Friday, August 14, 2009

Operant Conditioning: How can it be wrong when it seems so right?

The great thing about the kids I sit for is that I can get them totally stoked and ritualized about anything. My latest is belly buttons, which I grew up calling "bling-bling." So I've got them all wired: "Where's the bling-bling?!?!?" And they gleefully pull up their shirts to point it out.

I decided that wasn't entertaining enough. I noticed the the girl, always the overachiever, lifts her shirt up as far as she can get it, so I've conditioned her to raise her shirt when I call out, "MARDI GRAS!"

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