One answer suggests not engaging. However, not engaging when the student wants to engage would still be punishment. Negative reinforcement means to encourage behaviour by removing an aversive circumstance. Negative reinforcement is often used only after other reinforcement strategies, such as positive reinforcement and differential reinforcement, have not been effective in increasing the target skill/behavior. When planning for and implementing negative reinforcement with learners with ASD, the following steps are recommended. Negative Reinforcement. 25) Aims of the Research The research is motivated by the following aims i. To highlight the pros and cons of positive and negative reinforcement on language learning ii. To make the teachers aware that how do they bring about fear and withdrawal in the students through negative reinforcement. Reinforcement of the group is contingent on the behavior of the whole class. Appropriate peer pressure which occurs naturally in the classroom is used to encourage positive behavioral choices. Scapegoating may occur. Negative Reinforcement. Negative reinforcement is taking something unpleasant away to reinforce good behavior.

• Using Negative Reinforcement In The Classroom
• Negative Reinforcement In The Elementary Classroom
• An Example Of A Negative Reinforcement
• Examples Of Positive And Negative Reinforcement

I’ve been incorporating positive reinforcement into my training more and more all the time, and I have been sharing with my students how hugely effective it is, and beneficial to your relationship with your horse.

But if you’re not – yet – ready to take the plunge and jump into reward based training, simply having a good understanding of Learning Theory, and knowing how your current methods of training fit into the theory, will make your training more precise and clear for your horse.

Learning Theory Basics

Learning theory is a scientific principle of how learning takes place. Learning is a result of either reinforcing the desired behaviour or punishing an undesired behaviour.

Using Negative Reinforcement In The Classroom

Both reinforcement and punishment can be positive or negative. In this context, positive and negative don’t mean good and bad, but instead think of them mathematically: positive means adding something, and negative means taking something away.

Positive Reinforcement, then, means you’re adding something the horse finds valuable as a reward for getting the response you were looking for. Negative reinforcement includes traditional pressure and release techniques, with an aversive stimulus being removed as a result of the correct behaviour being demonstrated.

Positive punishment involves the addition of an aversive, following an undesired behaviour, and negative punishment (which isn’t really effective in horses) would be removing something good, until the unwanted behaviour stops.

All training approaches and techniques can be explained using learning theory.

Negative Reinforcement vs Positive Punishment

In my teaching, I’ve found that people often struggle to understand the difference between negative reinforcement and positive punishment, and since they are closely linked – both making use of an aversive – it’s quite understandable.

But if we had a better understanding of the difference, hopefully when we choose to use aversives in our training we could use them more effectively.

An aversive stimulus means something your horse doesn’t like and is motivated to find a way to make it stop. It can be very minimally aversive, or a strong, scary, even painful aversive. Whenever we’re using aversives in our training, we want to be sure they are minimal – think body position, voice, and gentle tactile cues, rather than jerks, smacks or harsh equipment.

The big difference between negative reinforcement and positive punishment is the timing of when the aversive is applied. If you are teaching your horse using negative reinforcement, you apply an aversive, and remove it as soon as you get the response you want – it’s the timing of the removal that reinforces the horse and helps him learn what you’re asking him to do. In positive punishment on the other hand, the aversive is applied after a behaviour you didn’t like, to discourage it from happening again.

Least Invasive, Minimally Aversive

We want our training to be LIMA: Least Invasive, Minimally Aversive.

If we are going to use aversives, we need to both find the smallest aversive we can that will help our horse understand, and we need to commit to not escalating it.

If you apply a stimulus, and your horse doesn’t give you a response, that means he doesn’t understand. Adding a stronger aversive isn’t going to make it clearer to him, it’s just going to mean that you are switching from negative reinforcement to positive punishment, only you are punishing him for simply not understanding what you’re asking him to do. If we don’t get a response during our training attempts, instead of increasing the intensity of the cue, we need to stop and think about how to explain it to our horse another way, until we find one he understands.

The other concern is that when we’re using an aversive, the timing of the release is critical, not only to the effectiveness of our training, but also the well-being of our horse. We have to reward the small efforts towards the bigger goal, or the horse won’t understand that he’s on the right track, and will either try different answers (some of which may be far from what we’d like him to be doing), or give up all together.

Unfortunately, this isn’t uncommon. Say you’re trying to get your horse to back up – this is an example I see too often in Miniature Horses. The handler steps in front and says Back, but the horse doesn’t know what that means yet, so they don’t move, understandably. Then the handler adds halter pressure, and the horse takes a small step back. Instead of releasing the pressure, to tell the horse they got the right answer, the handler just keeps pushing … they’ve almost got it, just keep trying! But then the horse thinks, well, backing up must’ve been the wrong answer, I have no idea what they want so I’m just going to stand here. Now we’ve activated the opposition reflex in the horse, where they just answer pressure with more pressure. The more we try to force them into the movement, the less likely they are to understand and give us the response we’re hoping for.

Who hasn’t seen a handler attempting, in vain, to shove their horse through a back or sidepass obstacle? It’s so easy to fall into the trap of trying to physically move our Miniature Horses, because they’re so small. But if we’d just use the negative reinforcement appropriately, and release when we see the small efforts towards our goal, our horse would understand what we are asking so much more quickly.

And if we combined the release of the aversive with positive reinforcement – a reward of praise, scratching, or food – then we’ve made it even more clear to our horse that they got the right answer, and they’ll be keen to try again and continue to improve on their response.

Less is More

Using positive reinforcement, it is possible to train your horse without any aversives – any pressure – at all. But if we’ve chosen to use an aversive of any kind, it’s up to us to do our best to use it correctly, with good timing and minimal aversives, so our horse understands without fear or confusion.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a horse who does what I’m asking solely due to fear of the consequences if he doesn’t. Training with frequent use of strong aversives creates obedience through fear, often euphemistically referred to as “respect”. Remember: respect is a human concept, and not something that a horse considers. He simply does what he’s been trained to do, and his feelings about performing that skill – and about you – will depend on the choices you make during training.

In the behaviorist learning theory, the idea is to create specific behaviors through rewards for wanted behaviors and consequences for unwanted behaviors. When it is applied to a classroom setting, it becomes a method of operant conditioning. It is used to not to help children understand the benefits of following the rules through a logical debate, but through the use of positive and negative reinforcement.

With the behaviorist learning theory in the classroom, there are four basic types of reinforcement that can be used.

• Positive Reinforcement. This is an immediate reinforcement of a wanted behavior when it is observed. Giving a student verbal praise for a wanted behavior is a common form of positive reinforcement that teachers offer to students.
• Negative Reinforcement. Instead of offering a student a compliment, this type of reinforcement tells a student that their behavior is not wanted. The goal isn’t to embarrass the student, but to offer an alternative behavior that could bring about a desired reward.
• Presentation Punishment. This option is often used as a form of showing an entire class what will create a negative reinforcement response. If Johnny keeps yelling during story time, a teacher might bring the student up to the front of the class and then tell Johnny that his behavior is inappropriate at that moment. The goal here is to embarrass the student, but to also encourage other students not to be embarrassed by not replicating Johnny’s behavior.
• Removal Reinforcement. This may be used by removing a disruptive student with negative behaviors from the classroom. It may also be used through a period of negotiation so that a teacher gets what they want, but a student can also have something that they want.

Each reinforcement opportunity has specific benefits and disadvantages that must be considered before it is implemented in a classroom setting.

Pros and Cons of Positive Reinforcement

Pros
It offers an immediate reinforcement of a wanted behavior. Specific statements of praise help to reinforce the compliment being offered. Specific actions, such as “clipping up” or “earning a star,” can also be included to initiate rewards.

Cons
Some students aren’t motivated by rewards. They don’t care about the classroom setting and will not respond to the positive reinforcement opportunities.

Pros and Cons of Negative Reinforcement

Pros
It creates an immediate “consequence” for an unwanted behavior. Some students may hear this consequence and not want to have it themselves, which will modify their behavior. It can create immediate change within a student who is motivated by rewards.

Cons
Some students are not motivated by a negative reinforcement either. “Who cares what you think?” Their behaviors are more about their individual needs and those needs don’t involve the classroom setting.

Negative Reinforcement In The Elementary Classroom

Pros and Cons of Presentation Punishment

Pros
It impacts the entire classroom. You’re able to modify the behavior of a large group by using an unwanted behavior from one individual. It can address a specific and potentially dangerous unwanted behavior immediately.

Cons
It causes the student being used as a presentation to be targeted by other students. They may make fun of that student or not want to be associated with them. Some students are sensitive and may resent being used as an example toward other students, which increases the number and the aggressiveness of their unwanted individuals.

Pros and Cons of Removal Reinforcement

Pros
It is a way to meet the needs of a specific student without disrupting the entire class. It may remove an unwanted behavior from the classroom immediately. Removal minimizes impact while allowing learning progression. It takes away something that a student sees as “good,” which encourages them to “earn it back” with wanted behaviors.

Cons
It may encourage a student to continue offering unwanted behaviors so they can get their way. They learn that there is a direct connection between behaving “badly” and getting what they want. It may cause other students in the classroom setting to behave in the same way so they can receive “special treatment” as well.

Which Option Is Right for Teachers Today?

An Example Of A Negative Reinforcement

Teachers should be using all of these options when appropriate to address wanted and unwanted behaviors in the classroom. The goal should always be to avoid an unpleasant consequence, but sometimes a punishment is necessary to remove an unwanted behavior. Teachers should never belittle a student. They should always be looking for a way to generate a positive outcome.

Examples Of Positive And Negative Reinforcement

And behaviorist learning theory in the classroom works best when an individualized approach is taken. A group consequence creates resentment in students who weren’t involved. Group rewards only reinforce unwanted behaviors in those who weren’t meeting expectations. By finding the middle ground, the classroom can really become a good learning environment.