Pavlov's Troy

We are still having issues getting Troy to eat a respectable quantity of food. He’ll pick at things like cheese, but won’t really eat the things of substance on his plate. It continues to irk us both, so over the past week, I have decided to try an experiment on my son.

Whenever we were eating, and he’d stop, I’d pause the TV. He’d start complaining, asking what happened, and I’d tell him to eat a piece of food. He’d stick something in his mouth, and I’d unpause the TV. We did this over and over for several meals. Then, I changed my tactic. I’d pause the TV, but instead of saying something, I’d just nod at his plate. He’d pick up something, take a bite, and I’d unpause the TV. We did this over and over for several meals. Then, something interesting happened. He’d stop eating, I’d pause the TV; but then without any other stimulus, Troy would automatically reach down, grab something, and take a bite.

The first time my wife saw all of this transpire, she stopped, mouth hanging open in astonishment. She watched him eat all three pieces of chicken on his plate, as well as an entire piece of pizza, and a cup full of milk. At a loss for an explanation, she asked, “What just happened?” I told her that I used classical conditioning to get Troy to eat, like Pavlov and his dogs. She looked at me and said, “I can’t believe you brainwashed our child. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy, but I can’t believe you did that.”

Now, I just have to get him to eat out of fear that the TV might be paused, so I don’t actually have to do it! Maybe start with having him see me merely pick up the controller, and then work toward not doing anything at all. I knew my Psychology minor would come in handy one day.