Negative Reinforcement and Operant Conditioning

Negative reinforcement is a procedure of amplifying a reaction or behavior by halting, eliminating, or evading an unfavorable outcome or repugnant stimulus. It was preliminarily outlined by B. F. Skinner in his theory of operant conditioning.

Instead of delivering a repugnant stimulus (penalty) or a reward (positive reinforcement), unfavorable reinforcement operates by seizing a component that the individual detects undesirable. This elimination fortifies the behavior that precedes it, fabricating it more probable that the response will occur once more in the forthcoming.

How Does Negative Reinforcement Operate?

Unfavorable reinforcement functions to intensify specific behaviors by eliminating some sort of repugnant outcome. As a configuration of fortification, it reinforces the behavior that precedes it. In the case of negative reinforcement, it is the act of removing the undesirable outcome or stimulus that serves as the reward for perpetrating the behavior.

Repugnant stimuli tend to involve some form of inconvenience, either bodily or psychological. Behaviors are negatively reinforced when they allow you to escape from repugnant stimuli that are presently present or allow you to entirely avert the repugnant stimuli before they ensue.

For instance, opting to take an antacid before you indulge in a spicy meal is an archetype of unfavorable reinforcement. You engage in an action in order to avert a negative result.

One of the superior methods to recall unfavorable reinforcement is to perceive it as something being subtracted from the predicament.

There are two separate forms of unfavorable reinforcement: escape learning and evasion learning. Escape learning involves being capable of escaping an undesirable stimulus, while evasion learning entails being capable of preventing experiencing the repugnant stimulus altogether.

Examples of Negative Reinforcement

Here are some real-world illustrations of unfavorable reinforcement:

• Prior to heading out for a day at the beach, you slather on sunscreen (the behavior) to avert getting sunburned (removal of the repugnant stimulus).
• You determine to clean up your mess in the kitchen (the behavior) to evade getting into a fight with your roommate (removal of the repugnant stimulus).
• On Monday morning, you depart the house early (the behavior) to evade getting stuck in traffic and being tardy for work (removal of a repugnant stimulus).
• At supper time, a child pouts and declines to eat her vegetables for dinner. Her parents swiftly take the offensive veggies away. Since the behavior (pouting) steered to the removal of the repugnant stimulus (the veggies), this is an example of unfavorable reinforcement.

In each of these examples, the negative reinforcer is the elimination of an undesirable outcome. By eradicating these undesirable outcomes, precautionary behaviors grow more likely to occur again in the future.

Negative vs. Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is a form of reinforcement that involves giving someone the desired reward in response to a behavior. This might involve offering praise, money, or other incentives.

Both positive and unfavorable reinforcement endeavor to augment the likelihood that a behavior will transpire again in the future. You can differentiate between the two by perceiving whether something is being appropriated or added to the situation. If something desirable is being added, then it is positive reinforcement. If something aversive is being removed, then it is unfavorable reinforcement.

Negative Reinforcement vs. Penalty

A common confusion people often encounter is mistaking unfavorable reinforcement with penalty. Recall, however, that unfavorable reinforcement involves the elimination of a negative condition to fortify a behavior.

Penalty entails either presenting or confiscating a stimulus to weaken a behavior.

Scrutinize the subsequent example and determine whether you envisage it is an example of unfavorable reinforcement or penalty:

Luke is expected to clean his room every Saturday morning. Last weekend, he ventured out to play with his friend without cleaning his room. Consequently, his father made him expend the rest of the weekend performing additional chores like cleaning out the garage, mowing the lawn, and weeding the garden, in addition to cleaning his room.

If you stated that this was an example of penalty, then you are accurate. Since Luke failed to clean his room, his father penalized him by making him execute extra chores.

If you are attempting to distinguish between unfavorable reinforcement or penalty, contemplate whether something is being added or removed from a situation.

If an unwanted outcome is being added or applied as a consequence of a behavior, then it is an instance of penalty. If something is being eliminated in order to steer clear of or assuage an undesirable outcome, then it is an example of unfavorable reinforcement.

Applications for Negative Reinforcement

Negative reinforcement can be utilized in a variety of ways in numerous disparate settings. A few illustrations include:

• Parenting: Parents can employ unfavorable reinforcement to stimulate positive behaviors in various methods. For instance, a parent might eliminate a chore that their child is expected to do if they conclude all of the additional tasks on their index. Another example is granting children additional time to play on their tablets if they finalize all of their homework first.
• Education: One illustration of unfavorable reinforcement in the classroom is canceling a task that students detest (such as a pop quiz) if they conclude all their assigned work on time.
• Psychotherapy: Negative reinforcement is commonly employed as a component of addiction treatment and behavioral therapy. Individuals who have been convicted of drug-related offenses, for example, might be capable of having their sentences abridged if they participate in drug and alcohol treatment. In behavioral therapy, unfavorable reinforcement can assist in fortifying positive behaviors. As people foster abilities, they may discover that exercising new coping abilities eliminates unpleasant outcomes, which can further fortify new behaviors.

Effectiveness

Negative reinforcement can be an effectual means to fortify the preferred behavior. However, it is most effectual when reinforcers are presented instantaneously succeeding a behavior. When a prolonged period elapses between the behavior and the reinforcer, the response is prone to be weaker.

In some cases, behaviors that manifest in the intervening time between the initial action and the reinforcer are may also be inadvertently reinforced as well.

Some experts contend that unfavorable reinforcement ought to be used sparingly in classroom settings, while positive reinforcement should be emphasized.

While unfavorable reinforcement can produce immediate results, it might be optimally suited for short-term use.

Advantages of Negative Reinforcement

While the name of this form of reinforcement regularly entices people to believe that it is a "negative" form of reinforcement, unfavorable reinforcement can possess several advantages that can constitute it a valuable tool in the learning procedure. Potential merits comprise:

• It can augment desirable behaviors that might not naturally occur or might not be reinforced positively.
• It can be effectual in changing undesirable behaviors by eliminating the repugnant results associated with those behaviors.
• It can speedily alter behavior since the elimination of an undesirable outcome is often a potent incentive.

Disadvantages of Negative Reinforcement

There are also some drawbacks to using unfavorable reinforcement, which includes:

• It can exclusively suppress undesirable behaviors instead of teaching new, more appropriate behaviors.
• It can produce apprehension or anxiety about the possibility of encountering the repugnant stimulus.
• It might not be as effectual in the long term as positive reinforcement.

Conclusion

Negative reinforcement can be an effectual tool for modifying behavior, but it should be used judiciously. It is most effectual when used in combination with positive reinforcement.