AP PSYCH ✦ LEARNING ✦ WARM-UP

Psych
Your Shop

operant conditioning for resale queens

Meet @cherrypicked.closet: cute vintage, fast shipping, 5 stars. She’s made 214 sales… but only 9 buyers ever came back. Your job: use B.F. Skinner’s operant conditioning to turn one-time buyers into loyal regulars.

✦ ORDER #0001 ✦

Name Period Date

thank u for shopping small ♡

How this works

Read the cheat sheet and the price tags.
Part 1: tag all eight shop moves. Each label is used once.
Part 2: open your own shop and build its retention plan.
Answer the hot take, then download your receipt (PDF) and turn it in.

Your work saves in this browser as you type, so you can close the tab and come back on the same device.

NOW PLAYING

The Shop Playlist

“Clean girly pop music 🫧💗🩰” on Spotify. Headphones on, volume low.

CHEAT SHEET

Skinner’s Fitting Room

+ ADD something− REMOVE something↑ behavior MORE

Positive Reinforcement

Add something pleasant so the behavior happens more.

Negative Reinforcement

Take away something annoying so the behavior happens more.

↓ behavior LESS

Positive Punishment

Add something unpleasant so the behavior happens less.

Negative Punishment

Take away something wanted so the behavior happens less.

PRICE TAGS

Schedules of Reinforcement

Fixed Ratio

Reward after a set number of responses. Fast responding, short pause after each reward.

hardest to quit

Variable Ratio

Reward after an unpredictable number of responses. High, steady rate; most resistant to extinction.

Fixed Interval

Reward for the first response after a set amount of time. Burst of activity right before it’s due.

Variable Interval

Reward after an unpredictable amount of time. Slow, steady “just checking” behavior.

PART 1

Tag It!

label each shop move ↓ (use each once)

positive reinforcement
negative reinforcement
positive punishment
negative punishment
fixed ratio
variable ratio
fixed interval
variable interval

1
Every order ships with a free hair clip and a handwritten thank-you note.
2
Punch card in every package: your 5th order is 20% off.
3
“Bundle 3+ items and shipping’s on me!” The shipping fee disappears.
4
Some lucky orders get a mystery thrifted bonus item. Nobody knows which ones.
5
A buyer who doesn’t pay gets reported and an “unpaid item” strike on their account.
6
New drop every Sunday at 7 p.m. Followers start refreshing at 6:58.
7
A buyer who leaves a nasty review gets removed from your early-access “close friends” list.
8
Flash sales pop up at random times, so followers check your shop a few times a day.

0 of 8 tagged

PART 2 ✦ OPEN YOUR SHOP

Build Your Brand

…and your buyers’ habits

Shop name @What you sell

STEP A

Your Retention Plan

My positive reinforcerWhat will you add to make buyers want to come back?My negative reinforcerWhat hassle will you remove to reward buying again?My scheduleWhich schedule will you use, and why will it keep them hooked?

STEP B

Shaping: From Follower to Regular

Shaping means rewarding each small step toward the goal behavior. What reward would you give at each step?

follows your shopreward:
likes or saves a listingreward:
first purchasereward:
loyal regular ♡reward:

STEP C

Extinction Check

You get busy and stop sending freebies and deals. What happens to your customers’ buying behavior? Which schedule from the front would keep them coming back the longest after the rewards stop, and why?

HOT TAKE

Cute… or Manipulative?

Fast-fashion apps use these exact tricks: spin-the-wheel coupons, countdown timers, random “you won!” rewards. Where’s the line between good customer service and manipulation? Does it matter if the shop is selling secondhand instead of fast fashion?

CHECKOUT

Your Receipt

FOR TEACHERS

Materials

student copy · print PDF →teacher copy · answer key →

The answer key opens by permission only. Request access in Google Drive. The worksheet prints front and back on US Letter; it runs about 35 minutes with the hot-take discussion. Full plan: AP Psych Unit 4, Day 5.