B.F. Skinner, an American phycologist who studied behaviorism, first introduced the term negative reinforcement in his Operant Conditioning theory. Skinner found that when using negative reinforcement, a behavior is strengthened by stopping, removing, or avoiding a negative outcome or aversive stimulus (Skinner, 1963, Operant Behavior). Show
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To support this theory, Skinner conducted experiments on negative reinforcement by placing a rat in a Skinner Box and subjecting it to a sequence of mild electrical shocks. The rat moved around the box and then bumped into the lever that would turn off the electrical current. The consequence of the action (not being shocked) reinforced the behavior (flipping the lever switch). Skinner found that the rats learned to avoid the electrical shock by flipping a lever before the current ever started. They learned that when a light came on, the electric current would start, so they learned to press the lever immediately. Negative reinforcement includes one of the following in response to the behavior:
The goal is that through the removal, termination, reduction, or postponement, the aversive event will not occur. Negative Reinforcement ExamplesAs humans, we use negative reinforcement every day, and may not realize it. See the following examples: You go to the beach on a hot, sunny day. The fear of sunburn causes you to slather on sunscreen beforehand. Your fear of getting sunburnt is the aversive stimulus. The positive outcome is no sunburn. Your kids start doing their chores without being asked (positive outcome) to avoid you nagging them to do chores (aversive stimulus.) You discover a new route to work that takes less time and features less traffic than your normal route (aversive stimulus). You start driving this route to save time (positive outcome). A teacher eliminates homework if his students work hard and accomplish their tasks in class. In turn, the students work harder and are more productive (positive outcome), so they won’t have to do homework (aversive stimulus). What Negative Reinforcement is NotTo understand what negative reinforcement is, let’s look at what it is not.
First of all, negative reinforcement and punishment are not the same things. Negative reinforcement involves the removal of something negative to strengthen a behavior. On the other hand, punishment involves either imposing something undesirable or taking away a positive stimulus to weaken or eliminate a behavior. For example, a child lies about doing his chores, so his parents give him extra chores. Extra chores are an undesirable consequence to eliminate the behavior of lying. Another example: a teacher takes away a student’s recess because she was talking too much in class. Here the teacher takes away something positive (recess) to eliminate the student from talking too much in class. Negative reinforcement is not the opposite of positive reinforcement. Sometimes negative and positive reinforcement are mistaken for opposites. However, they are not; both negative and positive reinforcement share the same end result: to increase a behavior. Positive reinforcement focuses on giving a favorable stimulus to receive the desired response. For example, if your child completes all his homework, he can play on his iPad. The child is positively reinforced with the use of the iPad; therefore, he completes his homework. Positive reinforcement refers to the delivery of something positive, whereas negative reinforcement refers to the removal or reduction of something negative. While they are different processes, they both have the same effect of reinforcing certain behaviors. Negative reinforcement does not reinforce negative behavior. Negative reinforcement for behavioral reinforcement is not negative at all. The term “negative” in this sense simply means “to take something away.” Likewise, negative reinforcement does not reinforce negative behavior. It reinforces the behavior that removes the negative stimulus. Removing this stimulus creates a positive outcome. When to Use Negative ReinforcementNegative reinforcement is most effective in strengthening a desired behavior and should be used immediately following a behavior. If too much time lapses between the behavior and reinforcer, the response may not be effective. Negative reinforcement can be applied anywhere:
Negative reinforcement can be used in any situation where behavior change needs to occur. You can use it on yourself (you do every day without even realizing it). For example, when you take a shorter route to work to avoid traffic, or you apply sunscreen to avoid sunburn. It is also effective in a classroom setting, although some researchers say positive reinforcement should be emphasized, and negative reinforcement should be used carefully. While effective, negative reinforcement is best for immediate behavioral changes. Positive reinforcement is more applicable for long-term sustained behavioral changes. Reinforcement theory is a psychological principle suggesting that behaviors are shaped by their consequences, and that individual behaviors can be changed through reinforcement, punishment and extinction. Behavioral psychologist B.F. Skinner was instrumental in developing modern ideas about reinforcement theory. According to Skinner, a person's internal needs and drives are not important areas of concern because their current behaviors follow the law of effect and are based on the consequences of former behaviors. This means that behaviors can be altered or manipulated over time. The reinforcement theory of motivation aims to motivate staff through reinforcement, punishment and extinction. Reinforcement theory in the workplace can be positive or negative as long as it reinforces the desired employee experience and behavior. Managers using reinforcement theory to motivate staff should explain to employees which behaviors will result in positive feedback. Here are several behavioral concepts that are common in business management, human resources management, marketing, social media, website and user experience design, and end-user training. Positive reinforcementA key idea in the reinforcement theory of motivation is that positive reinforcement with rewards reinforces desired behaviors. For example, providing an employee with extra days off for good performance in their job. Negative reinforcementNegative reinforcement involves the removal of aversive stimuli to reinforce the target behavior. For example, a manager can stop assigning tedious tasks to an employee when the employee starts meeting deadlines. PunishmentPositive punishment involves the delivery of an aversive stimulus, such as criticism, to affect behavior. Meanwhile, negative punishment removes a pleasant stimulus -- flexible work hours, for example -- to do the same. ExtinctionLike punishment, the goal of extinction is to lower the occurrence of undesired behaviors. In this scenario, valued consequences can be withheld to reduce the probability of a specific learned behavior from continuing. The idea is to stop a learned behavior over time. For example, an organization might stop paying overtime to discourage employees from staying late and working too many extra hours. However, extinction can also reduce desired behavior by not offering positive reinforcement when the desired behavior occurs. For example, if a manager stops praising an employee for completing tasks quickly, the employee might stop this behavior. To avoid unwanted extinction, managers must continue to reward desired behaviors. Examples of how reinforcement theory principles can be used in the workplace.Like the reinforcement theory of motivation, differential reinforcement theory proposes that people are more likely to continue behaviors that are reinforced and discontinue behaviors that are not. A reinforcement schedule describes the timing of the behavioral consequences of a given behavior. There are two broad types of reinforcement schedules -- continuous reinforcement and intermittent reinforcement. Continuous reinforcementWhen behavior is reinforced every time it occurs, this is called continuous reinforcement. A continuous reinforcement schedule is the quickest way to establish new, desired behaviors or eliminate undesired behaviors. However, continued reinforcement isn't practical for a corporate environment, so employers tend to apply intermittent or scheduled reinforcement in corporate settings. Intermittent reinforcementIntermittent reinforcement involves the delivery of rewards on an occasional and unpredictable basis. This approach tends to promote the continued efforts of an employee for more extended periods without a payoff. Slot machine payouts are an example of intermittent reinforcement, as they provide adequate rewards over time to keep players motivated. Similarly, managers can use a lottery system to reward employees. When employees meet a specified performance level, they become eligible to enter a lottery. This approach could produce the desired higher level of performance from employees. Leading intermittent reinforcement theories include the following:
Developed by renowned British psychologist Jeffrey Alan Gray, reinforcement sensitivity theory suggests that there will be individual differences in the way people respond to punishment and reinforcement stimuli due to unique sensitivities of the brain. Proponents of the theory believe that these differences underlie the personality dimensions of conditions like anxiety, extraversion and impulsivity. The reinforcement theory of learning is a popular iterative process in machine learning. In this case, smart algorithms try to maximize some value based on rewards received for making the right decision under uncertainty.
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What is the name of the process by which behavior leading to the removal of an aversive event strengthens the behavior?With negative reinforcement, the removal of an aversive stimulus ( a baby's crying) after a behavior occurs strengthens the behavior ( picking up the baby). negative reinforcement an aversive stimulus is removed.
Which process decreases a behavior in the future by introducing an aversive stimulus as a consequence to the behavior?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).
Which reinforcement involves the removal of something to strengthen a behavior?Negative reinforcement involves the removal of something negative to strengthen a behavior. On the other hand, punishment involves either imposing something undesirable or taking away a positive stimulus to weaken or eliminate a behavior.
What is the process called when something is added to decrease the likelihood of behaviour?Learning Objectives. |