In class we learned about the types of operant conditioning. We learned that reinforcements are any event that strengthens behavior. Positive reinforcement is when you increase a behavior by presenting a positive stimuli, and negative reinforcement is when you increase a behavior by removing a negative stimuli. Punishments, on the other hand, are any event that decreases behavior. Positive punishment is when you decrease a behavior by presenting an aversive stimulus, and negative punishment is when you decrease a behavior by removing a desirable stimulus.
When determining the type of operant conditioning, we were taught to first look at whether the behavior is going up or down in order to determine if it is a reinforcement or a punishment. The next thing to look at is if something is being added or taken away in order to determine if it is positive or negative.
An example of this that I have experienced was in sixth grade. We had five notecards with our names on them, and if we got in trouble, we would get a notecard taken away. If we got all five notecards taken away by the end of the week, we wouldn’t get to participate in the activity that week, which was just like an extra recess. To determine what type of operant conditioning this was we can first look at whether the teacher intended for the behavior to increase or decrease. In this case, the behavior was being bad or getting in trouble, and the teacher intended for this behavior to go down, making it a punishment. The next thing to look at is if something is being taken away or added. In this case, the activity at the end of the week was being taken away, making it negative.
I think everyone has experienced the use of operant conditioning to change some kind of behavior, especially younger kids, and this is one of my experiences with it.