Topic: respond to Mathea, 13, 458

Preferred language style: English (U.S.)

Please respond to the following:
Operant conditioning is a process of a change in behaviors based on a positive or negative reinforcement. The behavior is modified or changes based on an increase or decrease in the behavior each time the behavior is performed. The person will become to associate the positive or negative reinforcement with the behavior.

Reinforcement is an act that strengthens or increases the behavior it follows. Positive reinforcement are encouraging acts that are given after the event has been completed. In acts that reflect positive reinforcement, a response or behavior is strengthened by the addition of something, such as praise or a reward. Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unfavorable act after the display of a behavior. In acts that reflect negative reinforcement, a response is strengthened by the removal of something considered unpleasant.

An example of positive reinforcement would be giving my daughter an allowance for doing her required chores every week. An example of negative reinforcement would be cutting an onion. I like to add onions in my food but don?t like the way it burns my eyes or make my hands smell. The negative reinforcement would be putting on goggles and wearing gloves everytime I wanted to work with onions. Because this works, I cook with onions more often.

Punishment is the presentation of an unpleasant act that causes a decline in behavior. Positive punishment involves the presentation of an unfavorable act in order to lessen the response it follows. Negative punishment occurs when an favorable act is removed after a behavior occurs.

An example of positive punishment would be noticing a child writing on the wall You scold him for this type of behavior and he never writes on the wall again. An example of negative punishment would be a child coming home from school on a daily basis and leaving his bookbag and shoes in the middle of the living room instead of taking them up to his room. You tell him repeatedly not to do this. You begin to start taking away his dessert after dinner because of this. Once he sees you mean business because you have taken away the dessert, he starts to take his items to his room instead of leaving them in the middle of the floor.

In society reward versus punishment is as long as people stay on the right side of the law, they get to live their life as they want. Once you break the law, you will be prosecuted or punished by loosing your freedom for a period of time or taking something away such as your license.