Skinnerian principles suggest the use of positive reinforcement to increase the likelihood of a behavior to occur again in the future. In this case, a parent who wishes to teach their child to behave even when they are not present to reward good behavior can use a technique called shaping.
Shaping involves reinforcing small steps towards the desired behavior until the desired behavior is achieved. For example, if a parent wants their child to keep their room clean, they can reinforce the child every time they pick up a toy or put a piece of clothing in the hamper. As the child becomes more successful at picking up toys and putting clothes in the hamper, the parent can increase the criteria for reinforcement and only reinforce when the entire room is clean. This process continues until the desired behavior of keeping the room clean is achieved.
Once the desired behavior is achieved, the parent can use intermittent reinforcement, meaning they only reinforce the behavior occasionally, to maintain the behavior. This helps the child learn that good behavior will still be rewarded, even if the reward is not given every time.
Overall, the key to applying Skinnerian principles to teach a child to behave when the parent is not present is to reinforce small steps towards the desired behavior, gradually increase the criteria for reinforcement, and use intermittent reinforcement to maintain the behavior.