Table of Contents

Reinforcement

Description of the classic studies in theory

Here are some examples of real-life situations

The theory of operat conditioning was developed by Skinner, an American psychologist. But Edward Thorndike is the real creator of this theory. Operant conditioning attempts to change behaviour by rewarding (reinforcement), or punishing (punishment).

ReinforcementReinforcement defined as an increase in a good behaviour after the reward and praise, and the reinforcement divided into two types: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement.

Positive reinforcement: Positive reinforcement can be described as the positive reinforcement that is given to someone after a behavior has been achieved. This helps increase the likelihood of it continuing.

A game is given to the daughter by her mother if she completes her homework. As you can see, the mother rewards her daughter with a game if she solves her homework.

For a monthly salary, a man works every day. This is an example of a man who works every day to earn a salary.

Negative reinforcement: This is the removal of something that is not desired or loved after a good behavior. It is also meant for behavior improvement.

A girl who showers to get rid off bad smells. This example shows that (taking a bath) is the desirable behavior. The bad smell is what the girl wants to get rid of.

To stop his mother screaming, the child finishes his homework. This example shows that solving homework is the desired behavior. The mother’s scream is what the child is trying to stop.

Punishment is when you punish someone for bad behavior.

Positive punishment: This type of punishment reduces the severity of bad behavior and provides an alternative to it.

The teacher sent homework to the boy who was late for school. The bad behavior of the boy who arrived late at school was rewarded with homework and a punishment by the teacher.

When the child puts his hand on a cake, he gets beaten. This is an example of bad behavior. The beating is to make sure he doesn’t repeat it.

Negative punishment: This is a form of punishment that can be used to punish bad behavior or remove something that was lovable. There are many examples:

Two children fight for a toy. Their mother then takes it away. You can see, the fight between the children to take a toy was bad behavior. The mother took the toy away until the fight stopped and they don’t repeat it.

Description of the classic studies of theory. Skinner conducted many experiments on animals. The box he used (Box Skinner) contains some of these experiments. SkinneraEURTM’s classic studies about rat behavior

First experiment: The rat was placed in an open box. It was seen that the rat tried searching for food. After he made a mistake, a small plate of food appeared. Positive reinforcement is the experience where you are rewarded for a desired behavior.

Second experiment: Skinner used an electric current to harm the mouse. He put the pressure of the mouse on the crane to stop the current. This experiment demonstrates the concept of negative reinforcement.

SkinneraEUR ™’s classic studies about pigeon behavior: Skinner performed an experiment on the bird to observe his behavior. Skinner placed two buttons in a box. One of them if clicked will not give the bird food while the other will give food. Skinner also put two buttons in the box. Skinner clicks one button when the bird is hungry. Positive reinforcement can also be explained by this experience.

Exemples of real-life situations

Example of positive reinforcement

Example of negative reinforcement: I tried to take a panadol for a headache that made my head hurt so much. This is a good example of negative reinforcement: I take a panadol to alleviate my headache.

Positive punishment: My sisters and I climbed on top of the house’s roof when we were little. My father found out that we had fallen off the roof and beat us. I was then taught to never go back over the roof, so that I didn’t get punished.

Example of negative punishment The teacher did not lower my grade because I had not explained the lesson to her.