Question
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mhint226
I need some help with this assignment… Highlighting a Skill…
I need some help with this assignment…
Highlighting a Skill
How can I use what I know about learning to study for a big exam?
Staying focused and on task is a challenge for everyone. This can be especially true when we need to study for a big exam or a certification test. Regardless of what you are studying for, you can use the learning principles of operant conditioning to help you stay on task and get the job done. Understanding how to reinforce our behaviors so that we accomplish our goals is a valuable skill to have.
You can help yourself stay on task by using rewards to increase your studying behavior and help you achieve your goals. First, set your goals by breaking your studying into small segments. For example, perhaps you decide to chunk your studying by focusing on key concepts from each chapter. Next, break the content into manageable sections, like working on the first 10 concepts in a particular chapter.
Keeping your deadline in mind, create a calendar for yourself with all the due dates for each of the chunked pieces of information. Each time you complete one of your goals, reward yourself for staying on task. The reward needs to be something that will encourage you to continue your behavior, which in this case is studying. Have the reward (go for a walk, eat a cookie, play a video game, browse social media) be commensurate with the size of the goal and remember the point here is to make sure that the reward helps lead to an increase in desired behavior.
Being rewarded for staying on task and accomplishing a goal increases the likelihood that you will stay on task next time, but it will usually only work if the reward is something that you really want. Therefore, do not indulge in the reward outside of studying or it will not help you to stay on task when you are studying. Keep in mind that what serves as reward for one person, may not work for another. And of course, not all rewards will reinforce behavior.
What happens if you start to procrastinate and miss your self-imposed deadline? You could “punish” yourself by using consequences to decrease your lack of studying, but it may be better to think about your goals, the rewards you are setting for yourself, and how and why you are not staying on task. Are the goals not realistic for you? Is the reward not “strong” enough to reinforce your behavior? Is the reward’s effectiveness less because you don’t really want it or already have access to it outside of studying? Use this information to design a better way to reinforce your studying behavior.
The principles of learning can apply to many aspects of your life, such as being on time, eating healthy, and even being in a successful relationship. How could you use this information to help you every day so that you reinforce the behavior that you want to see in yourself (and others)?
Reflection
Think about how you have used learning principles in your life. Have you set up a reward system for yourself in the past?
Now, think about times you were rewarded or punished in the past at school, work, in relationships, etc. What worked to keep you on track? What didn’t?
