Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
The last form of reinforcement, extinction, occurs when a reaction to a certain behavior is denied and removed, and resultantly the unwanted behavior is decreased, if not terminated. An example of extinction reinforcement includes a child who hides behind furniture in an attempt to gain attention - which is a response that has previously been positively reinforced. When the child's attention-seeking actions are subsequently ignored, the behavior decreases, if not stops.
Research indicates positive reinforcement is the most powerful of the reinforcement paradigms (Heffner). Other methods of operant conditioning, such as punishment, can potentially summon additional negative responses such as anger and resentment. In situations of positive reinforcement, both parties involved focus on the positive aspects of the experience, which adds to the fulfillment of the desired behavior.
Examples of reinforcement principles from my own life were displayed when I played on a youth soccer team. This was a city soccer team, run by volunteer parents, and was free to join. We had two practices a week, but our coach had a hard time with players showing up. This is when he enforced the "no practice, no game" rule. This was the rule that meant if you missed one practice, that player could not play in one-half of the game. If the player missed both practices, they could not play at all during the weekly game. I now understand this "no practice,...
The players understood the foreseen consequence of missing the soccer game, and therefore increased the desired behavior - attending practice in order to play in the game. This concept of negative reinforcement helped me to establish the realization that actions, and inactions, can have their consequences.
Another method of reinforcement experienced on my youth soccer team was positive reinforcement. The coach gave a variety of compliments such as "good work" and "you're doing great." However he also had another means which elicited a more intense, positive response. At the end of practice the coach would give a wrist-sweatband to the player who worked the hardest. To a group of ten-year-olds, the sweatbands were a high award that could be worn during the game to prove how hard you had worked. They were not handed out every practice, only when someone was worthy, making the sweatband all the more meaningful. This encouraged the players to show up to practice, work hard, and make the most of it. The reward was as simple as a glorified cotton bracelet, but it was an effective award nonetheless. This speaks to the power of positive reinforcement and how praise, and even a simple reward, can shape behavior.
Work Cited
Heffner, C. "Psychology 101." AllPsych Online the Virtual Psychology Classroom. Heffner Media Group, Inc., 01 Apr 2001. Web. 7 Apr 2011.
.
Work Cited
Heffner, C. "Psychology 101." AllPsych Online the Virtual Psychology Classroom. Heffner Media Group, Inc., 01 Apr 2001. Web. 7 Apr 2011.
<http://allpsych.com/psychology101>.
The behavior of both botnets and worms in peer-to-peer networks have been empirically examined and models or simulations of their behavior have been attempted, and the manner in which different nodes in peer-to-peer networks develop in and of themselves and in terms of their relationships with other nodes -- the very architecture of the network itself, in other words, which is necessarily dynamic in a peer-to-peer network -- makes
Theoretical Perspective of the Biological Approach to Personality Psychology Personality is defined as a person's exceptional deviation on the general evolutionary design for human temperament. A personality trait refers to a durable disposition to act in a certain manner in different situations. Personality traits represent some of the most significant sets of individual disparities in organizations. It is the comparatively set of psychological characteristics that differentiates one person from another. People
History Of Social Psychology: Past and Future Directions The fields of psychology and social psychology owe their existence to the earlier philosophical thinkers including Aristotle, Plato, Descartes, Locke, Hume and Kant. However, the recognized founder of the field (by most historians) is the German scientist Wilhelm Wundt (Farr, 2003). In 1862 Wundt proposed that there psychology should consist of two branches: a social branch and a physiological branch of psychology (Farr,
Clinical Psychology Dissertation - Dream Content as a Therapeutic Approach: Ego Gratification vs. Repressed Feelings An Abstract of a Dissertation Dream Content as a Therapeutic Approach: Ego Gratification vs. Repressed Feelings This study sets out to determine how dreams can be used in a therapeutic environment to discuss feelings from a dream, and how the therapist should engage the patient to discuss them to reveal the relevance of those feelings, in their present,
In this scenario, organizations are not viewed as isolated entities, but instead are a part of the entire system of information and action in the world. This definition makes the most sense because most real-life examples of organizations fit this model. For instance, political organizations from the United States major political parties, like the Republicans and Democrats, special interest groups, like Green Peace, and terrorist organizations are often concerned
Individual and Analytical Psychological Theory The field of Psychology offers a vast network of concepts, principles, and theories to explain and describe the mental and behavioral characteristics of an individual or group. It is a science that explores biological, cognitive, social, and various other aspects of the human mind and human interaction to explain mental processes. Two theories that aim to describe the relationship between individuals and behavioral motivation are the