PROBLEM SOLVING: AN EXERCISE ON LEARNING, COACHING, AND OPERANT CONDITIONING Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 11, 1984 202 PROBLEM SOLVING: AN EXERCISE ON LEARNING, COACHING, AND OPERANT CONDITIONING Eugene G. Gomolka, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & S.U. Joanne L. Mackin, Consultant ABSTRACT This paper presents an experiential exercise designed to put into practice individual and small group behavioral aspects of learning, coaching, and operant conditioning. After attempting to solve a hard problem individually, a series of meetings are held with coaches utilizing different styles of coaching. The effect of the different styles of coaching upon the success of problemsolving, as well as the problems encountered in operationalizing the different styles of coaching are the point of the exercise. INTRODUCTION Purpose: To demonstrate concepts of learning and problem solving, including operant conditioning and vicarious learning, and to experience the process of coaching under difficult circumstances. Advance Preparation: The participants should have a basic understanding of the concepts of learning and coaching. Group Size: The exercise is formulated to be done in a group of six, preferably with a group with which there has been prior experiential exercise experience. Time required: Approximately 90 minutes. Special materials: Instruction sheet for each participant, problem solving sheet for each participant, role sheet for each of the three coaches in each group. Related topics: Group dynamics, self-evaluation, perception. PROCEDURE Step 1 - Instructions This step requires 5 minutes. The instruction sheet (Appendix I) is read, and each group of six is randomly divided into three coaches and three problem solvers. The methodology of the exercise, including an individual problem solving step and three meetings with different coaches, is outlined. Step 2 - Individual Problem Solving This step requires 15 minutes. Working alone, each individual is to solve a problem, such as the multiplication problem shown on the problem sheet (Appendix II). Additionally, each individual answers questions relating to self-confidence, and the evaluation of the abilities of their group members. Step 3 - Coaching This step requires 30 to 45 minutes. According to the schedule established on the instruction sheet (Appendix I), three successive meetings are held between problem solvers and coaches. Each problem solver gets to experience three different styles of coaching: positive operant conditioning, negative operant conditioning, and vicarious learning. The instruction sheets for the coaches are given in Appendix III. Step 4 - Discussion This step requires approximately 25 minutes, and involves a briefing of the results, and a discussion of their significance. NOTES TO INSTRUCTORS This exercise has shown to be extremely useful in providing participants with a feeling for the pros and cons of positive and negative operant conditioning. Previous reading about operant conditioning is helpful insetting up the exercise. The coaching roles can provide extremely useful experience, particularly in those situations where the coach was not able to solve the problem by himself or herself during Step 2 of the exercise. The discussion portion of the exercise usually results in illuminating comments about the operational aspects of operant conditioning and coaching. Interesting outcomes usually result from comparison of the results expected by the participants listed on the questions in Step 2, and the actual results obtained. Significant differences are usually found on individual and group expectations, and these results lead to interesting discussions about the foundations of perceptions of group members, and leadership in the group. A copy of results from a recent application of this exercise is presented in Appendix IV. The answer to Problem 1 is 2i978 x 4 87912, and the answer to Problem 2 is 9567 + 1085 = 10652. The source of the problems was Fixx, Games For the Super-Intelligent, Doubleday, 1972. It is not a requirement of this exercise that the average student be able to solve the problem selected. Indeed, hard problems which cannot be solved in the time allotted for Step 2 are preferable, allowing for continuing problem solving during Step 3. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 11, 1984 203 Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 11, 1984 204 APPENDIX III COACH A Your coaching style is to be centered on positive operant conditioning. Reinforce attempts at solving the problem with kind words contingent upon accomplishment. Give intermittent praise and encouragement, feedback on performance, etc. to shape behavior. One of the other coaches will be using negative operant conditioning, centering upon punishment, to shape behavior. Your coaching style should provide a marked contrast in the environment which the problem solver encounters while trying to solve the problem. Do not reveal your instructions to any of the problem solvers that you coach! Be evasive if they want to know what you are up to. Until the instructor calls time, spend a few moments thinking how you will implement positive operant conditioning. After each meeting with a problem solver, reflect upon the kinds of problems and difficulties you encountered in this role. After the completion of the exercise, a general discussion of specific experiences will be held. If you are not sure of exactly how to solve the problem, do the best that you can to create an atmosphere of reward and positiveness. COACH B Your coaching style is to be centered on negative operant conditioning. Use as punishment unkind words based upon lack of accomplishment. Try to shape behavior by criticism, and telling what isn’t being done right. Even if you are not sure how to solve the problem, create an atmosphere of punishment as best as you can. One of the other coaches will be using positive operant conditioning, centering upon reward, to shape behavior. Your coaching style should provide a marked contrast in the environment in which the problem solver operates. Do not reveal your instructions to any of the problem solvers that you coach! Be evasive if they want to know what you are up to. Until the instructor calls time, spend a few moments thinking how you will implement negative operant conditioning. After each meeting with problem solver, reflect upon the kinds of problems and difficulties that you encountered in this role. After the completion of the exercise, a general discussion of specific experiences will be held. COACH C Your coaching style is to be based upon vicarious learning. Have your assigned problem solver listen to you as you solve or recite the solution of a similar problem. You will be given extra copies of the sample problem to share with the problem solver, but do not let the problem solver see your answer sheet, since the vicarious learning is to be based totally upon oral, not visual instruction. Once again, read or recite the demonstration of the solution of the sample problem to the problem solver as often as the time you have together allows. If you do not understand exactly how to solve the problem, do the best that you can in relaying information to the problem solver. If you encounter someone who has solved the first problem, still go through with your training, since your information may be helpful in solving the second problem. Until the instructor calls time, spend a few moments reading the solution to the sample problem, and thinking how you will implement vicarious learning. After each meeting with a problem solver, reflect upon the kinds of problems and difficulties that you encountered in this role. After the completion of the exercise, a general discussion of specific experiences will be held. Solution: a) Since B multiplied by 5 results in a B in the answer, B must be either 0, 1, or 5, since these are the only possibilities which can result in this outcome. Developments in Business Simulation & Experiential Exercises, Volume 11, 1984 205 b) If B was a 0, then 5 x 0 = 0, with no carryover to the next part of the multiplication~ Therefore, 5A would have to equal C C. There is no value of A which when multiplied by 5 gives a result whose two digits are the same. Therefore, B cannot be 0. c) If B was 5, then 5 x 5 = 25; hence a 2 is carried over to the next part of the multiplication. Therefore, 5A + 2 would have to equal C C. The value of 4 for A would create the result of (5 x 4) + 2 = 22, which gives a result whose two digits are the same. d) If B was 3, then 5 x 3 = 15; hence a 1 is carried over to the next part of the multiplication. Therefore, 5A + 1 would have to equal C C. The value of 2 for A would create the result of 5(2) + 1 = 11, which gives a result whose two digits are the same. e) Therefore, this sample problem could have two possible solutions, which are: 45 23 x5 and x5 225 115 However, the problems in the exercise have only one solution! APPENDIX IV PROBLEM SOLVING Exercise Results Group Member Can You Solve? Did You Solve? Who In Your Group Can Solve? Who In Your Group Would Be Helpful To Solve? 1 A Yes No C, D, F D B Yes No D, F F C Yes Yes A, D, F F D No No C C E No No D, F F F Yes Yes B, C, D, E B 4 Yes 2 Yes A-1, B-1, C-3, B-i, C-i, 2 No 4 No D-4, E-i, F-4 D-l, F-3 2 A No No C C B No No A, C C C Yes Yes A, F A D Yes No A A E Yes Yes, l&2 A, B, C, D, F F F - - - - 3 Yes 2 Yes A-4, B-i, C-3, A-2, C-3, 2 No 3 No D-1, F-2 F-l 3 A Yes No C, D, F F B Yes No A, C, D, E, F C C Yes Yes, 1&2 A, F A D No Yes C, F C E No No A, C, F C F - - - - 3 Yes 2 Yes A-3, C-4, D-2 A-i, C-3, 2 No 3 No E-i, F-5 F-i Table of Contents Volume 11, 1984 Simulation Gaming as a Means of Researching Substantive Issues: Another Look A Further Test of the Group Formation and its Impacts in a Simulated Business Environment Impact of Economic Patterns on Student Performance in Computer Business Simulation Games Majority Fallacy Game with Independent Student Simulation and a Case Introducing the Marketing Channel Laboratory A Comparative Evaluation of a Marketing Game A Study of Comparative Effectiveness of Problem-Solving Technologies The Impact of Hierarchical and Egalitarian Organization Structure on Group Decision Making and Attitudes Risk-Free Decision Making The EX-STRA Export Strategy Game Computer Education for Management Students Developing a Computer Game/Job Simulation to Teach Functional Literacy Skills Experiencing Socialization First Hand: An Experiential Exercise in Organizational Socialization Networking Distributive Versus Integrative Approaches to Negotiation: Experiential learning Through a Negotiation Simulation Managerial Education and the Real World: Foudations for Designing Educational Tools Diagnosing Group Climate to Improve Supervisory Effectiveness Student background as a Factor in Simulation Outcomes: The Collective bargaining Example The Use of Pre-Plays in Management Education Experiencing the Process Debrief: A Workshop ABSEL Megatrend Roots MEGATRENDS for Business Simulation and Experiential Learning The Effects and Consequences of the Megatrends on Simulation Gaming: One View Opportunities for the Future: ABSEL's Role Experiential Learning-Based Discussion vs. Lecture Based Discussion: A Comparative Analysis in a Classroom Setting An Evaluation of the Minitab Package in Teaching Business Statistics Concepts A Path Analytic Study of the Effects of Alternative Pedagogies Developing and Using Weighted Application Blanks: An Experiential Exercise Building Airplanes Individual vs. Group Grade: An Exercise in Decision making A Marketing Plan Exercise: Development of Interteam Cooperation Using a Coordinated Experiential Approach Using Student Experience as the Basis for a Consumer Behavior Learning Exercise Student Evaluations of Instructors: What do Students Believe? A Description of the SOFTCAT Computer Assisted Teaching System Comparisons of Practitioners' and Professors' Perceptions of Business Policy Content and Learning Methods The Perceived Relationship Between Pedagogies and Attaining Course Objectives in the Business Policy Course The Use of Simulation in the Teaching of Business Policy A Research Study on Strategic Decisions in a Business Simulation Strategic Management Decision Making Researched Via Simulation Gaming Using Simulation to Investigate Factors in Competitive Bidding Combining Experiential Learning and management Assistance A Model for Teaching Management Skills Putting Experience Back into Experiential Learning: A Demonstration The Teaching and Behavioral Measurement of Managerial/Organizational Competencies: Developing Experiential Exercises and Simulations A Simulation Game Model for Conglomerates QCLAB - A Microcomputer Laboratory in Quality Control CTSS: A Commodity Trading Simulation System Problem Solving: An Exercise on Learning, Coaching, and Operant Conditioning A Demonstration of the Effects of Feedback as a Category of Reinforcement The Assessment of Feedback and Disclosure in Interpersonal Relations: An Experiential Exercise A Study to Determine Whether the Teaching of Basic Grammar Skills in Business Communication Classes Improves Students' Business Letter Writing Corporate Maladies Through the Eyes of the Memo Writer: A Seldom Used Experiential Tool Executive Bailout at Shake & Spear, Inc. The H.E./L&P Merger Intercultural Nonverbal Communications: An Experiential Exercise The Evolving Business Policies Course - Is Management Gaming the Logical Pedagogy? The Use of Decision Simulations in Management Training Programs: Current Perspectives Humanizing the Business of Medicine: The Use of Simulated Patients to Train medical Students Systematic Integration of Simulation Methods in a Graduate Management Curriculum Modeling Non-Price Factors in the Demand Functions of Computerized Business Using Spacial Relationships to Estimate Demand in Business Simulations Two Algorithms For Redistribution Of Stockouts In Computerized Business Simulations Leadership And Strategic Behavior A Comparison Of Two Business Strategy Simulations For Microcomputers Incorporating Decision Support Systems Into Management Simulation Games: A Model And Methodology Using Micro-Computers To Support The Analysis Of Complex Cases: It's As Easy As 1-2-3 Strategic Formulation Consistent With Pims: A Micro-Computer Application