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From: colonel@sunybcs.UUCP (Col. G. L. Sicherman)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: Positive Reinforcement
Message-ID: <2680@sunybcs.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 29-Dec-85 16:08:12 EST
Article-I.D.: sunybcs.2680
Posted: Sun Dec 29 16:08:12 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 30-Dec-85 04:53:19 EST
References: <283@h.cs.cmu.edu> <625@cylixd.UUCP>
Organization: Travelers' Advisory
Lines: 21

> Just an open question here to all who are familiar with developmental
> psychology. Once the positive reinforcement is taken away (certainly
> you aren't going to lavish praise on your child EVERY time he doesn't
> defacate on the carpet?), doesn't the behaviour diminish? It would seem
> to me that positive reinforcement would teach the child to do a
> certain thing EXPECTING to be praised for it. Once the praise disappears,
> the child would then have no reason to continue behaving that way.

If you're genuinely pleased and show it, that in itself is an incentive
that won't go away so long as the behavior continues to please you.
Of course this depends on the child's loving you.

In any case, artificial incentives suffer from the weakness you
describe.  The point is that acquired habits are hard to break; by the
time that the incentive is withdrawn, the child ceases to realize that
he has a choice.
-- 
Col. G. L. Sicherman
UU: ...{rocksvax|decvax}!sunybcs!colonel
CS: colonel@buffalo-cs
BI: csdsicher@sunyabva