¶ … mother in this case study wants to reinforce the behavior of eating peas. She is using operant conditioning, and positive reinforcement methods in particular. The term reinforcement refers to the strengthening of a desired behavioral outcome (Heffner, n.d.). However, there are many methods of reinforcement and positive reinforcement is only one. The mother would be more successful with both children if she identified methods of using negative reinforcement on the child who is not responsive to positive reinforcement. The positive reinforcement method the mother has chosen involves rewarding the children with praise based on how many peas they have eaten. Using stickers, stars, or any other proxy to tally the number of peas is arbitrary. What matters is that the child receives praise for eating peas. Obviously one of the two children responds well to the praise, and is motivated enough by the praise to continue eating more peas. It could also be that the child actually enjoys peas, too, which could be viewed as another form of positive reinforcement. If the food tastes pleasurable, then the child is more likely to eat it because the eating is being reinforced by both the pleasure of satisfying the taste buds and pleasing...
It is not that the child does not appreciate praise. Rather, the child might need negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement refers to the "removal of an unpleasant reinforcer" in ways that can strengthen the desired behavior (McLeod, 2015). The child who does not respond to the positive reinforcement might need negative reinforcement in order to change his or her behavior. A negative reinforce could be something the child does not like. For example, if the child does not like doing the dishes, the reward for eating peas could be exemption from doing the dishes that night. Perhaps the child is motivated more by the removal of unpleasant stimuli rather than by the introduction of praise and other positive stimuli.
On a personal level, I have tried to condition myself with negative behavior by trying to encourage myself to lose weight by posting an unflattering picture of myself on the refrigerator, to discourage in-between meal snacking. I have to admit that this was initially motivational for me, given that the vision was so unpleasant. However, to condition one's own behavior through negative reinforcement requires a great deal of zeal for
It could be as simple as a high-five, pat on the back, praise, a kiss, or a hug. It could also be simple words and actions that could make her mom feel needed around the house since being needed gives the person a feel of being important -- a form of favorable stimulus. To strengthen the independent behavior, Dorothy may choose to remove the aversive stimulus in her mom's environment.
organizational culture and in particularly emphasize the need to design a better Strategic Intelligence, wherein motivation, foresight, vision and partnering are united in a cohesive alignment that fosters leadership and knowledge building (Maccoby et al., 2014, p. 62). In my current organization, co-workers are all too often motivated by selfish principles -- they want the lightest schedule, they want to avoid heavy lifting, they try to get the ear
Positive and Neg. Rein Toddler Social learning theory has given parenting and child development a new lease on life. With the current focus in psychology, and more specifically child psychology, many researchers, educators, child-care providers and parents have gained a new understanding of the intricacies of positive and negative reinforcement and the impact both have upon children. Social learning theory asserts that learning or knowledge acquisition and behavior do not
Behavior Therapy is generally an approach of psychotherapy which aims to treat any sort of psychopathology to eliminate undesired behaviors in a patient or subject (Masters, et. al., 1987). This type of psychotherapy is based on the learning theory. Behavior therapy generally attempts to help in solving certain behavioral problems; this type of therapy has a long history. In the early first century in Rome, Pliny the Elder was known
Behavior Management in Special Education Special Education Author's note with contact information and more details on collegiate affiliation, etc. Special Education utilizes a combination of methods of behavior management. Behavior management is a vital part of the service that Special Education provides. Behavior management is a series of systems and strategies to help develop more socially significant, useful, and appropriate behaviors. Special Education teachers in conjunction with the students' families and specialists, compose
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