B.F. Skinners theory, positive reinforcement essays

B.F. Skinner's theory, positive reinforcement essays In B.F. Skinner's theory, positive reinforcement is defined as a presented stimuli that works to increase or strengthen the probability of a response. An example of this would be a food treat for a dog in return for sitting behavior. A negative reinforcement is defined as the removal of stimuli that acts to increase or strengthen a response. An example of this would be yelling at a child to stop crying, and having the crying behavior stop. While the action of yelling was negative, the response was positive, in that the child stopped crying, thus increasing the likelihood that a person will yell to get the child to stop crying. Punishment is defined as an action to temporarily repress behavior, such as the removal of television privileges for a child who fails a class. This "punishment" would temporarily serve as a repression to the behavior of receiving bad Walden II, B.F. Skinner's world of utopia, is a model illustration of what needs to be done in order for humans to be happy, rather than just furthering the happiness of the ruling class or the majority. The idea that humans are born with nothing, that we are then the product of our history, and thus, that we learn all the problems we have, is a wonderful idea. If this were true, then Walden II would work: no one born in the world would learn the behaviors, and everyone who had previously learned them could simply unlearn them. Without social pressures, and with all needs met, there would be no need for corruption. In the modern world, however, this idea is just that: an idea. Even if all the technologies were in place, we now know, through modern medicine and psychiatry that some behaviors are inane, and thus very difficult to unlearn. While life in Walden II would be blissful, it would also be impossible. Secondary reinforcers are those that get their power from associations with primary reinforcers...