- 25) Aims of the Research The research is motivated by the following aims i. To highlight the pros and cons of positive and negative reinforcement on language learning ii. To make the teachers aware that how do they bring about fear and withdrawal in the students through negative reinforcement.
- Of the four simple consequences for behavior, none is more misunderstood than negative reinforcement. A Negative Reinforcement Quiz administered to 233 student teachers from two universities revealed that the vast majority of respondents mistakenly viewed negative reinforcement as a synonym for punishment, and believe that negative reinforcement is used to stop, not start, desired behaviors.
- Positive And Negative Reinforcement In The Classroom
- Negative Reinforcement In The Classroom Pdf
- Types Of Negative Reinforcement In The Classroom
It helps to explore some examples of negative reinforcement, a concept of operant conditioning that people frequently misunderstand. Learn what negative reinforcement is and see how it works in practice.
Negative Reinforcement. Negative reinforcement also makes a behavior more likely to happen in the future, but it does this by removing something. Like positive reinforcement, this can be applied unintentionally, causing undesired behaviors to be reinforced. For example, 7-year-old Beth is afraid of the loud hand dryers found in public bathrooms. To use negative reinforcement in the classroom, identify the behavior you’d like to reinforce in your students. Listening quietly to the lesson, for example, in a traditional classroom setting. When the students listen quietly to the lesson, reward them by canceling the homework assignment for that night.
What Negative Reinforcement Is and Is Not
Negative reinforcement is about encouragement. The American Psychological Association (APA) reports that it has to do with removing a negative or unpleasant stimulus from a situation in response to someone's action. Because the negative stimulus is removed, the person or animal wants to keep doing the action that removed it.
It's also important to understand what negative reinforcement is not:
- Negative reinforcement is not a negative thing. Instead, it's about removing a negative thing.
- Negative reinforcement is not the same as punishment or a negative consequence for an action.
- Negative reinforcement is not the opposite of positive reinforcement. Both types of reinforcement encourage a behavior.
- Negative reinforcement does not reinforce negative behavior. It reinforces the behavior that removes the negative stimulus.
Seven Good Examples of Negative Reinforcement
Positive And Negative Reinforcement In The Classroom
Because negative reinforcement can be a confusing concept, examples are the best way to understand how it works. You'll see negative reinforcement in a variety of contexts.
Negative Reinforcement in the Classroom
Teachers can use negative reinforcement to motivate students and change their behavior. For example, a teacher can eliminate that night's homework if kids study hard and accomplish a lot in class. If this happens multiple times, the kids will consistently work harder and be more productive while in the classroom.
Workplace Example of Negative Reinforcement
At work, negative reinforcement can boost productivity or sales. For instance, at a manufacturing company, employees must attend work five days a week, eight hours a day.
However, to encourage greater productivity, a supervisor might reduce work hours for the final week of the month. If employees meet a production goal, they won't have to spend as much time at work.
Negative Reinforcement at Home
You'll also find negative reinforcement in effect at home. Imagine you sleep in the same room with someone who snores loudly. It keeps you awake every night, and you're exhausted. You buy a pair of earplugs and try sleeping while wearing them. The earplugs remove the sound of the snoring, so you begin to use them every night.
Example of Negative Reinforcement With Animals
Negative reinforcement is a possible way to train animals too. For instance, teaching a dog to heel may involve keeping tension on the dog's leash as you walk together. The dog does not enjoy this tension and may even find it uncomfortable.
However, if the dog walks closer to the trainer's heel, the tension is reduced on the leash. The dog is more comfortable and learns to walk closer to the trainer when commanded to heel.
Example of Negative Reinforcement in Parenting
Negative Reinforcement In The Classroom Pdf
Parenting offers many great opportunities for negative reinforcement in real life. For example, imagine a toddler who doesn't like sleeping through the night. He wakes multiple times every night and cries until his mother comes in to rock him back to sleep.
He is effectively training his mother by negative reinforcement because every time she comes in to rock him to sleep, he stops crying.
Negative Reinforcement While Driving
Another everyday example of negative reinforcement comes when you're driving. Imagine you drive through rush hour traffic to get to work. Your commute is very stressful and takes you two hours every morning. You get frustrated and try a different route to get there.
This route has very little traffic, and you make it to work in 45 minutes. You get the same results later in the week. To save time, you start taking this new route everyday. Removing the negative stimulus of the bad traffic changes your behavior.
Negative Reinforcement in Relationships
Imagine you are a very jealous person in a relationship. You constantly worry that your partner is unfaithful, so much so that it's difficult for you to concentrate on other things. One day, you discover you can track your partner's movements on his or her phone. You do this and are reassured your partner is not cheating on you.
The next day, you repeat the behavior and feel better again. Soon, each day, you are checking up on your partner. While this may not be a positive behavior in a relationship, it does remove the negative stimulus of the anxiety that your partner is unfaithful.
Just One Way to Change Behavior
Negative reinforcement is just one way to change behavior. In fact, the study of behaviorism involves many experiments and different behavior modification strategies. Read up on all the research to figure out which type of reinforcement works best for your situation.
Types Of Negative Reinforcement In The Classroom
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