An analysis of the effect of using food as an operant conditioning instrument to achieve prompt attendance by college students (B. F. Skinner)

Burrhus Frederic Skinner has historically been credited with many of the studies using operant conditioning as a vehicle for behavior modification. He believed that human behavior could be controlled to produce a certain, desired result. According to Dr. Skinner, as well as contemporary scientists such as Menefee, Carlson, and Hill, by using operant conditioning methods, a scientist or, in the case of this study, a teacher, can dictate a performance of a non-reflex or non-instinctual behavior for some type of reward. As observed by Charles Darwin, who developed evolutionary theories of survival, a key to the survival of any organism is the instinctual drive for a food source. However, this researcher was unable to locate any study focused on the use of food as a positive reinforcement for classroom attendance in the college classroom. The purpose of this study was to assess student patterns of attendance when food is present. The researcher looked at the direct impact of the presentation of a survival element such as food on prompt college attendance. The study examined the results of serving food as a positive reinforcement to achieve prompt attendance by college students. The researcher hypothesized that behavior can be modified using positive operant conditioning techniques.