Blog Post Three: Positive vs Negative Reinforcement

 Positive vs negative reinforcement

Reinforcement can be negative or positive and increase the likelihood of a behavioral response. In positive reinforcement a desirable stimulus is added to increase behavior. An example of positive reinforcement would be if a dog trainer gives his dog a treat every time it raises its paw after the trainer raises his hand. Now, whenever the trainer raises his hand, the dog also raises his paw, even when there are no treats. In negative reinforcement an undesirable stimulus is removed to increase behavior. An example of this would be removing the curfew when a teenager has proven she is responsible and practices common sense.