I write not about Air Conditioning or about Hair Conditioning. This is about something that I learned from an old family friend who trained dogs for the Armed Forces and the Police in my country.
I was 11 years old when I often watched how the dogs were methodically conditioned during the dog’s grueling training schedule. That knowledge turned out to be useful when I started to have children. But of course the methods are modified for humans in this instance.
Be forewarned that this is a read article from start to finish – without any pictures to adorn it.
Now, before the reader thinks that I have gone bonkers, please be patient, read what I have to relate. At the end the reader may decide whether it is utter rubbish. It isn’t rubbish to me because it already has produced the desired results for my three sons. Hence, I would like to share it with you.
Conditioning is what I term it.
Here is an example of a recent conditioning that I used. Briefly, I shall relate what effect it had on my neighbour’s son.
1. The lad’s parents run a Distributor agency, which keeps both parent in the shop to manage the daily business.
2. The son who had a strong school performance started to deteriorate and manifested a lack of interest with his schoolwork.
3. The father had a long discussion with me and was desperate in finding a solution.
4. After having understood the lad’s interests, best subjects and temperament, I explained to the troubled father that he needed to provide the right conditioning for his son.
5. What conditioning? came his repartee. I could understand his inability to understand what I meant. Instead of going through all the rhetoric in having to explain, I strongly suggested that the lad learn to play Chess.
6. On hearing this the father looked at me in disbelief. I assured him that I would be responsible if my recommendation produced negative results.
7. I bought the lad a Chess set. On weekdays, I played Chess with the lad every afternoon after he returned from School. His mind became increasingly analytical as the weeks went by.
8. Back at School, he regained his past performance and excelled to his parents delight. He dethroned the School Chess champion in the same year and represented his School at the inter-School State Chess Tournament.
Semantics about Conditioning
Example :
When one is hungry and sees food, how does one react?
One’s appetite is heightened.
Therefore :
Sight of Food = Whets appetite
(Unconditioned Stimulus delivers Unconditioned Response)
If there is a bell to signal that Meals is ready :
Sight of Food + Bell = Whets appetite
(Unconditioned Stimulus delivers Unconditioned Response)
Going a step further, by removing the sight of Food :
Bell = Whets appetite
(Conditioned Stimulus delivers Conditioned Response)
Stimulus vis-à-vis Response
Unconditioned Stimulus is something that can already elicit a response
.
Unconditioned Response is something thing that is already elicited by a stimulus.
And an Unconditioned Relationship is an existing stimulus-response connection.
Therefore :
Conditioning Stimulus is a new stimulus we deliver the same time we give the old stimulus.
And Conditioned Relationship is the new stimulus-response relationship we created by associating a new stimulus with an old response.
There are two key parts:
First, we start with an existing relationship, Unconditioned Stimulus that delivers Unconditioned Response.
Second, we pair a new thing (Conditioned Stimulus) with the existing relationship, until the new thing has the power to elicit the old response.
This is how was it done for the lad
In the case of this lad, the first part was to start by focusing on whatever was causing him to be disinterested in studies (by introducing a beneficial game) in order to produce an interest.
Then came the second phase, when the new Conditioning Stimulus (Chess) is paired with reviving his mental potentials until Chess has the power to elicit his previous School performance.
Remarks :
I know that some readers may not have even reached this point of my article, having stopped reading somewhere after a few paragraphs because all this may appear silly or simply too mentally tedious to think it out logically.
For a parent that wants and wishes the child to be an achiever at whatever is required, the parent to the best of his ability, has to be innovative – to create the right environment and to provide the tools that will produce the intended result.
For example, if a child, during his school years, is not given a proper work desk, not given an environment conducive for studying and the work desk is not given the tools that the child needs to become an interested, adept and disciplined learner; the parent should not harbour great expectations.
It is all a matter of CONDITIONING.
Note: This post was authored by Windy on July 31, 2008 at the defunct Windmill of my Mind.
hmmmmm… thanks for these tips, windy!
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