Effects of Reinforcement in the Classroom

1. Effects of Reinforcement in the
Classroom
By: Amanda Maciocia

2. Treating Problematic Behavior
• Problematic behavior can have consequences
such as effects on a child’s home and school
life
– Parent’s stress level
– Deficits in social and self help skills
– Aggression (Bouxsien, Roane, & Harper, 2011)
– Teacher refusal for classes (Ingvarsson, Hanley &
Welter, 2009)

3. Treating Problematic Behavior
• Common ways of treating problematic
behavior and promoting compliance
– Positive reinforcement
• Introducing a positive stimulus to promote a behavior
– Negative reinforcement
• Taking away an aversive stimulus to promote a behavior

4. In the Classroom
• Positive reinforcement usually works better
than negative reinforcement
– Small rewards (positive reinforcements) are
convenient, easily and quickly given and do not
disturb the student
– Negative reinforcement, such as breaks in
school, would only take away from the student
doing the desirable (but aversive to the student)
behavior, such as homework, studying, or
participating in class.

5. In the Classroom
• Not only is positive reinforcement more
practical, it shows better improvement with
students
– When children are given the option of food
(positive reinforcement) or a break from their task
(negative reinforcement), the food led to greater
reductions in problem behavior and more
compliance (Koadak et al., 2007)

6. In the Classroom
• Positive reinforcement can also be put on
organized schedules where the reinforcer is
delivered after each occurrence, every other
occurrence, etc.
• Negative reinforcement in the classroom could
not be put on an organized schedule without
getting in the way of the desired behavior
– Such as being rewarded for doing homework with
a break, the homework would never be
completed.

7. When To Use Negative Reinforcement
• While positive reinforcement usually works
best in the classroom, there are times that
negative reinforcement may be the better
option
– After few or low stress tasks, positive
reinforcement works best
– After many or high stress tasks, negative
reinforcement works best

8. When To Use Negative Reinforcement
• When there are many tasks, tasks that take a
long time or high stress tasks, a break
afterwards is more beneficial
– It does not disturb the task because the break
comes after the task or tasks are fully completed
– The number of tasks, time it took to complete
them, or the stress level all function as
establishing operations making the break more
rewarding than positive reinforcement

9. When To Use Negative Reinforcement
• One study showed that when assigned a few
tasks, a child chose a positive reinforcer for
completing them. When faced with ten total
tasks to complete, the child chose negative
reinforcement as a reward.

10. Positive and Negative Reinforcement
• When a negative reinforcement is combined
with a positive reinforcement, compliance
levels and problematic behavior reductions
are at it’s highest
– When an autistic child was rewarded with just
music (positive reinforcement), a break (negative
reinforcement) or a break with music (both), the
child’s compliance was at it’s highest (86%) when
both were used (Bouxsein, Roane,& Harper2011)

11. Problems with Reinforcement
• Problem behaviors can be accidentally reinforced
– A toddler uses an inappropriate word and the caregivers
provide unconditional attention afterwards. This attention
serves as a positive reinforcer for the use of the word
(Sigler &Aamidor, 2005)
• Desirable behaviors are often ignored
– Children behaving appropriately are left alone while
children behaving inappropriately are showered with
attention to “stop” the behavior
• The behavior can reinforce itself
– “Escape from demands is a common maintaining
consequence for varying topographies of problem
behavior” (Ingvarsson et al., 2009)

12. Problems with Reinforcement
• These problems are easily reversed
– Children displaying good behavior should be
reinforced
– Reinforcements for inappropriate behavior should
be removed
• If attention was reinforcing the behavior, the behavior
should be ignored
– Extinction will eventually occur if there is no
reinforcement for the problem behavior

13. What Effects How Well Reinforcement
Works?
• Rewarding desirable behaviors
• Removing anything that reinforces undesirable
behaviors
• Do not give in to extinction bursts
• Reinforce as quickly as possible and on as
organized of a schedule as possible

14. References
• Bouxsein, K., Roane, H., & Harper, T. (2011) Evaluating the separate
and combined effects of positive and negative reinforcement on
task compliance. 44, (1) 175-179.
• Ingvarsson, E., Hanley, G., & Welter, K. (2009). Treatment of escapemaintained behavior with positive reinforcement: The role of
reinforcement contingency and density. 32( 3) 371-401
• Kodak, T., Lerman, D. C., Volkert, V. M., &Trosclair, N. (2007).
Further examination of factors that influence preference for
positive versus negative reinforcement. Journal of Applied
Behavior Analysis, 40(1), 25-44. Retrieved
fromhttp://search.proquest.com/docview/225038152?accountid=1
2104
• Sigler, E., &Aamidor, S. (2005). From positive reinforcement to
positive behaviors: An everyday guide for the practitioner. 32(4)
249-253