Reinforcement Theory

DEVELOPERS:

B.F. Skinner

BACKGROUND

Consequences which will lead to rewards will increase behavior. It is best to reward a positive behavior while it occurs not at a later point. (Ludin, 48) It has also been shown that unethical behavior increases within companies when unethical behavior is rewarded or ethical behavior is punished. (Baucus, 359)

Consequences leading to punishments will decrease behavior. In order to receive a reward an employee may modify what they self report in order to appear competent. (Baucus, 360)

Consequences without rewards or behaviors will extinguish a behavior. In a study it was found 20% of students will leave a study using only adverse effects when told it will not interfere with the study and 50% withdraw when told most of the others have left.. (N and B, 103)

According to Ludin, “it is the subtle manipulation of the reinforcements which makes for improvement, not the practice itself. (Ludin, 48. Following Reinforcement Theory it is the feedback caused by rewards, positive and negative, that illicit improvement. We don’t improve for “the love of the game” but the praise, sense of achievement and accolades the game gives us.

In a conjugate reinforcement schedule, “the duration or intensity of a reinforcing stimulus is proportional to the duration of or intensity of a response.” This style allows a direct assessment of attention not through the use of verbal reports or gaze. (Morgan, 162) Instead of behavior this looks at people’s attention to a specific stimulus.

RECOMMENDATIONS/APPLICATIONS:

From an educational standpoint positive actions should be rewarded when they occur, not after words. By specifically pointing towards good answers or behavior you are directly showing them what they are doing well in. Telling someone they did a good job on a project does not reinforce any specific action but mentioning exactly when and/or where a student that is looking for help was correct you are reinforcing actions that they can build upon.

From a managerial point of view Reinforcement Theory will lead you to believe that the behaviors you are trying to get out of an employee might not be as tied into the rewards as you would expect. People like bonus and will work towards them. This may mean they will cut corners and act in a self, not company, interests to do so. Rewards do not make model employees, just ones that will work towards a specific outcome. This behavior was quite relevant to the current recession and the implosion of the banking industry.

REFERENCES ~ Coding Spreadsheet - Web View

• Baucus, Melissa and Beck-Dudley, C. (2005). Designing Ethical Punishments: Avoiding the Long Term Negative Effects of Rewards and Punishments. Journal of Business Ethics. 56 (Feb. 2005). P. 355-370. Abstract: This paper suggests that corporate malfeasance takes place, in part, due to the rewards and punishments currently in place. By trying to set up ethical organizations this will help improve the atmosphere in which employees now only focus on rewards and punishment.
• Lundin, R. (1960). Musical Learning and Reinforcement Theory. Music Educators Journal 46 (Feb.-March 1960) p. 46, 48, 49. Abstract:Using Reinforcement Theory in a constructive way to increase student’s performance. This article can deal with a multitude of fields in the way it generically deals with positive and negative rewards.
• Lynn, J. http://faculty.mdc.edu/jmcnair/joe%20lynn%20jr/Articles/Reinforcement%20Theory.htm
• Navarick, Douglas and Bellone, John. (2010). Time of Semester as a Factor in Participants’ Obedience to Instructions to Perform an Aversive Task. The Psychological Record. 60 (Winter 2010). P. 101-114. Abstract: This paper studies the possibility of whether or not students are more apt to leave a psychological study that only has adverse effects. They are looking to see whether students will leave the study quicker if they start at the beginning of the semester or at the middle and if there is any differences in retention rates between the two. Navarick
• Morgan, D.L., (2010), Schedules of Reinforcement at 50: A Retrospective Appreciation. The Psychological Record. 60 (Winter 2010). P. 115-136. Abstract: The article looks at psychological and historical background in which the Schedules of Reinforcement was made. The article then goes into areas of research influenced by Schedules of Reinforcement. Morgan