If you were on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and you had stacks of money, the money would not be useful if you could not spend it. What about the stickers on the behavior chart? They also are secondary reinforcers. Sometimes, instead of stickers on a sticker chart, a token is used. Tokens, which are also secondary reinforcers, can then be traded in for rewards and prizes. Entire behavior management systems, known as token economies, are built around the use of these kinds of token reinforcers.
Token economies have been found to be very effective at modifying behavior in a variety of settings such as schools, prisons, and mental hospitals.
For example, a study by Cangi and Daly found that use of a token economy increased appropriate social behaviors and reduced inappropriate behaviors in a group of autistic school children.
Autistic children tend to exhibit disruptive behaviors such as pinching and hitting. When they hit or pinched, they lost a token. The children could then exchange specified amounts of tokens for minutes of playtime. Behavior modification uses the principles of operant conditioning to accomplish behavior change so that undesirable behaviors are switched for more socially acceptable ones.
Some teachers and parents create a sticker chart, in which several behaviors are listed Figure 1. Sticker charts are a form of token economies, as described in the text. Each time children perform the behavior, they get a sticker, and after a certain number of stickers, they get a prize, or reinforcer. The goal is to increase acceptable behaviors and decrease misbehavior. Remember, it is best to reinforce desired behaviors, rather than to use punishment.
In the classroom, the teacher can reinforce a wide range of behaviors, from students raising their hands, to walking quietly in the hall, to turning in their homework. At home, parents might create a behavior chart that rewards children for things such as putting away toys, brushing their teeth, and helping with dinner.
In order for behavior modification to be effective, the reinforcement needs to be connected with the behavior; the reinforcement must matter to the child and be done consistently. Figure 1. Sticker charts are a form of positive reinforcement and a tool for behavior modification. Once this little girl earns a certain number of stickers for demonstrating a desired behavior, she will be rewarded with a trip to the ice cream parlor.
Time-out is another popular technique used in behavior modification with children. It operates on the principle of negative punishment. When a child demonstrates an undesirable behavior, she is removed from the desirable activity at hand Figure 2. For example, say that Sophia and her brother Mario are playing with building blocks.
Sophia throws some blocks at her brother, so you give her a warning that she will go to time-out if she does it again. A few minutes later, she throws more blocks at Mario. You remove Sophia from the room for a few minutes. There are several important points that you should know if you plan to implement time-out as a behavior modification technique. First, make sure the child is being removed from a desirable activity and placed in a less desirable location.
If the activity is something undesirable for the child, this technique will backfire because it is more enjoyable for the child to be removed from the activity. Second, the length of the time-out is important.
Sophia is five; therefore, she sits in a time-out for five minutes. Setting a timer helps children know how long they have to sit in time-out. Finally, as a caregiver, keep several guidelines in mind over the course of a time-out: remain calm when directing your child to time-out; ignore your child during time-out because caregiver attention may reinforce misbehavior ; and give the child a hug or a kind word when time-out is over.
Figure 2. Time-out is a popular form of negative punishment used by caregivers. When a child misbehaves, he or she is removed from a desirable activity in an effort to decrease the unwanted behavior.
For example, a a child might be playing on the playground with friends and push another child; b the child who misbehaved would then be removed from the activity for a short period of time. Review operant conditioning and the differences between reinforcement and punishment in the following interactive:.
Improve this page Learn More. Skip to main content. Search for:. Reinforcement and Punishment Learning Objectives Explain the difference between reinforcement and punishment including positive and negative reinforcement and positive and negative punishment Define shaping Differentiate between primary and secondary reinforcers.
Link to Learning Watch this clip from The Big Bang Theory to see Sheldon Cooper explain the commonly confused terms of negative reinforcement and punishment. Try It. Try It Review operant conditioning and the differences between reinforcement and punishment in the following interactive:. This is not always the case as you can see below.
Punishment is a process by which a consequence immediately follows a behavior which decreases the future frequency of that behavior.
Like reinforcement, a stimulus can be added positive punishment or removed negative punishment. There are two types of punishment: positive and negative, and it can be difficult to tell the difference between the two. Below are some examples to help clear up the confusion. What is Positive Punishment? The following are some examples of positive punishment: A child picks his nose during class behavior and the teacher reprimands him aversive stimulus in front of his classmates.
A child touches a hot stove behavior and feels pain aversive stimulus. What is Negative Punishment? A child fights with her brother behavior and has her favorite toy taken away reinforcing stimulus removed. Leave a Reply Cancel reply You must be logged in to post a comment.
Important Information Regarding Covid Learn More. What is an example of negative punishment? Can you identify examples of negative punishment? Losing access to a toy, being grounded, and losing reward tokens are all examples of negative punishment. In each case, something good is being taken away as a result of the individual's undesirable behavior. Why is reinforcement important? Reinforcement plays a vital role in the operant conditioning process. When used appropriately, reinforcement can be an effective learning tool to encourage desirable behaviors and discourage undesirable ones.
It's important to remember that what constitutes reinforcement can vary from one person to another. What is an example of positive punishment? Positive punishment is an attempt to influence behavior by adding something unpleasant, while negative reinforcement is an attempt to influence behavior by taking away something unpleasant. For example, spanking a child when he throws a tantrum is an example of positive punishment. What is an example of negative reinforcement in the classroom?
Examples of negative reinforcement for unfavorable behaviors When they scream, their parents immediately take the food away. Each time macaroni and cheese is offered, the child's tantrums increase and the parents give in. A child doesn't like wearing a certain shirt their mother purchased for them.
What is the main difference between positive reinforcement and positive punishment? So, positive reinforcement is the addition of some kind of stimulus for lack of a better term to encourage a behavior to repeat. How can negative reinforcement be used in the classroom? To use negative reinforcement in the classroom, identify the behavior you'd like to reinforce in your students.
Listening quietly to the lesson, for example, in a traditional classroom setting. When the students listen quietly to the lesson, reward them by canceling the homework assignment for that night. What are some examples of positive reinforcement in the classroom?
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