The main difference between reinforcement and punishment is that reinforcement makes a target behavior more likely to happen again while punishment makes the behavior less likely to happen again. Show
Reinforcement and punishment are often used as parenting tools to modify children’s behavior. Let’s review the difference between positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement, and the difference in outcomes between them. Table of Contents
The Difference Between Positive And Negative ReinforcementIn behavioral psychology, reinforcement is the introduction of a favorable condition that will make the desired behavior more likely to happen, continue or strengthen in the future1. Because the favorable condition acts as a reward, reinforcement is a reward-based operant conditioning. There are two types of reinforcement: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. These two types of reinforcement can be confusing because the technical terms used in psychology is often misrepresented in pop culture. As technical parlance, positive refers to adding a factor while negative refers to removing a factor. But positive and negative do not represent the quality of the factor being added or removed. That factor can be pleasant or unpleasant. For instance, positive can be adding something unpleasant resulting in unpleasant feelings, while negative can be removing something unpleasant resulting in pleasant feelings. So, remember that positive and negative refer to adding and removing something, not to the quality of the added/removed factor or the resulted feelings. Related: Classical Vs Operant Conditioning What is positive and negative reinforcementThe 2 types of reinforcement are:
Positive ReinforcementPositive reinforcement is adding a pleasant stimulus to enhance a behavior. Here are some positive reinforcement examples.
Negative ReinforcementNegative reinforcement is removing an aversive stimulus to enhance a behavior. Here are some negative reinforcement examples.
Positive Punishment vs Negative PunishmentWhile the goal of reinforcement is to reinforce the desired behavior, the goal of punishment is to make an undesired behavior less likely to happen, continue or strengthen in the future. As with reinforcement, the technical meanings of positive and negative punishment refer to adding or removing a factor to obtain the results. They do not refer to the quality or impact of the punishment. What Is Positive And Negative PunishmentThe 2 types of punishment are:
Positive PunishmentPositive punishment is adding an aversive stimulus to deter a behavior.
Negative PunishmentNegative punishment is removing a pleasant stimulus to deter a behavior.
Both reinforcement and punishment can modify behavior. The difference between them is that reinforcement aims to increase target behavior while punishment aims to decrease behavior. These definitions differ from the way we use it in daily life. Normally, we use “reinforce” in a speech to mean “emphasize”, while “punish” to mean “hurting”. Here are the definitions and difference of reinforcement and punishment in psychology:
Often times, decreasing an undesired behavior can also be achieved by increasing another desired behavior. For example, both punishing for being late for school and rewarding for being on time can incentivize a child to be on time. Because of the negative side effects of punishment (in the traditional sense, i.e. introducing unpleasant stimulus), parents should practice positive parenting. However, parents should also be careful not to overuse reinforcements because too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Schedules of ReinforcementReinforcement and punishment are usually applied more than once to establish a new behavior. When and how stimuli are applied are called schedules of reinforcement2. There are 4 types of simple schedules:
Different types of reinforcing schedules generate different results. Among the four simple schedules, variable ratio schedule generates responses that are most resistant to extinction. References
What is positive and negative reinforcement with example?An example of positive reinforcement is: A child receives money for doing chores. Negative reinforcement is where instead of being rewarded with an item for making positive choices, and item or stimulus is removed after a specific behavior is shown.
What is negative reinforcement?Negative reinforcement is a method that can be used to help teach specific behaviors. With negative reinforcement, something uncomfortable or otherwise unpleasant is taken away in response to a stimulus. Over time, the target behavior should increase with the expectation that the unpleasant thing will be taken away.
What is an example of a negative reinforcement?Examples of Negative Reinforcement
Giving a pass to the car behind to avoid its honking. Getting up from the bed to avoid the noisy alarm. Taking an antacid before having a spicy meal. Applying sunscreen before heading to the beach to avoid getting sunburned.
What is positive reinforcement?What is the Meaning of Positive Reinforcement? Positive reinforcement refers to the introduction of a desirable or pleasant stimulus after a behavior. The desirable stimulus reinforces the behavior, making it more likely that the behavior will reoccur.
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