Lesson 4: Positive Reinforcement and Punishment Attention Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this lesson's material, students will be able to:
Teaching What is Reinforcement and what is Punishment? Rather than define these as inherent aspects of the object, we define them as a function of their EFFECT on behavior. There is no THING that is reinforcing to all people all the time (well, maybe "AIR" is something we ALL want and we are ALL willing to work to get it...but you know what I mean!) The Law of Effect Something is a Reinforcer when it INCREASES or MAINTAINS the behavior that precedes it Something is a Punishment when it DECREASES or ELIMINATES the behavior that precedes it. Can you see how the quality of an object is less important than its effect? I'll give you a sad example:
Individualized Each of us has unique things that are Reinforcing and Punishing to us. This is why Behavior Plans need to be individualized to the preferences of the individual involved. When you are trying to develop a plan (for yourself or another person) one of the challenges (after you have successfully defined the behavior!) is to come up with a list of potential reinforcers. You need a list because sometimes the effect of a reinforcer wears out (how much chocolate can you "earn" before you are sick of chocolate?) and sometimes you can't always give a specific reinforcer right when it needs to be delivered (if "watching a movie" is the rienforcer, how do you do that when you are at the park?). To help with defining a list here are some strategies:
Praise and Feedback While many schools and teachers say that you have to praise and provide feedback to students to maintain their behavior, this is not always the case. Remember, there is NO UNIVERSAL punishement or reinforcer. Here is another story:
Punishment There is no doubt about it...we live in a punishment-based society. Kids in school rarely get "attention" until they break the rules (with the exception of the top 10% which make honor roll, make the team, and are celebrated at events). No police officer has ever pulled me over to congratulate me on staying under the speed limit by giving me a check for $10! I meet our protectors in uniform when I'm BREAKING the rule, not when I'm abiding by it! Sadly, punishment, as a behavior method, is much less effective than reinforcement in changing behaviors. Experimentation has been done to conclude this not only in laboratory animals but humans as well...reinforcement is better than punishment. So why do those in "power" (parents, teachers, principles, law makers, etc.) like to use punishment so much?
Why is Punishment sort of "risky"?
Schedules of Reinforcement I want to add some facts that we have gathered from research in Behavior Management to the discussion about the use of Punishment and Reinforcement. Consider this...why is gambling so addictive when we hardly ever win? We pay for a scratch ticket, for example, and we hardly ever get out money back...but once in a while we DO win and it is VERY COOL! In Behavior terms we call this a Variable Ratio of Reinforcement which means we really don't know how many times we will have to buy a ticket before we are going to get a winner. This type of Reinforcement Schedule produces the MOST CONSISTENT BEHAVIOR pattern...people who gamble, gamble steady!! So, why is this important? Consider this... When we act "badly", or when kids act "badly" (whatever that is), MOST of the time they get away with it..really they do. That means that MOST of the time they are reinforced for the behavior and punishment is just once in a while. If you think about it, this is a Variable Ratio of Reinforcement situation!!! They really don't know when they are going to get caught, but most of the time they won't so it maintains the behavior. So, PUNISHMENT works really well when we are able to punish nearly every time...since this is hardly ever the case...a plan based on Punishment that only "catches" people once in a while is ACTUALLY a Variable Ratio Reinforcer program for the negative behavior!! It is RARE that teens get caught drinking, that is why they drink It is RARE that we get caught speeding, that is why we speed It is RARE that we get caught fudging our taxes, that is why it is common HOWEVER..... If you institute a Reinforcement plan and ONLY catch them doing the DESIRED behavior once in a while (which is the case, you can't always be there to catch them) you are still setting up a Variable Ratio Reinforcement plan...if your subject really really wants the reinforcer, they will behave much like an addict. This is why REINFORCEMENT works better than PUNISHMENT Assessment Lesson 4 Discussion I make the argument in the lecture that we emphasize Positive Reinforcement over Punishment because it is more effective. Debate the use of Punishment in behavior planning. Is it SOMETIMES a good thing? Discuss the risks of Punishment. Lesson 4 Quiz
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