The main idea of this chapter was
obviously behaviorism; however, what I learned from this chapter was ideas on
how to improve behavior in the classroom and the effectiveness of various
reinforcement and punishment tactics. There are multiple theories that are
associated with behavior and learning; one of these theories is classical
conditioning, which is associated with Pavlov’s experiment with dogs salivating
at the sound of a bell before being presented with meat. Classical conditioning
can be applied in the classroom in the form of emotions. The text states that
if a teacher is positive and upbeat in the classroom or while teaching a
certain subject, the students may associate those same feelings about the
subject and have a positive learning experience with it.
I took psychology in high school and
the ideas of punishment and reinforcement were always hard for me to
understand. When described separately, I am able to tell the difference between
positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and
negative punishment. However, when given a particular example, I can’t
decide what is considered to be positive punishment versus negative
reinforcement, for example. I would really appreciate if someone could clarify
these terms in a way that makes it easier to identify them in real-life
examples.
A behaviorist defines learning as acquiring
knowledge but in a way that results in a “change in behavior.” This is where
the different types of conditioning and reinforcement/punishment tactics come
in. By using these tactics, a child will come to know what is right and wrong
and changing their actions causes them to learn and improve for the future.
I too have had trouble telling the difference between +/- reinforcement/punishment.
ReplyDeleteFor me the best way to think about it is if it is positive you are adding something and if it is negative, you are taking something away. When you have a specific example, first ask yourself are you adding or taking away. This is how you determine positive or negative.
Then you can decide whether it is reinforcement or punishment. Reinforcement seeks to increase the occurrence of the behavior. Punishment seeks to decrease the occurrence. Are you seeking to increase or decrease the occurrence?
Here are some examples:
Getting a candy bar for putting money in a vending machine.
-In this case you are adding something, so it is positive. You are seeking to increase the behavior, so it reinforcement. Positive reinforcement
Getting a speeding ticket for speeding
-You are adding something (the ticket), so its positive. You are seeking to decrease the behavior (speeding), so its punishment. Positive Punishment
Taking away a toy for fighting with a sibling
-You are taking away something so it negative. You are seeking to decrease the behavior so its punishment. This is an example of negative punishment
You did a nice job of pulling out some ideas from the chapter and describing how you find it useful. In future weeks, you might also want to think 'If I had to communicate the important ideas from this chapter to a current teacher, what would I tell them?' What pieces of information might they want to know?
ReplyDeleteIt is difficult to determine the positive/negative descriptor aspect of a particular situation. It's probably because the same situation can be described in MANY ways, that all make sense. You can also describe stimuli as something concrete or something abstract (like guilt). When you get a speeding ticket, are you GETTING the ticket or having your PRIDE taken away (for example)? That's all fine, and you COULD explain it either way, but when you're taking apart an example, you just need to be clear on what you perceive as the stimulus and behavior.
For your last point, two things:
1. Typically, a behaviorist might call 'answering a question correctly' a behavior.... I know we mentioned some conceptual associations on Wednesday, but usually behaviorists leave out the mind (they can't measure it!)
2. Be careful in saying 'learning right and wrong'. Behaving 'nicely' (quietly, submissively) isn't necessarily the right way to behave, according to all people and in all situations. It's all relative!