khong010: October 2011 Archives

Operant conditioning is defined as "learning controlled by the consequences of the organism's behavior." In other words, the organism/subject learns through a series of trial and error. The organism does a certain action because it is trying to get something it wants, whether it is food or avoiding an electrical shock. Operant conditioning is also known as "instrumental conditioning" since the organism's response serves as an instrumental function, as said in our Lilienfeld textbook.

I remember in 3rd grade when each individual in my class tried to behave like the "perfect model student" in order to receive a "brain pill" which was in reality a piece of fruity lifesaver candy. Our class had most likely experienced operant conditioning since we learned that if we behaved a certain way, we would get a reward in the end. Our responses were also voluntarily instead of elicited automatically. The "brain pill" (reward) was not given out unconditionally, instead it was given out if the desired behavior was produced. This example was operant conditioning combined with positive reinforcement, which is adding a stimuli in order to increase the likelihood of an outcome. In this example,the positive reinforcement was the piece of candy to boost up the probability of a good student behavior.
Another example of operant conditioning can be seen through this video!

As we read in our textbook, operant conditioning is used in animal training. This video shows an example of that! The dog has most likely experienced operant conditioning and positive reinforcement. We can see that the owner gives the reward, in this case, a dog treat, in some of the scenes. This makes it so that the dog will most likely have a greater resistance to extinction because as our textbooks say, only occasional reinforcement of a behavior results in slower extinction.

Section 13
Joann Khong

Whenever I hear the word "hallucinations" I think back to 7th grade health class, where my class had to watch boring videos about the effects of drugs. Most drugs had one thing in common, and that was giving the user hallucinations. Hallucinations are defined as "realistic perceptual experiences in the absence of any external stimuli." This means that if a person is experiencing a hallucination, they are experiencing something that isn't really there. While many people believe that hallucinations are only part of hearing and seeing, it actually can occur in any sensory modality. Up to about 39% of the general population report at least one hallucination a day. Visual hallucinations can be a result of oxygen or sensory deprivation.

I used to believe that hallucinations only occurred in drug users, however, after reading the Lilienfeld textbook, I realized how inaccurate I was. Hallucinations can occur in anyone, not people who are drug users, and not just psychologically ill individuals. People who have fantasized a great deal of time and done imaginative activities since childhood are more prone to hallucinations. This is called the "fantasy-prone person."

In addition, not all cultures believe that hallucinating is bad. Some cultures in Africa actually value these illusions and believe they were gifts from Gods. People who are a part of these societies sometimes go out of their way to induce hallucinations by fasting or using hallucinogenic drugs. So while Americans have a more negative view of hallucinations, we cannot forget that there are other cultures out there that honor this vision.

To better get a feel of what it is like to hallucinate, I provided a video about new technology that allows people (usually cops) to better understand the world of a person who is hallucinating.

Virtual Hallucination Video

Hallucinations are as real as real, or as real as fake gets.

Joann Khong
Section 13