Download Positive Reinforcment Negative Reinforcement and

Reinforcement, Punishment,
Avoidance Learning,
and Escape Learning
HOW TO APPLY THESE IN
AN EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT
Common Problems of the Classroom
 Student attendance is down.
 Students don’t participate in class - they don’t raise their
hands when asked a question.
 Student constantly talks out of turn.
 Students won’t quiet down once class starts.
 Students have a tendency to continue to talk to each
other once class starts.
Common Problems of the Classroom
What other problems can you come up with?
 List
Goals for Today
Learn how to define, recognize, and apply terms to
classroom situations:
 Positive Reinforcement
 Negative Reinforcement
 Punishment
 Avoidance Learning
 Escape Learning
Try and Define
 Positive –
 Negative –
 Reinforce –
 Punish –
Positive Reinforcement
The word positive in positive reinforcement DOES
NOT refer to the pleasantness of the stimulus.
It means a stimulus is added or applied to the
situation.
Any stimulus that works to increase the frequency of
a behavior it follows is a positive reinforcer, even if
it does not seem like it should be rewarding.
http://www.intropsych.com/ch05_conditioning/positive_reinforcement.html
Positive Reinforcement
Simplified:
Behavior = Increase (Arrow Up)
(plus sign) something to Increase (Arrow Up) Behavior
What you are adding (not equal sign) Pleasant
As long as it increases behavior
Positive Reinforcement
 Additional examples will go here
 Students can also supply
Negative Reinforcement
Occurs when a behavior is reinforced by removal of a
stimulus.
The word negative DOES NOT mean unpleasant
It means a stimulus is removed or subtracted from
the situation as a form of reinforcement.
http://www.intropsych.com/ch05_conditioning/negative_reinforcement.html
Negative Reinforcement
Simplified:
Behavior = Decrease (Arrow Down)
(- sign) something to Increase (Arrow Down) Behavior
What you are adding (not equal sign) Unpleasant
As long as it decreases behavior
Negative Reinforcement
 Additional examples will go here
 Students can also supply
Positive vs. Negative Reinforcement
Reinforcement is used to INCREASE a behavior
Positive Reinforcement
Negative Reinforcement
+++++++++++++++++++
-- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Adding Something
Removing Something
candy, stickers, treat, certificate,
lunch, extra credit
no homework, exemption from test
Insert example that is not necessarily
positive but increases behavior
Insert example that is not necessarily
positive but increases behavior
Punishment
Punishment occurs when a stimulus is applied and
has the effect of making a behavior less frequent.
Sometimes this is called positive punishment.
Positive in this context means a stimulus is added.
http://www.intropsych.com/ch05_conditioning/punishment.html
Punishment
Simplified:
Behavior = Decrease (Arrow Down)
(+ or -) something to Decrease (Arrow Down) Behavior
What you are adding (not equal sign) Pleasant
As long as it decreases behavior
Reinforcement vs. Punishment
Reinforcement
Punishment
INCREASES Behavior
DECREASES Behavior
Examples similar to compare and
contrast
Examples similar to compare and
contrast
Back to the Classroom
Problem: Student attendance is down.
A professor has a policy of exempting students from the
final exam if they maintain perfect attendance during the
quarter. His students’ attendance increases dramatically.
What/Why:The exemption from the final exam is an
example of negative reinforcement because
something is taken away that increases the
behavior (attendance).
Back to the Classroom
Problem: Student attendance is down.
A professor has gives extra credit if they maintain perfect
attendance during the quarter. His students’ attendance
increases dramatically.
What/Why:The extra credit is an example of positive
reinforcement because something is added to
increase the behavior (attendance).
Back to the Classroom
Problem: Student attendance is down.
A professor has gives additional assignments to those
who miss his classes. His students’ attendance increases
dramatically.
What/Why:The additional assignments are examples of
punishment because something is added to decrease
the behavior (missing class).
Back to the Classroom
Problem: Student attendance is down.
A professor has gives takes participation points off to
those who miss his classes. His students’ attendance
increases dramatically.
What/Why:The removal of participation points is an
example of punishment because something is
removed to decrease the behavior (missing class).
Try and Define
 Escape –
 Avoid –
Escape Learning
Occurs when the animal learns to perform an operant
to terminate an ongoing, aversive stimulus.
It is a "get me out of here" or "shut this off"
reaction, aimed at escape from pain or annoyance.
The behavior that produces escape is negatively
reinforced (reinforced by the elimination of the
unpleasant stimulus)
http://www.intropsych.com/ch05_conditioning/avoidance_and_escape_learning.html
Escape Learning
 Additional examples will go here
 Students can also supply
Avoidance Learning
Escape conditioning is converted into avoidance
conditioning by giving a signal before the aversive
stimulus starts.
If the animal receives a cue or signal that an aversive
stimulus is coming, then after one or two occurrences of
the punishing stimulus the cue will trigger an
avoidance behavior.
This kind of learning occurs quickly and is very durable.
http://www.intropsych.com/ch05_conditioning/avoidance_and_escape_learning.html
Avoidance Learning
 Additional examples will go here
 Students can also supply
Reaching Avoidance Learning
 Punishment or Reinforcement?
 >>>>> Escape Learning
 >>>>>>>>>>Avoidance Learning