Unit 1 DB Post
Published by Anonymous under on 8:28 AM
Jessica Aybar
Psychology 206
Unit 1 Discussion Board Assignment
Reinforcement is defined as a way of stimulating an individual as to increase the probability of inciting a particular response or behavior. (Heffner, 2004)
There are different ways to elicit a particular behavior such as positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement, and also there are ways to decrease the probability of a certain response or behavior, such as positive punishment and negative punishment.
Positive reinforcement is when, in order to entice and stimulate a particular behavior, we reward it or add a positive gain from practicing this behavior.
Negative reinforcement is when, in order to promote and increase the likelihood of particular response or behavior, we eliminate a negative burden from the individual. An example of this could be of a child who is forced to clean up the dirt he sets in when he comes inside the house with muddy shoes. By doing this, the child will understand that once he stops tracking mud inside the house, he will no longer have to clean up after.
Punishment can be defined as a stimulus to eliminate a negative behavior.
Positive punishment can be explained as the addition of a negative consequence in order to decrease the probability of arousing the negative behavior. An example of this can be adding extra chores to a child who has been neglecting his regular duties.
Negative punishment can be explained as the removal of a positive stimulus as a consequence of a negative behavior. An example of this can be a child who loses his privileges to play videogames for a week because he has not completed his homework.
Many times we reinforce negative behavior without knowing it. Some example of this can be:
• Allowing a child to keep going outside to play, even though the child continually stays out past the designated curfew. By doing this, we create the impression that it is ok for the child to continue to arrive later than the designated time, and the child will persist on this behavior.
• John arrives to work late every day. Since his boss overlooks this consistently, he is most likely to continue arriving late, because he can get away with it. One of the consequences to this is that by overlooking the fact that John arrives late to work, his boss is giving him special treatment, and this could affect John’s performance at work, allowing him to slack off. Also, his co-workers will see that it is acceptable to arrive late, and might also engage in this bad habit.
Some ways we can avoid reinforcing a negative behavior can be
Using a negative reinforcer:
• Anna does not like cleaning her room. In order to avoid reinforcing this behavior, instead of allowing her to continually leave a messy room, she is constantly informed by her mother that she needs to clean her room. Once she does clean her room, the negative reinforcer is removed, thus making it more likely for Anna to leave her room organized on a regular basis.
Using a positive punishment:
• Jake does poorly in class, and when he informs his parents they give him negative feedback and inform him they are disappointed. By receiving critique from his parents, he is more inclined to work harder to maintain their expectations.
Scientific study has proven that the most effective way to increase a behavior is to use positive reinforcement, because this allows both parties to concentrate on the positive aspects. (Heffner, 2004)
Both children and adults avoid negative stimulation, and gravitate towards positive things, which attract our attention because we find them gratifying. Keeping this in consideration, if we are rewarded for positive behavior, we are more inclined to continue to behave this way and repeat these reactions.
Works Cited
Heffner, D. C. (2004, May 26). http://allpsych.com/. Retrieved October 5th, 2008, from All Psych Online: http://allpsych.com/psychology101/reinforcement.html
Psychology 206
Unit 1 Discussion Board Assignment
Reinforcement is defined as a way of stimulating an individual as to increase the probability of inciting a particular response or behavior. (Heffner, 2004)
There are different ways to elicit a particular behavior such as positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement, and also there are ways to decrease the probability of a certain response or behavior, such as positive punishment and negative punishment.
Positive reinforcement is when, in order to entice and stimulate a particular behavior, we reward it or add a positive gain from practicing this behavior.
Negative reinforcement is when, in order to promote and increase the likelihood of particular response or behavior, we eliminate a negative burden from the individual. An example of this could be of a child who is forced to clean up the dirt he sets in when he comes inside the house with muddy shoes. By doing this, the child will understand that once he stops tracking mud inside the house, he will no longer have to clean up after.
Punishment can be defined as a stimulus to eliminate a negative behavior.
Positive punishment can be explained as the addition of a negative consequence in order to decrease the probability of arousing the negative behavior. An example of this can be adding extra chores to a child who has been neglecting his regular duties.
Negative punishment can be explained as the removal of a positive stimulus as a consequence of a negative behavior. An example of this can be a child who loses his privileges to play videogames for a week because he has not completed his homework.
Many times we reinforce negative behavior without knowing it. Some example of this can be:
• Allowing a child to keep going outside to play, even though the child continually stays out past the designated curfew. By doing this, we create the impression that it is ok for the child to continue to arrive later than the designated time, and the child will persist on this behavior.
• John arrives to work late every day. Since his boss overlooks this consistently, he is most likely to continue arriving late, because he can get away with it. One of the consequences to this is that by overlooking the fact that John arrives late to work, his boss is giving him special treatment, and this could affect John’s performance at work, allowing him to slack off. Also, his co-workers will see that it is acceptable to arrive late, and might also engage in this bad habit.
Some ways we can avoid reinforcing a negative behavior can be
Using a negative reinforcer:
• Anna does not like cleaning her room. In order to avoid reinforcing this behavior, instead of allowing her to continually leave a messy room, she is constantly informed by her mother that she needs to clean her room. Once she does clean her room, the negative reinforcer is removed, thus making it more likely for Anna to leave her room organized on a regular basis.
Using a positive punishment:
• Jake does poorly in class, and when he informs his parents they give him negative feedback and inform him they are disappointed. By receiving critique from his parents, he is more inclined to work harder to maintain their expectations.
Scientific study has proven that the most effective way to increase a behavior is to use positive reinforcement, because this allows both parties to concentrate on the positive aspects. (Heffner, 2004)
Both children and adults avoid negative stimulation, and gravitate towards positive things, which attract our attention because we find them gratifying. Keeping this in consideration, if we are rewarded for positive behavior, we are more inclined to continue to behave this way and repeat these reactions.
Works Cited
Heffner, D. C. (2004, May 26). http://allpsych.com/. Retrieved October 5th, 2008, from All Psych Online: http://allpsych.com/psychology101/reinforcement.html
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