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From: wiebe@ut-ngp.UUCP (Anne Hill Wiebe)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: Positive Reinforcement
Message-ID: <2752@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 2-Jan-86 14:33:42 EST
Article-I.D.: ut-ngp.2752
Posted: Thu Jan  2 14:33:42 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 3-Jan-86 04:29:40 EST
References: <283@h.cs.cmu.edu> <625@cylixd.UUCP>
Organization: UTexas Computation Center, Austin, Texas
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Positive reinforcement consists of following some action with a
stimulus that will make that action occur more frequently in the
future.  This means that anything that happens after your action could
be a reinforcer to your action, if you tend afterwards to do that
action more frequently.  THIS means that many things can be
reinforcing, although they may not seem to be that wonderful or
positive to an outside observer.  So!  what does that mean?
Well, the child who is originally reinforced for positive behavior by
means of a smile together with something like a cookie comes to
associate the cookie (primary reinforcer) with the smile or hug
(secondary reinforcer).  Then the smile becomes reinforcing
because it has been associated with good things like cookies; this is
why it's called a secondary reinforcer, because it only reinforces
after such association.  (A newborn baby does not "know" that a smile
is good, does not automatically seek smiles, but DOES automatically
seek food. So a smile-as-reinforcer has to be taught,
food-as-reinforcer doesn't have to be taught.)
Okay.  Now we can associate the smile (or praise, or hugs, etc. etc.)
with good behavior, and it reinforces the good behavior.  The
combination of smile+good behavior also produces other effects on the
child.  Notably, s/he feels happy when this combination occurs.  That
means that a happy feeling (and maybe some self-praise on the part of
the child) begins to be associated with the good behavior.  This begins
the development of a moral sense, when the child learns in this way to
reinforce his/her own good behavior.  People who learn "behavior
modification" are just making deliberate use of this everyday
occurrence or principle.  So -- anyway, the child DOESN'T have to be
rewarded or reinforced by the parent forever and ever.  It has to
happen a great deal at first, then occasionally, to keep up the
association.  Eventually, as the child grows up, "occasionally" can
become VERY occasionally, and can be a very broad statement:  the
grownup child is strongly moved when the parent says "I'm proud of
you."  This is that same reinforcement, broadened and happening on a
very occasional basis; but it sure does make the grownup child feel
good (assuming that the parent-child relationship has remained good
enough for the parent's opinion to still be respected by the child).

Anyhow, this is why reinforcement works; my credentials are a
bachelor's degree in psychology and teaching assistant work at an
extremely behaviorally-oriented university (Wichita State, Kansas)
and three years in a Ph.D. program in psychology at the Univ. of
Texas at Austin.  The above summary is not precisely the teaching or
theory of any one behaviorist, but would probably be agreeable with
most of those who call themselves behaviorist psychologists.

Happy New Year, Anne Wiebe