Psychology Assignment

By:

Kainaat yaseen (10515)

Presented To:

“Sadia Humayun”

(17/7/2019)

Submitted as mandatory requirement for the course “Introduction to

Psychology” in the Program, Bachelor of Business Administration.

What is reinforcement? What is the difference between positive and

negative reinforcement? Give a real life example of each?

REINFORCEMENT:

The term reinforcement means to strengthen and is used in psychology to refer to

anything stimulus which strengths, encouraging the designated behavior or increases the
probability of a specific response.

Positive Reinforcement:

Positive Reinforcement can be understood as the operation of encouraging an approved

behaviour by offering a reward as a stimulus, on showing that behaviour. In short, after
performing an action, it results in a positive response or reward, and then the response
tends to be reinforced.

Example:

 Commercial Ad for a health drink presenting an increase in height, as result of

consuming it, is an example of Positive Reinforcement, whereby increased height is
the reinforcer to buy the health drink.

Negative reinforcement:

The term ‘negative reinforcement’, we mean that a reinforcer, i.e. stimulus is removed,
on performing a certain behaviour. The frequency of occurrence of the behaviour will be
increased in future, as a result of removing negative outcome.
Example:

 A person learns to wear a raincoat, during the rainy season, to avoid getting wet.
 People wear helmets, to avoid getting injured, in case of a road accident.
Difference between Positive and Negative
Reinforcement:
 Positive reinforcement is the process that enhances the likelihood of the
response, by adding something. On the contrary, negative reinforcement is one
that intensifies the probability of response, by removing or reducing something.
 In positive reinforcement, the stimuli act as a reward, for doing something,
whereas in negative reinforcement, the stimuli act like a penalty, for not doing
something.
 In Positive Reinforcement, something positive will be added following a certain
behavior while in Negative Reinforcement, something negative will be
removed in order to increase a certain behavior.
 The most important factor to keep in mind is that the ultimate goal of both
positive and negative reinforcement concepts is to increase a certain behavior.
 Positive Reinforcement strengthens or maintains the probability of recurrence of
response. On the contrary, in negative reinforcement, the organism learns to get
rid of nasty responses.
My strengths and weaknesses:

strengths Weaknesses
 Confidence  Too much emotional

 Ability to face people and conflict  Easily trust on peoples

 Communication skills  Easily give up

 Learning power  Aggressive

 Patience  Irresponsible