Monday, November 03, 2014
Reinforcement
I have to admit that one of the big reasons I started writing the materials I have is that I was working in the field for probably 4 years or so before I realized that there was a LOT I didn't know. I was interviewing for a new position and I was asked about Positive Reinforcement. I gave a fumbling answer about Positive Reinforcement being about giving lots of praise all the time and always being "upbeat"... and the answer was accepted because the interviewers didn't know what it was either!
Oh my gosh!
First, understand that Reinforcement is anything that happens following a behavior (a consequence) that increases the likelihood of that behavior being performed again in the future.
Positive Reinforcement is adding a desired stimulus - such as giving verbal praise or a certificate of appreciation or a paycheck - in order to increase a behavior. When Bob talks to you from an appropriate personal space distance and you reward the appropriate behavior by saying, "Bob, thank you for standing an appropriate distance from me while we talk. I really appreciate that," you are using Positive Reinforcement. You added a desired stimulus to increase the appropriate behavior of "standing an appropriate distance away."
So Negative Reinforcement is punishing a bad behavior, right? Ahhhhhh! No!
Negative Reinforcement is removing a disliked/undesired stimulus in order to increase a behavior.
See the word Reinforcement in Negative Reinforcement? That means you are trying to increase a behavior. When you are criticizing Bob for standing too close to you when he talks to you, and you stop criticizing him as he moves back to an appropriate distance, you have removed the undesired stimulus of criticizing him in order to increase his behavior of staying an appropriate distance away.
The annoying bell that goes off until you buckle your seatbelt is a classic example of negative reinforcement. When you buckle your belt, the annoying noise is taken away, thereby increasing the likelihood that you will buckle your belt.
Punishment is anything that follows a behavior (a consequence) that decreases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated again in the future. Punishment is used to decrease a behavior. Speeding tickets are a classic example. If you get a ticket, you are likely to stop speeding.
In 20 years of doing this, I never wrote a service plan that included punishing anyone for anything. But it's important for you to understand what it is so when you catch yourself doing it, you can stop. Remember, our job is not to "stop bad behaviors." Our job is to understand the communicative intent of the behavior and find a replacement behavior that allows the person to communicate in a more appropriate manner.
There's a lot more to it, but if you at least understand this much of the basic concept, you are ahead of the curve.
Oh my gosh!
First, understand that Reinforcement is anything that happens following a behavior (a consequence) that increases the likelihood of that behavior being performed again in the future.
Positive Reinforcement is adding a desired stimulus - such as giving verbal praise or a certificate of appreciation or a paycheck - in order to increase a behavior. When Bob talks to you from an appropriate personal space distance and you reward the appropriate behavior by saying, "Bob, thank you for standing an appropriate distance from me while we talk. I really appreciate that," you are using Positive Reinforcement. You added a desired stimulus to increase the appropriate behavior of "standing an appropriate distance away."
So Negative Reinforcement is punishing a bad behavior, right? Ahhhhhh! No!
Negative Reinforcement is removing a disliked/undesired stimulus in order to increase a behavior.
See the word Reinforcement in Negative Reinforcement? That means you are trying to increase a behavior. When you are criticizing Bob for standing too close to you when he talks to you, and you stop criticizing him as he moves back to an appropriate distance, you have removed the undesired stimulus of criticizing him in order to increase his behavior of staying an appropriate distance away.
The annoying bell that goes off until you buckle your seatbelt is a classic example of negative reinforcement. When you buckle your belt, the annoying noise is taken away, thereby increasing the likelihood that you will buckle your belt.
Punishment is anything that follows a behavior (a consequence) that decreases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated again in the future. Punishment is used to decrease a behavior. Speeding tickets are a classic example. If you get a ticket, you are likely to stop speeding.
In 20 years of doing this, I never wrote a service plan that included punishing anyone for anything. But it's important for you to understand what it is so when you catch yourself doing it, you can stop. Remember, our job is not to "stop bad behaviors." Our job is to understand the communicative intent of the behavior and find a replacement behavior that allows the person to communicate in a more appropriate manner.
There's a lot more to it, but if you at least understand this much of the basic concept, you are ahead of the curve.
