Extinguishing Undesired Habits

Paper Summary:

This paper attempts to demonstrate that classical and operant conditioning are effective methods for extinguishing undesired habits. The paper reviews literature that supports this hypothesis and concludes that both classical and operative conditioning have been successfully used in behavior modification in both laboratory and "real world" situations.

From the Paper:

"Old habits die hard, so the saying goes. Yet New Year's resolutions and personal goals, more often than not, revolve around the desire to change behavior and end undesired habits. A person may wish to stop smoking, quit drinking, change diet habits, or end other habitual behavior that is not desired by that person. Diet pills and nicotine patches may be infomercial-guaranteed to perfect life, but quick fixes may not actually be all they claim to be. Undesired habits may be dangerous or unhealthy for a person to continue, and it is important to society that effective methods of ending "bad" habits are understood and implemented. Many studies have been dedicated to this area of research, whether it be teaching a rat to avoid a certain area of a lab maze or teaching addicts to stop taking drugs, and many habit-kicking methods have been tested."

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