What is a Conditioned Response?
When you hear the words, “Conditioned response,” you probably think of the person walking into a store and the greeter asks, “May I help You?” The normal conditioned response is “No, just looking.” You might remember the times you said you were “not interested” when they called your phone or knocked on your door. You assumed they were trying to sell you something, so you blew them off with your conditioned response.
I touched on conditioned responses in my book, How to NOT Lose Friends and Fight with Other People. But it really is a much deeper topic. Pavlov was a Russian physiologist who chronicled the ways to manipulate responses with his dog experiments. Dig into his writings if you want more perspectives.
I Hear My Name and I Look
When someone yells, “Phillip!” I always respond. They may be calling another Phillip, but I am Phillip, so I perk up. It’s my conditioned response.
It’s always fun to be at a theme park and watch all the fathers react when any little kid yells, “Dad?”
You drive by a restaurant grilling steaks. Your mouth is watering, and you don’t even realize it. Why did that happen? It was the aroma of steaks on the grill, and your conditioned response.
Phobias are all conditioned responses. I didn’t become claustrophobic until I was stuck in a hot attic shaft. I couldn’t move, and my heart was about to explode. It seemed like forever before I escaped. But, with that struggle, a door opened in my mind, and now I have trouble even sitting in the window seat of a packed plane. My claustrophobia was learned, and now is ingrained in my subconscious mind. When I walk into a dentist office, my heart rate goes up. My blood pressure goes sky-high. That’s my conditioned response.
Look for conditioned responses from other people, and be aware of yours. A conditioned response can cost you, just like a bad habit. It’s tough to change. Recognizing those conditioned responses when you hear one gives you insight, and can offer other ways of handling that situation. Here’s an example: When someone says, “Thank You!” what is the usual conditioned response? Without thought, most people say, “You’re welcome.” Nothing more. Instead, wouldn’t it be better to say, “Happy to help. I know you’d do the same for me, right?”
Find a Better Response
If the greeter knows they’ll get a “No. Just looking,” with the normal, “May I help you,” they may change the greeting to something like, “Welcome to our store. Is this your first visit, or are you a regular customer?” The right question at the right time changes results. Understanding conditioned responses is a great tool in your development as a great communicator.