Concepts and Applications Blended: An Example
INSTRUMENTAL
LEARNING
The second learning
mechanism takes us to other animals. Psychologist B.F. Skinner experimented
with pigeons. He built two doors in a pigeon feed box, one fake and one real.
Peck on the fake one and nothing happens; peck on the real one and food grains
fall out. After a few trials, the pigeons learned to peck on the correct door.
This is instrumental learning (also called instrumental conditioning or
operant conditioning)—a process where one learns to act in a certain way that
is rewarding. That is, we learn a response because it is instrumental to
obtaining a reward. This is the familiar way we get children to learn good
behaviors—“eat your vegetables and you’ll get desert,” we tell them.
This reward comes in two forms: extrinsic
and intrinsic. An extrinsic reward is external to the product, e.g.,
coupons, sweepstakes, rebates, and loyalty programs such as frequent flyer or
frequent hotel stay rewards. Cigna, an insurance company offers incentives to
get its members to engage in pro-health behaviors. In contrast, an intrinsic
reward is the reward built into the product itself—consumers learn to buy
and use a product because they find the product itself rewarding. For example,
we learn to use Bed Head shampoo because it renders our hair just the
way we want, and we learn to drink Fruitopia because we savor its taste. We learn
to visit the video game arcade Gameworks because we have a good time
there, and to buy Twelve Girls Band’s new CDs because we find their music enchanting.
.....................................................................................................................................
Excerpted from p. 93