One aspect of raising healthy children is understanding how to best provide correction when they make poor choices or behave in unacceptable ways. Over the years, there has been much debate over the most effective form of punishment for children. As part of this debate, you have to take into consideration operant conditioning as this is the basis for how effective correction works. Operant conditioning should be considered when choosing how to best administer corrective actions whether the parents choose to use corporal punishment, time outs, or loss of privileges.

• Discuss the differences between negative and positive punishment. What are the factors that make punishment effective?
• Discuss the effectiveness of corporal punishment and elaborate upon when you think it should be used.
• Discuss how culture affects the type of punishment used.
• Give reasons in support of your responses based on your readings and personal experiences.

Write your initial response in 2–3 paragraphs. Apply APA standards to citation of sources.

By Saturday, November 21, 2015, post your response to the appropriateDiscussion Area. Through Wednesday, November 25, 2015, review and comment on at least two peers’ responses. In your responses, consider the following:

• Have your peers accurately identified the differences between negative and positive punishment? Explain your answer.
• Can you suggest any other factors that make punishment effective? If so, state them.

LASA 1—Operant Conditioning and Superstitions

Many people believe that superstitions are absolutely true. This often causes them to believe and act in ways that are out of the norm either to avoid a negative outcome or to bring about a positive outcome. However, the origins of all superstitions lie in operant conditioning (for example, wearing the same shirt worn during a victory game to all future games in order to ensure victory).

In this assignment, you will examine the process by which operant conditioning can lead to the formation of a superstition.

Using the module readings, the Argosy University online library resources, and the Internet, research the development of operant conditioning and its basic principles. Then, address the following:

• Describe the historical antecedents of operant conditioning. What factors led to the rise of operant conditioning?
• Describe the principles/concepts which can be applied to explain the process by which operant conditioning can lead to the development and maintenance of superstitions.
• Brainstorm to come up with a number of superstitions you may have heard or read about. Using your knowledge and vocabulary of operant conditioning, choose one of these superstitions. Then, describe in detail, the thinking processes involved that resulted in the acquisition and perpetuation of this irrational belief.
• Describe a specific aspect of the operant conditioning process that leads to these beliefs becoming so deeply ingrained and long standing in nature.
• Explain whether a person can ever be rid of superstitions. What methods can be used to help such a person?
• Interview a family member or friend to discover a superstition that he or she believes in. Explain the nature of the event that led to the formation of this superstition. Does this information fit with your understanding of how the operant conditioning process results in the development of superstitions? Why or why not?

Write a 3–4-page paper in Word format. The paper should be double-spaced and in 12 point, Times New Roman font with regular one-inch margins and free of typographical and grammatical errors. Apply APA standards to citation of sources. Be sure to include a title page and a reference page. Use the following file naming convention: LastnameFirstInitial_M3_A2.doc.

By Wednesday, November 25, 2015, deliver your assignment to the M3: Assignment 2 Dropbox.

Grading Criteria and Rubric