Download Feedback Reinforcement and Intrinsic Motivation

Feedback, Reinforcement, &
Intrinsic Motivation
PED 374 – Psychology of Sport
Introduction
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I try never to plant a negative seed. I try to make every comment a
positive comment. There’s a lot of evidence to support positive
management.
 Jimmy Johnson, College and Professional Football
Coach
To really win, you have to get every player to go beyond his capabilities.
He must feel great about himself … He must feel that his coaches or
supervisors have total confidence in his ability, and he must feel that his
weaknesses are small and his strengths are much bigger. You do that by
positive reinforcement, making sure that no one thinks negatively at any
time.
 Rick Pitino, Basketball Coach
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Much of human interaction consists of attempts to influence
other people’s behaviors
Influence attempts occur frequently in sport contexts:
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Coaches influence athletes in many ways:
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Athletes interact with teammates, opponents, officials, and
coaches
Creating a good learning environment where athletes acquire
technical skills to succeed
“Psychology of coaching” can be regarded as a set of
strategies to increase ability to influence behaviors
effectively.
The ABCs of
Behavioral Control
Influential approach in psychology – Operant conditioning
(A) Antecedents or environmental stimuli; (B) behaviors in which the
person engages; and (C) Consequences that follow the behaviors.

Antecedents – are the stimuli that control behavior.
Antecedents that signal the likely consequences of particular
behaviors are called discriminative stimuli

Skill learning in sport often involves learning to “read”
environment and respond.
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EX: basketball player learns how to set up the offense when the
opponent switches from one defense to another
Response Consequences:
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The key is on what happens after the response is made:
Present
Positive Reinforcement
(Strengthens behaviors)
Extinction (weakens
behaviors)
Response cost punishment
(weakens behavior)
Punishment
(suppresses / weakens
behaviors)
Negative reinforcement
(strengthens behaviors)
Positive Stimuli
Aversive Stimuli
Remove
Negative Aspects of
Punishment
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Punishment works on the basis of raising fear; raises preoccupation with
negatives
Under threat of punishment, athletes view competition as more of a threat.
Ironically, coaches with this style, increase likelihood of mistakes they are
trying to avoid.
Negative approach coaches usually succeed because:
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They are also able to communicate caring
They have very talented athletes
They recruit thick-skinned athletes
They are such skillful teachers, this overrides their negative approach
What About Response Cost?:

Fines, loss of privileges, benchings are examples – removal of noncontigent
reinforcers.
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Punishment through deprivation has 2 advantages over aversive
punishment:
1.
2.
It does not create as much fear of failure
The “punisher” is not modeling aggression or other negative behavior
The Positive Approach: Getting
Good Things to Happen
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Reinforcement takes many forms:
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Verbal compliments, smiles or other nonverbals; behaviors that convey
approval; increased privileges; awards
Effective requires:
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Finding effective reinforcers that work with a given athlete
Making reinforcement depend on performance of a desired behavior
Making sure the athlete understands WHY reinforcement is given
Schedules and Timing of Reinforcement --
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How frequently should reinforcement be given?
The Coach or Leader has 2 related challenges:
1.
Athletes have to be instructed in skills until they master them
2.
Coach needs to figure out how the athletes are to maintain a
high proficiency level
Initially, in skill development, reinforcement should be
continuous
Once the skill is well learned, reinforcement should be on a
partial schedule.
Timing of reinforcement is critical – should be immediate
It is natural to praise an athlete who has just made a great play;
it is less natural to reinforce an athlete who tried but failed.
Positive Reinforcement and
Motivational Climate
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Positive approach is designed to foster a task-oriented motivational climate.
Athletes in ego-oriented motivational climates:
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Experience reinforcement upon outperforming others; punishment of unsuccessful
performance; emphasis on social comparison
Performance Feedback and Motivation:
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Objective FB effectively increases motivation:
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It can correct misperceptions (misattributions)
It creates a stimulus for athletes to experience positive emotions
It links well with personal and collective goal setting
FB leads to increases in self-efficacy
Positive Reinforcement and
Motivational Climate (Cont)
Instructional Benefits of FB: Objective FB provides info. About:
1.
The specific behaviors that should be performed
2.
The levels of proficiency that should be achieved
3.
The athlete’s current sense of proficiency in that skill
FB should be based on successful execution of skills and NOT outcome
Guidelines to getting positive things to
happen:
Administering Positive Reinforcement:
1.
Be liberal with reinforcement, especially early in learning
2.
Have realistic standards; expect compliance with them
3.
Reinforce desired behaviors AS SOON AS THEY OCCUR
4.
Reinforce process and execution, not just outcome
5.
Help athletes set positive, individual, performance-based goals
What about Reacting to/giving FB based on mistakes?:
1.
Mistakes should be viewed as learning opportunities
2.
Ask the athlete what they should have done – increases
reinforcement of the CORRECT performance principle
3.
With motor skills, we are visual learners; DEMONSTRATE!
4.
Use the “sandwich approach”
5.
Limit criticism to behaviors that are within the athlete’s control
6.
Avoid punishment; it works by building “fear of failure”
The “Sandwich” Approach to giving FB
1. Find something the athlete
did right and reinforce it
Tell the athlete how to
correct a mistake –
emphasize the good things
that will happen as a result
End with a general
performance-related positive
statement
Believing one can: The
Construct of Self-Efficacy
Self-efficacy – is defined as a person’s judgment about their
capability to successfully perform a specific task
Two major principles:
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1.
2.
Our efficacy beliefs affect our thought patterns and responses
Self-efficacy is positively related to positive motivational patterns
High Self-Efficacy does not guarantee outcome, BUT increases
probability that athlete will do well in terms of performance
factors they can control
Implications for Practice: 6 key determinants of self-efficacy:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Most influential determinant – previous successful performance
Vicarious experience – when we see another (similar) person succeed
Verbal persuasion – either ours, or someone else
Our physiological state – is it appraised as positive or negative?
Our emotional state – same thing as above
Imagined experiences – If you can see it, you can be it
Doing it for the Joy:
Determinants of Intrinsic
Motivation
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
When intrinsically motivated, we do activity for it’s own sake
Different types of motivation vary according to their level of selfdetermination:
Athletes who are amotivated –
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They have no sense of personal control; they have no real
reasons for doing the activity
External regulation –
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Behavior is performed to satisfy external demand or stems
from external reward
Introjected regulation –
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Athletes participate b/c inside they feel they HAVE to
participate.
Identified regulation –
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Behavior is done out of free choice – but as a means to an end
Intrinsic Motivation –
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The athlete feels competent, autonomous, and connected
with others