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  More Than Just Rewards: How Positive Reinforcement Shapes Behavior By: Angelina Pluchino  Why do people keep doing things that earn them praise, rewards, or recognition? Whether it's a child getting a sticker for good behavior, a student earning a good grade, or an employee receiving a bonus, these rewards can have a powerful effect on future behavior. This idea is at the heart of behaviorism and positive reinforcement. Behaviorism is a psychological theory that focuses on how people learn through their interactions with their environment. Instead of looking at thoughts and feelings, behaviorists study observable behaviors and what causes them to happen. One of the most well-known behaviorists, B.F. Skinner, believed that behavior is shaped by its consequences. One important concept in behaviorism is positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement happens when something pleasant is added after a behavior, making that behavior more likely to happen again. For example, if ...

We have all been in the position where we push doing the dishes until tomorrow, studying for that exam on Friday, or waiting to clean until the weekend. Most people have experienced setting goals for themselves, only to delay taking any action when the time comes. It is easy to assume that procrastination happens because we may be lazy or unmotivated, but learning theory offers a new perspective on the conversation. After reviewing multiple concepts in learning theory, we find that many self-control issues occur because immediate rewards often feel more fulfilling than delayed rewards. As a result, people frequently decide that what feels positive and fulfilling right now is more important than feeling that gratification or seeing that benefit in the future. One way to understand this behavior is to think about the process of receiving a smaller, sooner reward and a larger, later reward. An easy example of this is a student deciding that they will spend time later in the evening studyi...

Almost every dog owner has experienced it. You make your meal, sit down to eat, and suddenly your dog appears beside you, staring intensely at your plate with hot breath blowing on you at full force. My dogs have mastered this art. Even when everyone is ignoring them, someone slips up, and it's usually me. Many people assume dogs beg because they are hungry, but learning theory provides a completely different explanation. In many cases, begging is built and maintained through reinforcement. If a dog occasionally receives a piece of food from the table, the behavior is rewarded and becomes more likely to occur again. What makes begging especially difficult to eliminate is that it is often reinforced on an intermittent schedule. Most of the time, family members ignore the dog, but every once in a while, someone gives in and throws a piece of chicken or another treat. Because the dog never knows exactly when a reward will be given, it continues to beg until it is. This is similar to t...

     Have you ever opened TikTok to watch one video and then looked up three hours later, wondering what happened? It might feel like a lack of self-control, but learning theory suggests there is more going on. Social media apps like TikTok are built around a powerful reinforcement schedule known as a variable ratio schedule. Every swipe has the potential to reveal something funny, shocking, informative, or emotionally engaging. Most videos are only slightly interesting, but occasionally one is incredibly exciting, which feels rewarding. Since people never know when the next fun video will appear, they keep scrolling.       This idea is similar to what was discussed throughout the course about intermittent reinforcement. Behaviors that are reinforced only some of the time often resist extinction more than behaviors reinforced every time. If every video were amazing, the experience would become predictable and would lose its appeal. Instead, the unpredi...

           Most people obviously understand that gambling can be addictive, but psychology helps explain the why behind why it’s so effective at keeping people playing for extended periods. B. F. Skinner found that behaviors that are reinforced on a variable/ratio schedule are among the hardest to get rid of. This type of system provides the user with rewards after an unknown number of play throughs or responses, so the person playing is always anticipating the next win. Slot machines are built around this principle to keep people hooked, and many video games are now using similar systems that effect the players in ways very much like slot machines; with the inclusion of loot boxes, card packs, and randomized rewards. Even though players may lose many times in a row through a session they will keep playing due to possibility of winning on the next attempt.      What’s so interesting is that these reinforcement principles were originally ...

  Children Are Sponges:Observational Learning  By Angelina Pluchino  A common saying is that children are like sponges, soaking up everything they see and hear around them. This idea connects closely to the psychological concept of observational learning, developed by Albert Bandura. Observational learning occurs when people learn new behaviors by watching and imitating others. As a nanny and someone who has worked in child care for several years, I see observational learning in action every day. Young children pay close attention to the adults and children around them, often copying behaviors without being directly taught. They learn by observing how others act and then modeling those behaviors themselves. For example, I often see children imitate positive behaviors such as sharing toys, helping clean up, or using polite language after watching a caregiver or another child do the same. I've also noticed children repeating phrases I've used or acting out routine...

  I am a teacher at a daycare. I work with children ages 2-4 depending on what classroom I am in that given day. Over the years I have been working there I have picked up on some ways to get small children to corporate in given situations. When dealing with a large group of 3 year olds it becomes very high stress. Using the concept of behaviorism has really helped me.  I use a sticker chart. Good behavior earns you a sticker. 10 stickers earns you a treasure from the treasure chest. For example if I am reading a story and one child in specific is listening and the rest aren't that child would earn a sticker. This does two things. It allows the individual child to see that good behavior earns a sticker and the rest of the children will copy in hopes to also earn a sticker.  In the article “Behaviorism in Psychology it explains this concept. The article states, “behavior is simply a response to environmental stimulus”. The children's behavior is a response to getting or...