Question

    In each of the following situations, a person is learning through either reinforcement or punishment. Classify each situation as involving one of these four consequences: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, Punishment I, or Punishment II. Then explain why you chose the answer you did.
a.    Because Danielle fails her math class, she is taken off the school dance squad.
b.    Joe always does his homework assignments as soon as he gets them so he won’t have to worry about them anymore.
c.    Lisa and Fran are giggling together in the back of the classroom. Their teacher scowls at them. They are embarrassed and shut up.
d.    A teacher finds that by yelling at her students when they get too rowdy, they will settle down and be quiet for a while. (Focus on what is happening to the teacher.)

Answer 1

Operant conditioning is a method of learning, through which the strength of behaviour is modified by reinforcement or by punishment. It is also called instrumental conditioning. Operant conditioning is a goal oriented behavioural learnig process.

In behavioural psychology, Reinforcement is the addition of certain conditions that help to increase the probability of specific behaviour, that will continue in future by adding or removing certain stimulus.

There are two types of reinforcement :

(1) Positive reinforcement - works by intoducing a motivating or pleasent stimulus to an individual after desired behaviour is exhibited.

Eg: giving a toy to kid after finish cleaning his room.

(2) Negative reinforcement - an stimulus is removed (aversive stimulus) after certain behaviour is exhibited. That is giving certain aversive stimulus untill certain desired behaviour is exhibited.

Eg - Doing house chores inorder to stop nagging of mother.

Punishment - It the process that consequences of certain stimulus decreases the likelihood of certain undesired behaviour that is likely to happen in future.

There are two types of punishment.

(1) Positive punishment / Punishment 1 - It is adding an aversive stimulus to decrease an undesired behaviour,that is to repeat in future.

Eg- Teacher giving extra class work for being naughty in class.

(2) Punishment II / Negative punishment - It is removing certain reinforce stimulus,after exhibiting some undesired behaviour.

Eg - Removing from football team for physically injuring the team members.

The difference between Reinforcement and Punishment - Reinforcement helps to increase certain behaviour and Punishment helps to decrease certain behaviour

Coming to the Questions:

(a) Because Danielle fails her math class, she is taken off the school dance squad.

Behaviour - Fails in math class

Stimulus/consequence given - Removed from school dance squad

desired behaviou - get good score in math

Since she is removed from the school dance squad inorder to score good marks in math , this is a type of Punishment II ( negative punishment)

(b) Joe always does his homework assignments as soon as he gets them,so he wont have to worry about them anymore.

Behaviour - does his homework

stimulus - not to worry / enjoy free time

desired behaviour - get finished his homework and get free from worries.

As Joes does his work and enjoys a worry free time after finishing his work , this is a Positive Reinforcement behaviour.

(c) Lisa and Fran are giggling together in the back of the classroom. Their teacher scowls at them. They are embassered and shut up.

Undesired behaviour - to giggle

Stimulus - Teacher scowls at them.

Consequence - They are embrassed and shut up.

Desired behaviour - keep qiute.

The teacher scowls at them to decrease an undesired behaviour (giggling) . This is a type od Punishment I (positive punishment)

(d) A teacher finds that by yelling at her students when they get too rowdy,they will settle down and be quite for a while. ( focus on what is happening to teacher).

Behaviour - being rowdy for a while

Averse stimulus - yelling

desired behaviour - behaving qiute in class

Since teacher finds that yelling makes students to keep quite, its an averse stimulus. as soon as the children keep quite she stops yelling. This is an example of Negative Reinforcement

Answer 2

In Jo’s case it is negative reinforcement. Because homework for him is an aversive stimulus. Thus, the behaviour is more likely to be strengthened by finishing it immediately. Whereas in the last case reinforcement is positive because here the focus is on the teacher. Yelling is a positive reinforcer as for the teacher it results in something positive, which is a class of students being quiet. Of punishment the answers are correct but 100% incorrect for reinforcement