Behaviourism: Part 2

Does positive reinforcement work?

Learning Goals:
I will understand how our behaviour is influenced by positive
reinforcement, negative reinforcement, extinction and
punishment.

Success Criteria:
I can apply the concepts of operant conditioning to a chosen
behaviour in need of change.
I have grappled with the pros and cons of using positive
reinforcement as a method of motivating people to learn or
complete a task.
Last class: Journal entry check-in

Dialogue:

Is psychological experimentation on humans ever

ethically justifiable?
What types of reinforcement/punishment
most shape your behaviour?

Write TWO anecdotes from your own experience:

An instance where rewards worked or did not work AND an

instance where punishment worked or did not work.
Operant conditioning
◦ B.F. Skinner (1904-1990)
◦ Harvard Professor of Psychology
◦ Most widely known/influential behaviorist
SKINNER: How can we change a behavior?
◦Positive Reinforcement: Add something to increase a
response
◦Negative Reinforcement: Subtract something negative in
order to increase a response
◦Punishment: Add something aversive to decrease a
response.
◦Extinction: The behavior doesn’t get the organism what it
wants, so the behavior eventually stops occurring.
Big Bang Theory:
Positive
Reinforcement
Discussion/partner share
What is your current opinion of positive reinforcement
as a motivator?

What is one experience you’ve had with positive

reinforcement? How effective was it?

What are some pros and cons of using positive

reinforcement?
Skinner on
free will
Do we have free will?

What would a psychoanalyst say?

What would a behaviourist say?

Change your behavior…
◦ Think of a learned behaviour you would like to
unlearn.

◦ Note in your journal how you could use each of these

strategies to unlearn the behaviour: positive reinforcement,
negative reinforcement, punishment, extinction.
Prep for next class:
Track your progress!

Decide which conditioning strategy to use.

(Recall that conditioning requires repetition.)
Keep a daily log in your journal and be ready to
report back next week about your progress.