Darkthorn’s Blog

I couldn’t sleep last night for all the thoughts going round and round.

First, it was the difference between operant and classical conditioning.

Operant Conditioning is the use of reinforcement and punishment to increase or decrease the likelihood of the desired response. For example, Skinner’s Box taught a rat how to press a lever to obtain food. Reinforcement and punishment can be both positive (involving the introduction of a stimulus) and negative (the removal of a stimulus). Reinforcement is usually continual while the desired behaviour is shaped. Then, in order to make the behaviour resistant to extinction, different schedules of reinforcement can be used.

These include are either a time interval or a ratio, and a fixed or variable schedule. A variable ratio is used in casino gambling, because it is the least likely to become extinct.

Classical Contioning involves the repeated pairing of an unconditioned stimulus with a conditioned stimulus in order to produce a desired response. An example of this is Pavlov’s experiment on dogs. With repeated pairings of a bell and the presentation of food, dogs learnt to salivate at only the presentation of the bell.

Some pairings are more likely to occur than others. An electric shock to a rat, when paired with a light, bell and flavoured water, is more likely to illicit the ‘freeze’ response only to the light or bell.

All notes are Copyright Monash University, and have been paraphrased by me for your enjoyment.

Second, it was all the wonderful ideas I had for my news stories for Creative and Professional Writing.

• the state of nursing homes
• the effects of the new Mornington Peninsula Freeway
  • on tourism
  • interview shop-owners
  • impact of just Eastlink?
    • traffic problems
    • extensive advertising when it hasn’t even been opened yet (shops in Frankton Shopping Centre)
    • estimations of arrival times, are they accurate
• the impact of music on teens
  • teens being forced to do music, and the actual benefits
  • relationship between music and emotions
  • the use of music in improving learning – does it work if it is forced?
  • Classical music played in Frankston Train Station to reduce graffiti and vandalism
    • how effective is it?
    • when is the music played?
    • relationship between teens feeling more positive and listening to music?
    • could it see a decrease of both vandalism and mental health problems?
• the closing of MPSP
  • its impact on local community
  • statistics of religious beliefs (last weeks paper?)
  • coordination of activities at Mornington House
  • decline of Anglican religion related to decline of MPSN?
  • is spirituality as a whole dying?
  • statistics on belief in God

• combine questionnaire and interview to ensure names are spelt correctly for contact list
  • sign declaration of allowing their names to be published??
  • tick the box if they would like a copy of the article
  • require a name, email address and phone-number

And last, I wrote a bit more of the novel in my head, scribbling notes by torchlight.

In all, a very productive night, sadly with less than 5 hours sleep, I will not be functioning well for the rest of today.

~ Darkthorn