The Big Bang Theory and Operant Conditioning

Jessica Triguero

Dr. C. Vance

General Psych

Friday 16, 2015

The Big Bang Theory and Operant Conditioning

There are different methods of learning that branch from associative learning and each method is specifically used for teaching various actions that distinctly differ from each other. One of these methods is known as operant conditioning and during this process organisms associate their own actions with consequences using reinforcements, which increase actions, and punishments that often decrease actions. The behavior of the subject should produce a rewarding stimuli or punishing stimuli after the subject has operated on its surrounding environment. This is known as operant behavior. During the video Amy Fowler tempts to condition Sheldon Cooper’s compulsive need for closure through operant conditioning by performing multiple experiments that dismiss the need for completion in hopes to change Sheldon’s behavior.

Rather than using a positive or negative reinforcement to rid Sheldon of his closure obsession, Amy uses punishment in each of her experiments. There are two types of punishment: positive and negative punishment. Each type are ways to decrease behavior, but positive punishment is to administer a behavior that’s undesired and negative punishment is to end a behavior that is desired. In each of Amy’s experiments she is using negative punishment by taking away the ability for Sheldon to complete each activity, by doing so it doesn’t allow Sheldon to reach his desire for closure and it increases Amy’s hope to decrease future undesired responses from Sheldon’s obsessive need for closure.

During Amy’s first experiment of tic-tac-toe she allows Sheldon to assume that he’s going to complete his pattern and win the game, but instead Amy erases the whole game before Sheldon can draw his last circle causing him to not be able to finish the game and to become anxious and agitated. Along with singing the Star Spangled Banner, playing with dominos, spinning the Jack-in-the-box, and blowing out the candles Amy doesn’t allow Sheldon to complete any of these activities, and with each activity that Sheldon isn’t able to complete the more his aggression increases, which is one of the problems with using punishment.