Operant conditioning is a form of instruction where the outcomes of an activity increase or decrease the probability of a requested behavior in the future. For example, when your child is using his or her phone for an excessive amount of time you may decide to take away his or her phone for an hour or two, or you may give them a dollar each time they put their phone down. This example will either increase or decrease your child's awareness of his or her smartphone usage.
According to a study done on the Dutch population, operant conditioning has contributed negatively to the general worry about the epidemic of smartphone addiction. Smartphone usage has increased due to the accumulation of likes, a reduction in social anxiety, and an increase in positive emotions. After taking this research into account, we can draw the conclusion that by establishing limits on our use of texting and social media, we can reduce smartphone usage among Dutch people and improve their tolerance for social gatherings.
Bolle, C. L. (1970, January 1). Who is a smartphone addict? the impact of personal factors and type of usage on smartphone addiction in a Dutch population. Who is a smartphone addict? The impact of personal factors and type of usage on smartphone addiction in a Dutch population. https://essay.utwente.nl/66307/
This was such an interesting blog. I never thought of operant conditioning corresponding to smartphone use. Great read, Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis blog was very informative! I can see that a lot of people are addicted to their phones I asked last semester to some people do they need always have their phones and be on their phones and they said yes I was son surprised.
ReplyDeleteI think this take on responsiveness to conditioning is interesting. Modern technology makes addiction take on a mental route, aside from actions and substances. The addiction to media validation and mindless scrolling is a phenomenon that many are unaware of. Interesting read!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great post! It was interesting to learn how smartphone usage can be explained in terms of operant conditioning.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading this post, and it is interesting how addictive smartphones are and what they can do to people, and how they can be very attached to them.
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