Essay Instructions: Essay Guidelines:
Could you please add a better definition of Positive and Negative Reinforcement. And also, add conclusion.
Thanks,
ESSAY QUESTION:
Question 5: When we think of reinforces, we often think of positive reinforcement. But negative reinforcement influences behavior too. Dorothy cared for her elderly mother after a serious operation. Now that she has recovered, Dorothy wants to help her mom regain her independence. Give examples of specific activities that Dorothy could encourage in order to strengthen her mother’s independence.
• How could positive reinforcement be used to reach Dorothy’s goals?
• How could negative reinforcement be used to reach Dorothy’s goals?
ESSAY ANSWER:
Before we proceed to discuss Dorothy’s particular case, let us first understand what is meant by positive and negative reinforcement. Positive-reinforcement is an increase in the future frequency of a behavior due to the addition of stimulus immediately following a response. This is the human behavior to appreciate something or praise some action to make sure it is repeated. Negative reinforcement, on the other hand, is geared towards the removal of an aversive stimulus, thereby increasing the probability under similar circumstances, of that behavior occurring again in the future. A teacher may have the policy of poorly grading those students who come late to class. By taking this negative action he is trying to eliminate the possibility of undesired behavior. In Dorothy’s case, let’s first take a look at the problem itself and try to explain what the problem is with Dorothy’s mother. As we have seen from the question, Dorothy’s elderly mother has had an operation. There are two important things to be emphasized here and which affect the mother’s independence, increasing her dependability on Dorothy.
First of all, Dorothy’s mother is an elderly. Even before her operation, there is definitely a certain assumption. Dorothy’s mother assumes that she has to be taken care of. This may result in Dorothy’s mother limiting the activities which she could do herself, simply because of her intrinsic belief that her daughter needs to perform them for her. In this category, we could put any basic activity such as fetching her own glass of water or going out alone for short walks.
Second, Dorothy’s mother has also had an operation, which further increases her belief that she needs to be attended and cared for. The spectrum of activities which believes need to be performed for her now expands to include washing herself or maybe even eating. She probably decides no longer to leave the bed, which obviously will not encourage her independence as an individual and will make her fully dependent on Dorothy.
We can classify the methods by which Dorothy can help her mother become more independent by either positive or negative reinforcement. Positive reinforcement methods include such as motivation to be independent. Let’s start with simple behaviors such as sitting straight in bed, which can be rewarded, if these later lead to increased courage in getting out of bed, with help from Dorothy. Upon sitting up in bed, the mother can be rewarded with music that she used to be listening to when she was younger or with books.
However, positive reinforcement should probably come in the form of inducement for the mother towards rebuilding the capacity to do things she used to do in the past. At the same time, it is also important to increase the capacity of the mother to feel needed around the house, like she certainly was at some point. For example, words should emphasize that sitting up, as a primary step before getting out of bed, should be the only first step towards going into the kitchen at some point and cooking again the dishes that the entire family used to love. It is always important for an old person to feel needed around the house.
Probably, negative reinforcement should also be targeted in a similar manner towards rebuilding her mother’s confidence. Dorothy could give her mother some deep breathing exercise tapes to relieve her anxiety whenever her mother is feeling nervous or she can give her medication to ease her pain. Another action that Dorothy could do is to make sure that the house is not too bright with all the lightings. Perhaps like most elderly, she prefers the shade to help her relax. It is also a great idea to shut all windows to prevent the cold draft of air in the house, since elderly may prefer warmer temperatures. In another example, Dorothy’s mother may constantly nag to get what she wants. In response, Dorothy may use negative reinforcement and give in, thus stopping the nagging.
In a similar manner, old people are usually very attached to the places where they have been useful, such as in the kitchen. Dorothy boasting of her own activities in the kitchen will create the feeling with the mother that she needs to get back into the kitchen or in the garden, for example. The fact that getting back into these activities will remove the negative reinforcement of somebody else doing her job around the house might change her behavior and get her to move around much faster.
As previously mentioned, motivation is the key here. Dorothy needs to motivate her mother by identifying the reasons why she might want to feel alive again. Dorothy can promise, as positive reinforcements, small gifts as well, such as books or music, but better still she can show by her actions that she appreciates her mother’s independence.
Behaviors showing independence are likely to occur more frequently with the help of reinforcements. But, in order for Dorothy to reach her goal, it is essential for her to know which stimulus her mother regards as favorable or aversive since her choice of reinforcements—may it be positive or negative—largely depends on this.
