Entry 1:
Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which positive and negative incentives determined the frequency of behaviour. Positive incentive or reinforcement increases the behaviour, whereas negative incentives or punishment decreases that behaviour. There are four types of operant conditioning, including positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment (Peace & Duff, 2012).
Positive reinforcement refers to the increases behaviour frequency by presenting or adding a desirable factor (A. Rathus, J. Maheu, & G. Veenvliet, 2017).
For example, my parents used to reward me with pocket money for every A I get as a teenager. With the money, I could buy the CD single from my favourite band, saved up for a movie ticket, or occasionally go out with my friends after class. All of these desirable factors contributed to the likelihood of my behaviour repetition i.e. study hard to achieve A’s.
Entry 2:
Negative reinforcement refers to the increases behaviour frequency by removing or avoiding an unpleasant factor or outcome (A. Rathus, J. Maheu, & G. Veenvliet, 2017).
Let’s use the previous example. I studied hard to achieve good grades not only due to the positive reinforcement that my parents applied, but also to avoid tutoring lessons. In this case, my behaviour of studying contributes to the removal of an aversive stimulus, tutoring.
Negative reinforcement occurs in our everyday life. It could simply be putting on sunscreen to avoid getting sunburned, wiping wet hands in a towel, turning on the wipers to remove water on the windscreen, leaving the house early to avoid getting stuck in traffic thus being late for work, etc. All of these behaviours will likely be occurring in the future as they create a favourable outcome.
Entry 3:
Positive punishment refers to the decreases behaviour frequency by presenting or adding an undesirable stimulus (A. Rathus, J. Maheu, & G. Veenvliet, 2017).
I have a small dog, named Chewie. He often gets treats and praised for being a good boy when he is well behaved (positive reinforcement) and being called a bad boy when he is naughty (positive punishment). Chewie once chewed a pair of my shoes in half. I then brought the shoes to his attention and scolded “Bad Chewie! Bad dog!” In this case, Chewie exhibited unwanted behaviour, thus leading to an aversive outcome. Chewie associated these factors, thus increases his “good boy” behaviour for more praises and treats, while decreasing his “bad boy” behaviour to avoid being told off.
Positive punishment applies on a daily basis. Children being reprimanded for swearing or misbehaving, employees being dismissed due to multiple lateness occurrences, parents adding responsibilities and house chores when their children did not follow the rules, an individual being pulled over by the police for speeding, etc.
As a student, I am well aware of positive punishment. Students who fail to complete their homework will receive “zero” for their grade. Should this continues, the students would be excluded from the programme. Without education, these students may not perform well in life and thus, resulting in negative consequences such as addicted to drugs, being homeless or breaking the rules and being jailed.
Entry 4:
Negative punishment refers to the behaviour discouragement by removing a desirable stimulus (A. Rathus, J. Maheu, & G. Veenvliet, 2017).
I remember my teenage years being a rebel like many other teenagers; often staying out late with friends, skipping classes, dating boys… My parents were extremely unhappy with my behaviour. At first, they stopped giving me pocket money, hoping that would discourage me from going out. However, after realising that was not enough, they also confiscated my phone. I was devastated, as I couldn’t keep in touch with my friends or playing my favourite game. After a short while, I readjusted my behaviour by doing house chores, attending classes regularly, and oblige by the rules. It wasn’t until my grade improved when they decided to return my phone. I remembered feeling extremely happy and proud of myself and understand that every action has consequences.
Generally, operant conditioning relies on several factors: timing, intensity, and consistency (A. Rathus, J. Maheu, & G. Veenvliet, 2017). A delayed outcome or if the intensity/consistency of rewarding/disciplinary does not match with the behaviour would decrease the effectiveness of reoccurrence or punishment.
If my parents did not reward me for my excellent grade, I might have lost the encouragement to achieve them. The timing factor (immediately rewarded the action at the time of the occurrence), the intensity factor (the pocket money award was decent; it cannot be too much or too little), and the consistency factor (awarding every time for every A achieved) have all contributed to the outcome of encouraging for my hard-working behaviour.
Similarly, if I do not put sunscreen on immediately after being under the sun, I will get sunburned. The choice of sunscreen should match my skin type with high SPF and should be applied adequately in uncovered areas. Using too little may result in mild sunburn; using too much would result in a sticky situation. Reapplication every few hours and the reinforcement of sunscreen application each time being exposed are highly encouraged.
Some may argue the timing, intensity, and consistency factors are more relevant when applying to punishment. If I have not scolded my dog immediately after his action of chewing the shoes but hours after it had happened, the dog may not understand why he is being told off. If I have not shown my dog the disapproval, he may continue to behave in that manner. And if I were not consistent with telling off each time he badly behaves, it would lead to unclear expectations and weakens the association of my punishment to his misbehaviour.
References:
Rathus, S., J. Maheu, S., & G. Veenvliet, S. (2017). PSYCH.Toronto, ON, Canada: Nelson Education Ltd.
Peace, K., & Duff, J. K. (2012). THINK Social Psychology, First Canadian Edition. Pearson Canada.
Linh's Blog 