Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Final Project Post

This course touched base with how learning and behavior connect with each other. The famous theorist Skinner and Watson and so many more share their different perspectives of how learning and behavior relate to one another. First learning about classical conditioning and how we can shape our behaviors. For example the Skinner box and Little Albert. Also the other concept of operant conditioning which deals with Thorndike's Law of Effect and the four types of contingencies, positive and negative reinforcement, and positive and negative punishment. This book shared the most effective experiments and explained in detail and conciseness of what all the theories and experiments were showing.

I found the section on the four types of reinforcements to be the most interesting to learn about, it is truly what I see most in my job as a nanny. The way you enforce something makes a huge difference in the response from the child. These theories are old theories but I think that is hasn't been used in the past, positive reinforcement is seen more today than every and is encouraged so much more. Thirty years ago they were using negative reinforcement and negative punishment freely in schools and at home. Like I recently learned in my Sociology class, generations follow generations, if it was done to the child they are more likely to do the same to their own children one day. There is nothing outrageous about these theories, they just work. It's hard to use positive reinforcement when there is a negative situation, it just takes practice and caring.

Here is a is a video of positive reinforcement in schools.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNW05PRpPUY

1 comment:

  1. The video reminds me of my third grade class, except their system is much bigger. For my class, the desire to do good deeds and be put in the "star box" worked so well and it was rare that someone in class misbehaved. i remember when my teacher called my mom for a good report, it would motivate me to behave well just so my mom would be happy with me again.

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