Background of Reinforcement Theory
Reinforcement theory, one of the oldest theories of motivation, is derived by B.F. Skinner to explain behavior and why we do what we do. This theory also known as Behaviorism or Operant Conditioning, which states that an individual’s behavior is a function of its consequences (Management Study Guide, 2013). It is based on “Law of Effect” concept, provided that those actions with positive consequences tends to be repeated by individual, on the contrary, those behaviors that result in negative or unpleasant outcomes tends not to be repeated.
Reinforcement theory is the process of shaping behavior by controlling the consequences of the behavior. This theory focuses on the observable behaviors instead of the
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In other words, punishment means adding something aversive or negative to reduce the continuous of the unwanted behaviors. Punishment is different from reinforcement since it is designed to weaken or eliminate a response instead of increasing it. Punishment is a commonly used approach, but many study experts suggest that it should be used if positive and negative reinforcement failed to function. It is used to change employees’ behavior and provide a chance for them to turn over a new leaf (Griffin W. Rickey). Examples of punishment are layoffs, verbal or written reprimands and disciplining a child for misbehaving. Punishment is said to be more acceptable than positive reinforcement because people behave in responsible ways to avoid being punished (Maag, 2001).
Punishment is divided into two types, which is positive punishment and negative punishment. Positive punishment decreases the undesired behaviors by adding a negative outcome or consequence to the individual (Griggs, 2009). It is usually called “punishment” or “punishment by application” (D. Hockenbury & S. Hockenbury, 2010). For example, the teacher reprimanding a student for coming late for the class, the officer issuing the speeding ticket, and the discipline teacher scolding a student that dye her
The crime control model emphasizes punishment as the remedy for misbehavior. This model is believed beneficial because offenders are taught not to commit further crimes. The balanced and restorative
In chapter 7, I found the concept of punishment to be most intriguing. Punishment is a part of operant conditioning which was theorized by B.F. Skinner. Punishment is often confused with negative reinforcement. However, the main difference between the two is: while the goal of reinforcement is to increase the likelihood of a behavior, the primary goal of punishment is to reduce the chances of the behavior it follows. In 1938, Skinner concluded that punishment produces only temporary suppression of behavior but later research found that effects may be permanent.
Operant conditioning is a condition in which the desired behavior or increasingly closer to the approximations to it are followed by a rewarding or reinforcing stimulus. “The fundamental principle of operant conditioning is that behavior is determined by its consequences. Behavior does not occur as isolated and unrelated events; the consequences that follow the actions of an animal, be they good, bad, or indifferent, will have an effect on the frequency with which those actions are repeated in the future,” (Laule 2). A reinforcement strengthens a response, reinforcement
The Socio-behaviorist theory (behaviorism) Socio-behaviorists often study how children 's experiences model their behaviors (Nolan & Raban, 2015). Behaviorism believes that what matters is not the development itself, but the external factors that shape children 's behaviors (Nolan & Raban, 2015). This theory demonstrates that teachers and mentors dominate and instruct child-related activities, and they decide what children should learn and how to learn (Nolan & Raban, 2015). Reinforcement, which is an essential factor that helps children to learn particular behaviors, generally refers to rewards and punishments (Nolan & Raban, 2015). Children are more likely to repeat actions that result in receiving praise; in contrast, they may ignore or abandon behaviors that make them get punishment.
A positive punishment would be the coach making me do shuttle runs to improve my stamina when trying to take the ball from an opponent after I had lost it or when the player has lost the ball I can assist in getting the ball back with stamina. The negative punishment would be would be if we as a team lose a match the coach makes us run endless laps and it would effectively stop us from losing any more matches. To summarize reinforcement elicits a positive response and a punishment elicits a negative
Within this theory there are two types of punishments and two types of reinforcements. Positive reinforcement deals with the presentation of positive stimuli after an action. Negative reinforcement is when a negative stimulus is taken away. Positive punishment is when undesired consequences are attached to a certain behavior. Lastly, negative punishment is when desired consequences are removed such as material items.
"In a non-punitive, “Discipline Without Punishment” approach, there's a new step added to the process — a positive contact. Just as the policy is expected to resolve employee problems when they arise, it also makes clear that supervisors are expected to recognize employees when they perform well." This approach this about correcting the behavior in a constructive way. This approach has been proven very successful. According to an article written by Harvard Business Review, titled, "Discipline Without Punishment": A nonpunitive approach to discipline represents the company’s refusal to make an employee’s career decision.
Functionalism and Behaviorism Name: Institutional Affiliation: Functionalism And Behaviorism Introduction Psychology is the study of mind and behavior. Since people have varied perceptions and thoughts with regards to this definition, scholars in the past and present have come up with various classical theories related to psychology, all of which are geared to helping people to better understand the different perspectives of psychology and how it impacts the daily lives of humans (Bjorklund & Pellegrini, 2002). In this paper, I will aim to compare and contrast two major schools of psychology that is functionalism and behaviorism and their impacts in the field of psychology.
The central idea behind Jean Hampton's Moral Education Theory of Punishment (MET) is that it is best to educate criminals on their wrongdoings without handing down any physical punishments or ramifications. Hampton believes that excessive harm is not a moral response to a crime committed by a person. Rather, she argues that the point of basic punishment is to teach the wrongdoer that the action they did or wanted to do is forbidden, on the basis that it is morally wrong according to society. Therefore, according to Hampton, it is much healthier to educate criminals rather than handing down difficult physical punishments, which simply hurts the criminal and can be unproductive. To elaborate, Hampton proposes that any form of punishment is justified
Punishment is an infliction of a penalty that resulted from an offence. Punishment is also naturally justified when administered to those who deserve it. Retributivists claim that people who break the law deserve the punishment they get. Retributivism views punishment as a fair judgment and believe that the state should punish those who are found guilty of their wrongdoing because they deserve it. A person deserves the same treatment they inflict on others.
Whilst studying psychology I learnt that operant and classical conditioning can be used to prevent naughty behaviour in children and also to motivate children in showing good behaviour. Positive reinforcement can be used such as rewards or praising children which motivates
Whether you’re applying positive punishment and removing negative reinforcement, these two methods do not last very long and don’t benefit the child in any way. Behavior has consequences and consequences influence behavior. This is a voluntary response strengthened by positive reinforcement to increase and strengthen behavior. This type of response is more likely to happen. If you want the right thing to happen, reward it with positive measures.
In this case, reinforcement is referring to having an increase in behavior and regarding to punishment its defined to decrease a behavior. The reinforcement and punishment can consist of being positive and or negative. In operant conditioning, the most effective method to utilize is positive reinforcement, which is beneficial for the change of one’s behavior. Positive Reinforcement
During my group, I worked as a model of being polite, how to build relationship with others, how to respect others and so on. On one hand, I reinforced group members’ appropriate behaviors by using a scaling table to note their good performance and awarding group members who perform best, that is, group members who got the highest score in each session. On the other hand, I sat norms as well as punishment with group members at the beginning of the group and used punishment to avoid inappropriate and unexpected behaviors. Since most of group members aged 8 to 13, they were easily to break promises. Therefore, punishment was essential for regulating their behaviors and reminding them of their commitment, while positive reinforcement was also significant to raise their awareness of behaviors and facilitating proper behaviors.
Reinforcement and punishment are methods used in operant conditioning and both can be positive and negative but work in a unique way. Positive means you are adding something so you increase a behaviour and negative means you are taking something away so you decrease a particular behaviour. Reinforcement Reinforcement is used to help increase a specific behaviour in the future and if done correctly this behaviour will increase, occurring more frequently as the child develops.