying success as a great pianist and composer. Even today his works are still studied and listened to around the world. Works Cited Kerman, Joseph. The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Ed. Stanley Sadie. 20 Vols. London: MacMillan Pub. Ltd., 1980. 2: 354-60. Grout, Donald Jay. A History of Western Music. 3rd ed. New York: Cornell UP, 1981. Marek, George R. Beethoven: Biography of a Genius. New York: Funk and Wagnall’s Publishing Company, 1969. Orga, Ates. Beethoven: The Illustrated Lives of the Great Composers. London: Omnibus Press, 1983.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone: From Book to Film Essay

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was the first of seven book series by J. K. Rowling first published on July 1997. It is about the adventure of an eleven-year-old boy who grew up with his aunt and uncle and later discovers that he comes from a family of witches and wizards. The film adaptation of the book was released in 2001 by Warner Bros. , and, like any film adaptation, has had its share of praises and criticisms. Some held that the film had been â€Å"faithful† to the book, but of course, just like in any other film adaptation, there will always be some alterations from the book from which film adaptations were based. Some of the criticisms of the film adaptation of the first Harry Potter series include the director, Chris Columbus, being â€Å"too slavish a devotion to the book and too little of his own creative input† (Silvain). Corliss criticized that â€Å"Columbus is content to make a student’s copy of the original master portrait. † He held that â€Å"the Harry Potter film has loads of technical expertise but lacks the enthralling life of Rowling’s original. † Indeed, the film adaptation had barely altered the story from the book. Nevertheless, there were alterations and the film still falls short from the magical experience enjoyed by the readers. There are some minor differences in the film’s depiction of characters. As an example, Hagrid, who was described in the book as being â€Å"almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide† (Rowling, 14), although depicted in the film as much taller to be â€Å"almost twice as tall† than any man, was not â€Å"five times as wide. † These differences, however, are almost negligible because of the other characters brilliant depiction in the film. Read more:  Number of words in the harry potter series. The depictions of Hogwarts professors were perfect: Dumbledore’s long silvery hair and beard marked him unmistakably the wisest, if not the strongest, wizard in the story; Professor McGonnagal’s commanding presence and Professor Snape’s intimidating presence were brilliantly played by the actors. The other characters’ depictions were superb, most especially the Dursleys, the Weasleys, Hermione and Malfoy. Harry’s Scotch-tape bound eyeglasses could also not be missed out. When it comes to the storyline, the film has altered a lot from the book without losing the overall content. For starters, the film did not begin with the Dursleys, not with their indifference to witches and wizards, and most especially not with Uncle Vernon’s experiences, unwittingly of magic, on his way to office and back home, as was first presented in the book. Hagrid did not mention in the film that he borrowed the motorcycle from Sirius Black, who Rowling foreshadowed in the book as we learn from a later series that Sirius is Harry’s godfather. Also in the book, when Dumbledore left baby Potter in the Dursley’s doorstep, he left the letter with Harry clutching it, not beside Harry as presented in the film. As Harry is growing up, the film lacks presentation on how the Dursleys, most especially Dudley, mistreat Harry. There was no mention of Mrs. Figgs; neither Piers nor Stonewall high from where Harry would be studying if he had not received the letter from Hogwarts was mentioned in the film. In the film, when Harry received his first letter from Hogwarts, it was Dudley who snatched it away from him, while in the book it was Uncle Vernon, and while the film showed that succeeding letters from Hogwarts to Harry was being burned or shredded into pieces, there was no presentation of Harry moving from under the stairs to a room next to Dudley’s. When Hagrid finally brought Harry the Hogwarts letter in the little shack atop a rock in the middle of the sea on Harrry’s birthday, the confrontation between Hagrid and Uncle Vernon lacked the intensity that was presented in the book. Explanations of Hagrid to Harry about Hogwarts and his parents is also lacking in details in the film. Moreover, Hagrid and Harry did not left in the middle of the night during a storm in the book’s version of the story. Events in Diagon Alley presented in the film also lack faithfulness from the book. The twisting trail to the vaults in Gringotts was omitted as well as Hagrid’s reaction to this. The scene in Madam Malkin’s shop where Harry met a boy, who we later learn to be Draco Malfoy, for the first time was also omitted. This is also where Harry was supposed to hear about Quidditch based on the book, as well as the different Hogwart houses and differences of witch and wizard lineages, which Hagrid later on explained to Harry. Hagrid did not leave Harry alone when he purchased his first wand; it was in Madam Malkin’s shop that Hagrid had left Harry to recompose himself from their trip through the Gringotts vaults. At Ollivander’s, Harry tried many wands, more than three unlike what was depicted in the film, before the man attending him had finally found the right wand for Harry. Furthermore, Harry did not make the least indication of a spell in trying the wands prior to finding the right one as the man attending him had stopped Harry before he can wave the wands. The film also did not include Uncle Vernon being asked by Harry and actually dropping Harry off to the train station. It was in Hogwarts express that Harry and Malfoy had their first confrontation; where Malfoy advised Harry not â€Å"to go making friends with the wrong sort† and Harry replying that he â€Å"can tell who the wrong sort are† by himself, in contrast with the film where this scene was presented after the first years entered Hogwarts through an underground passage by the lake. There was no song from the sorting hat, nor were there any Hogwarts song in the film. The events following Holloween night was presented in the film not exactly as it was described in the book. Norbert, the Norwegian Ridgeback baby dragon that Hagrid raised, was not sent to Romania by the Ministry of Magic, but was sent there through Charlie’s friends. Harry and Hermione’s adventure of smuggling Norbert out of Hogwarts was never mentioned in the film. Harry, Hermione, Malfoy, and Neville’s detention in the forbidden forest also differed from how it was described in the book. The film skipped Harry being grouped with Hagrid and Hermione first before Hagrid decided that he should come with Malfoy and Fang as Harry is much braver than Neville and could stand up to Malfoy’s bullying. Harry has also met three centaurs, even riding on the back of one. Perhaps the most noticeable difference between the film’s presentation and the book’s story could be found during Harry, Ron and Hermione’s adventure going after the sorcerer’s stone. In chapter 16 of the book, Harry played the flute given to him by Hagrid as a Christmas present to make Fluffy fall asleep and had no trouble getting past him. After going through the trapdoor, both Harry and Ron were having trouble with the Devil’s Snare and Hermione had to use the spell she had with Snape on Harry’s first Quidditch match to free them. Then, all three went to catch the right key, each taking a broomstick, at the end of the passageway. The flying keys did not attack but were moving so fast that it was difficult to catch them. On the giant chess board, Harry, Ron and Hermione had to replace chess pieces to play the game, not Ron riding the knight’s horse. Furthermore, there was no indication in the book that the giant chess pieces were smashed into destruction. There were also no sing of any troll in a chamber after getting past the giant chess game. Finally, Harry and Hermione had to solve a puzzle set up by Professor Snape as the last obstacle to enter the chamber where the Mirror of Erised had been moved to. This scene is totally missing from the film. The climax of the story, Harry’s confrontation with Professor Quirrel and Voldemort, had been faithful to the book, although in the book, Harry had not destroyed Professor Quirrel in the end of their confrontation. The film’s depiction of Voldemort’s face at the back of Professor Quirrel’s head was also slightly differed from the book’s description. The book described it as â€Å"chalk white with glaring red eyes and slits for nostrils, like a snake† (Rowling, 293). Voldemort’s nose as depicted in the film was not very snakelike. There are a few more difference between the film and the book’s story: the film had not depicted Harry not being afraid of mentioning Voldemort’s name; Harry had played in two Quidditch matches in the book; Peeves antics were missing in the film; and Dumbledore did not explain Professor Snape and James Potter’s, Harry’s father, history. Simply put, the film does not have the detailed events presented in the book. It has jumbled the events as it happened in the book while still able to present roughly the same story. However, for the Harry Potter fanatic, the most frustrating difference between the film and the book was the film’s lack of magical experience. For a film based on a magical fantasy book series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone film, ironically, had not been magical, missing out on some important details and suspense. On the other hand, the film tried to be as faithful to Rowling’s story. Even with omissions and alterations, the film basically presented the same story as Rowling’s. It, however, lacked the details that Rowling had included in the book. Given the limitations of technology in computer graphics and animation, the film has brought Hogwarts to life, but could never match up to the experience that reading the book had. As a final note, while the film had a total gross of approximately $970 billion, it has surprisingly not met the expectation of fanatics and readers worldwide with its lack of magic and omissions of some scenes that were somehow important to the overall presentation of the story.

Dorm Life What is an RA or Resident Assistant

A resident adviser—or RA—is an upperclassman who is available to college students living in dorms and resident halls. Dorm residents may be more comfortable talking to an RA than an older adult in a sterile on-campus housing office, making this peer-to-peer guidance can be valuable for incoming freshmen. Importance of the RAs Job Schools have different names for their RAs. Some use the term resident adviser while others say resident assistant. Other campuses may use the abbreviation CA, meaning community adviser or community assistant. Typically, the RA is in charge of a single floor in a dormitory, though in larger dorms RAs are responsible for a wing of the floor instead of the whole floor. They are often upperclassmen who live on the floor and are available in shifts to aid the other students with a variety of concerns and build a sense of community. If one RA is unavailable for an urgent matter, students can turn to others in their dorm for help. The RA may be one of the first students a college freshman comes in contact with on move-in day. RAs offer answers to move-in day questions for anxious students and their equally concerned parents, and their experience on campus is invaluable to new freshmen who have many things to learn about college life. Students apply to be RAs and go through extensive interviews and training to ensure they are prepared to handle most situations that might come up. What a Resident Adviser Does Resident advisers demonstrate great leadership skills, compassion, and are trained to solve the problems of a diverse group of students.   RAs  oversee  dorm life, plan social events and keep an eye on  homesick freshmen. They can provide a sympathetic ear and practical advice for students who need help dealing with academic, social, medical, or personal problems. RAs also mediate roommate disputes and enforce residence hall rules. This includes calling campus security for alcohol- or drug-related infractions and seeking medical attention in emergencies. Overall, the RA should be a person who college students can turn to and someone they can trust. If an RA cannot solve a problem or feel that more help is needed, they can direct students to the right campus support center where they can find help. The job of an RA is not all about solving conflicts. They are also there to ensure college students are having fun, relieving stress in healthy ways, and simply enjoying college life. A good RA will notice when a student seems to be uncomfortable or unhappy and will reach out in an unobtrusive but supportive way to offer help. RAs may also schedule a movie or game night as a break from finals week, host holiday parties, or other fun activities to bring their residents together. Who Can Be an RA Most colleges require that RAs be upperclassmen though some will consider well-qualified sophomores. The application process for becoming an RA is rigorous because it is a very important job. It takes a special type of person to be understanding, flexible, and stern enough to handle the responsibilities of a resident adviser. It also requires patience. Many college students choose to apply for an RA position because it is a great experience that looks good on a resume. Potential employers appreciate leaders with real-world problem-solving skills. RAs are compensated for their time because it is considered a job on campus. This often includes free room and board, though some colleges may offer other benefits as well.