Hockenbury Discovering Psychology 5th txtbk

226 CHAPTER 5 LearningENHANCING WELL-BEING WITH PSYCHOLOGYUsing Learning Principles to Improve Self-ControlSelf-control often involves choosing between two reinforcers:(1) a long-term reinforcer that will provide gratification at somepoint in the future or (2) a short-term reinforcer that providesimmediate gratification but gets in the way of obtaining along-term reinforcer. Objectively, the benefits of the long-termreinforcer far outweigh the benefits associated with the shortterm,immediate reinforcer. Yet despite our commitment to thelong-term goal, sometimes we choose a short-term reinforcerthat conflicts with it. Why?The Shifting Value of ReinforcersThe key is that the relative value of reinforcers can shift over time(Ainslie, 1975, 1992; Rachlin, 1974, 2000). Let’s use an exampleto illustrate this principle. Suppose you sign up for an 8:00 A.M.class that meets every Tuesday morning. On Monday night, theshort-term reinforcer (getting extra sleep on Tuesday morning)and the long-term reinforcer (getting a good course grade at theend of the semester) are both potential future reinforcers. Neitherreinforcer is immediately available. So, when you comparethese two future reinforcers, the value of making a good gradeeasily outweighs the value of getting extra sleep on Tuesdaymorning. That’s why you duly set the alarm clock for 6:00 A.M.so you will get to class on time.However, as the availability of a reinforcer gets closer, the subjectivevalue of the reinforcer increases. Consequently, whenyour alarm goes off on Tuesday morning, the situation is fundamentallydifferent. The short-term reinforcer is now immediatelyavailable: staying in that warm, comfy bed. Compared withMonday night when you set the alarm, the subjective value ofextra sleep has increased significantly. Although making a goodgrade in the course is still important to you, its subjective valuehas not increased on Tuesday morning. After all, that long-termreinforcer is still in the distant future.At the moment you make your decision, you choosewhichever reinforcer has the greatest apparent value to you. Atthat moment, if the subjective value of the short-term reinforceroutweighs that of the long-term reinforcer, you’re very likely tochoose the short-term reinforcer (Rachlin, 1995, 2000). In otherwords, you’ll probably stay in bed.When you understand how the subjective values of reinforcersshift over time, the tendency to impulsively cave in to availableshort-term reinforcers starts to make more sense. The availabilityof an immediate, short-term reinforcer can temporarily outweighthe subjective value of a long-term reinforcer in the distantfuture (Steel, 2007). How can you counteract these momentarysurges in the subjective value of short-term reinforcers? Fortunately,there are several strategies that can help you overcomethe temptation of short-term reinforcers and improve selfcontrol(Trope & Fishbach, 2000).Strategy 1: PrecommitmentPrecommitment involves making an advance commitment toyour long-term goal, one that will be difficult to change when aconflicting reinforcer becomes available (Ariely & Wertenbroch,2002). In the case of getting to class on time, a precommitmentcould involve setting multiple alarms and putting them farenough away that you will be forced to get out of bed to shuteach of them off. Or you could ask an early-rising friend to callyou on the phone and make sure you’re awake.Strategy 2: Self-ReinforcementSometimes long-term goals seem so far away that your senseof potential future reinforcement seems weak compared withimmediate reinforcers. One strategy to increase the subjectivevalue of the long-term reinforcer is to use self-reinforcementfor current behaviors related to your long-term goal. For example,promise yourself that if you spend two hours studyingin the library, you’ll reward yourself by watching a movie.It’s important, however, to reward yourself only after you performthe desired behavior. If you say to yourself, “Rather thanstudy tonight, I’ll go to this party and make up for it by studyingtomorrow,” you’ve blown it. You’ve just reinforced yourselffor not studying! This would be akin to trying to increase barpressingbehavior in a rat by giving the rat a pellet of foodbefore it pressed the bar. Obviously, this contradicts the basicprinciple of positive reinforcement in which behavior is followedby the reinforcing stimulus.Strategy 3: Stimulus ControlRemember, environmental stimuli can act as discriminative stimulithat “set the occasion” for a particular response. In effect,the environmental cues that precede a behavior can acquiresome control over future occurrences of that behavior. So beaware of the environmental cues that are likely to triggerunwanted behaviors, such as studying in the kitchen (a cue foreating) or in an easy chair in the living room (a cue for watchingtelevision). Then replace those cues with others that will helpyou achieve your long-term goals.For example, always study in a specific location, whether it’sthe library, in an empty classroom, or at a table or desk in a certaincorner of your apartment. Over time, these environmentalcues will become associated with the behavior of studying.Strategy 4: Focus on the Delayed ReinforcerThe cognitive aspects of learning also play a role in choosingbehaviors associated with long-term reinforcers (Metcalfe &Mischel, 1999; Mischel, 1996). When faced with a choice betweenan immediate and a delayed reinforcer, focus your attention on thedelayed reinforcer. You’ll be less likely to impulsively choose theshort-term reinforcer (Ainslie, 1975).