Reinforcement Theory, B.F. Skinner

What Is The Reinforcement Theory?

The foundation of reinforcement theory of B.F. Skinner’s research is the idea that behavior is impacted by its results. The process of modifying behavior’s consequences is known as reinforcement theory.
According to the notion of reinforcement, you may alter someone’s behavior by rewarding good behavior and discouraging bad behavior. Rewards are used to encourage desired behavior, whereas sanctions are used to stop undesirable behavior. To prevent someone from engaging in a taught behavior, use extinction. Operant conditioning is the precise word for these actions. This article will help you understand the reinforcement theory better.

Key Concepts

Reinforcement theory can be divided into positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement as follows:

• Positive reinforcement
• Negative reinforcement

Positive reinforcement

When the action that you are rewarding results in a positive outcome, making an effort to generate improves the likelihood that the desired behavior will persist. If a salesman works well, they could earn a bonus, which increases their motivation to generate revenue since doing so will be beneficial.

Negative reinforcement

When the action that you are rewarding results in a positive outcome, making an effort to generate improves the likelihood that the desired behavior will persist.

When you impose a negative consequence to stop an undesirable behavior, you are using punishment.
While using negative reinforcement entails delaying a negative outcome in order to promote a desirable
Punishment is the use of a detrimental consequence to prevent a behavior. For instance, a punishment for arriving late to work is having your earnings deducted, workforce to deter employees from arriving late, a bad habit. However, sanctions are Because it may have negative consequences, it is frequently the final option tried to change an employee’s behavior. negative effects exacerbate the employee’s strain and stress.

Types Of Negative Reinforcement

Punishment

When you apply a bad consequence to stop an undesired behavior, you are using punishment.
While punishment is applying a negative consequence to deter an undesirable behavior, negative reinforcement includes withholding a negative consequence to promote a desired behavior.

For instance, a punishment for arriving late to work is having your earnings deducted. Workforce to deter employees from arriving late, a bad habit. However, sanctions are

Because it may have negative consequences, it is frequently the final option tried to change an employee’s behavior. Negative effects increase the employee’s strain and stress.

Extinction

The goal of extinction is to eradicate someone’s taught behavior. By denying the positive reward that fueled the behavior, you try to put an end to it. Let’s imagine, for illustration purposes, that you are in charge of a production plant that has recently struggled to keep up with demand.
To encourage employees to come in on weekends and postpone holidays, you used overtime pay. You no longer approve overtime work since you have the instructions under control. No longer do employees report for duty on the weekends. Their ingrained behavior has vanished.

How To Apply The Reinforcement Theory

In order to guarantee that you receive the required outcomes and prevent disagreement, it is crucial that you choose the proper form of “Operant Conditioning” as a manager. This will rely on a variety of things, including the behavior you wish to support or discourage, the organizational culture, your own management style, and the context in which the behavior is being expressed, among others.

Theories of Motivation

Psychologists started exploring motivation in human beings and came up with two models under the Theory of Motivation. These models were called the Content Model & Process Model of motivations. Each model has multiple principles and theories developed by Maslow, David Mcclelland etc

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