Behaviour change and reinforcement

I've been focusing a little on behaviour change whilst reading for my lit review, and I came across some real light bulb moments about theories I already used in my professional practice without even realising!

I have been studying the idea that in sports and exercise we normally use operant conditioning to change behaviour. The type of learning where behaviour is controlled by consequences.

B.F Skinner looked at the idea that classical conditioning (stimulus + involuntary reflex, ie. the most classic experient where a dog is trained to salivate at the sound of the bell, because the bell is rung every time before food comes out) is too simple to be the "complete explanation of complex human behaviour" His ideas were rooted in his belief that the best way to understand behvaiour "is to look at the causes of an action and its consequences."


From the article "Skinner - Operant Conditioning" by Saul Mcleod, last updated 2015 https://www.simplypsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html

From this idea we then can start to look at different approaches to operant conditioning, these being; positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement and the principle of punishment.

Positive reinforcement is to do with rewarding certain behaviours (so in this case we could say for example a positive reinforcement for a good performance in a dance class). These reinforcements can be tangible rewards (a medal, a scholarship, trophies) or intangible rewards (praise from dance teacher, clapping at the end of a performance, comments on how well you did from fellow dancers in the class or even a good performance itself). The base of the theory is that these reinforcements will then reinforce certain behaviours. So if someone has been working really hard in a class and the instructor gives praise, this will reinforce the idea of working hard, because working hard got the person praise which made them feel good!

Negative reinforcement is also used - and this should not be confused with punishment. Negative reinforcement is the idea that a negative aspect of the surrounding environment is taken away when I positive behaviour is shown. The example in 'Psychological Dynamics of Sport and Exercise' is that an instructor stops playing really loud and annoying music once a class has done the required amount of situps.

Punishment is slightly different in that the idea behind is it that you use a punishment to decrease a certain behaviour not increase it. So if you missed a team sports practice you might be 'benched and not be allowed to play in that game, you wouldn't want to miss the next game so you'd be less likely to miss practice next time.


How does all this relate to my study?

I'm looking at ways to be more effective in my professional practice and to increase people's enjoyment/motivation when I'm teaching them. I feel like these theories are the first layer to looking at practical ways I can do this and the psychological theories I can use to help me with this. If I can implement someone reinforcements into my classes and what how other teachers add them into theirs, I will hopefully reinforce the behaviour of coming to class each week. And hopefully the reinforcements will lead to the class members creating a positive cycle of learning.