Positive Reinforcement

Firstly, when I say positive I mean adding on something, and negative means removing something. As part of behaviourism, behaviour is treated as the end factor when cognitive processes happen when external stimulus and internal response meet (Peel, 2005). 

A positive reinforcement is a reward, while a negative reinforcement is to prevent a bad consequence, while a positive punishment is to give a bad consequence and a negative punishment is to take away something good (Tan Meng Yin, 2020).

I will then give an example for each of the four concepts introduced. Positive reinforcement is like giving a child a sticker when he or she completes a task. You are giving the child something to hopefully encourage the behaviour to happen again. A negative reinforcement is like allowing a child to study fewer hours if he or she scores a certain grade. You are removing something to encourage the behaviour to happen.

Whereas a positive punishment is to scold a child for touching fire, to discourage the behaviour from happening again. You are adding something. A negative punishment is to take away a child’s time on the iPad because he or she got into a fight. You are removing something.

The best method is positive reinforcement, though a positive reinforcer needs to be slowly phased out. You shouldn’t be giving endless stickers to encourage a child to drink more water. Once the child acquires the behaviour or even before that, you should stop giving stickers.

Lastly, in my previous workplace, I used a token economy strategy and a reward chart. For every five ‘smiley faces’ a child gets, they may be redeemed for a reward. But for every three ‘sad faces’, a child’s privilege to play gets taken away. So positive reinforcement and negative punishment. I learned this strategy from a classmate who happens to have a child in Pathlight.

References

Peel, D. (2005). The significance of behavioural learning theory to the development of effective coaching practice. International Journal of Evidence Based Coaching and Mentoring, 3(1), 18-28. Retrieved from http://ijebcm.brookes.ac.uk/documents/vol03issue1-paper-02.pdf

Tan Meng Yin, E. (2020). SPE105 Management of behaviour in special education (study guide). Singapore: Singapore University of Social Sciences.