Unit 1.2 DB: Reinforcement and Punishment
Compare and contrast reinforcement and punishment. Include a description of both positive and negative
types of reinforcement and punishment and a clinical example of each. In response to your classmates,
compare your answers to theirs to come up with comprehensive descriptions.
Adding a consequence is part of positive punishment. Negative punishment is taking something away
like a restriction, from a reinforcement is negative reinforcement. I think of negative (-) reinforcement
and a positive (+) reinforcement just exactly like the signs of addition which is adding something and
subtraction which is taking something away and this helps me remember what the two types of
reinforcement represent as far as the connection to the actual meaning and then I take it from there and go
into depth on the influence it has on behavior. For example an example of negative reinforcement would
be taking away screen time to discourage undesirable behavior with the child. An example of positive
reinforcement would be removing a rule from a child’s set of rules to follow.
The difference between positive punishment & positive reinforcement is the difference between
encouragement (positive reinforcement) & discouragement (positive punishment). However they are
both that addition sign as I mentioned before as in adding not taking something away from the situation
even though it is adding something not desirable. For example it is giving a child a new toy for not being
disruptive to the class during movie time on Fridays. Positive reinforcement is adding something
attractive that the child will like and enjoy. Positive punishment is a punishment that is not attractive or
enjoyable that is added to the situation to discourage the child from behaving in a certain way.
Negative reinforcement has to do with taking something away (-) in order to influence a behavior. For
example when a child shows that they are responsible enough to trust that they will not come home past a
reasonable time of night in contrast to placing a strict curfew.