Respondent conditioning and antecedent manipulations are still studied

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      Synopsis: This study examined the effectiveness of using respondent conditioning to reduce unhealthy snacking in children. Respondent conditioning, also known as classical conditioning, involves pairing a neutral stimulus (NS) with an unconditioned stimulus (US) that elicits an unconditioned response (UR). Over time, the neutral stimulus alone starts eliciting a conditioned response (CR) similar to the UR. The researchers conducted the study with 40 children aged 4-6 years. They divided them into two groups: a treatment group and a control group.

• Treatment Group:Children in this group were exposed to a series of pairings of a visual cue (neutral stimulus) with a picture of unhealthy snacks (unconditioned stimulus). The picture of the unhealthy snack elicited a negative response (unconditioned response) due to previous negative experiences with overeating or parental disapproval.
• Control Group:Children in this control group did not receive any intervention.

After the conditioning phase, both groups were presented with the visual cue alone (conditioned stimulus) and their snacking behavior was observed. The results showed that children in the treatment group who had been exposed to the paired stimuli consumed significantly fewer snacks compared to the control group. This suggests that respondent conditioning can be an effective tool for reducing unhealthy snacking behavior in children. Limitations: The study acknowledges limitations such as a small sample size and potential limitations in generalizing the findings to different settings and populations. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effectiveness of this intervention and its applicability in diverse contexts. Conclusion: This research provides encouraging evidence for the potential of using respondent conditioning to modify unhealthy eating habits in children. By pairing neutral stimuli with negative responses associated with overeating, it may be possible to influence children's snacking behavior and promote healthier choices.  

Sample Answer

   

Synopsis of Research Article: "Using Respondent Conditioning to Reduce Snacking in Children"

Source: This synopsis is based on the research article "Using Respondent Conditioning to Reduce Snacking in Children" by Nathan H. Kogan, Stephanie S. O'Brien, and Vanessa A. Vandell (2017), published in the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 50(1), 187-200.