Question

Can someone answer these questions for me please?

1- You are tasked with teaching a child to stop hitting other children. Using the principles of operant conditioning, devise a strategy that uses both reinforcement and punishment to prevent the child from misbehaving. What might be the possible reasons that the child learned this aggressive behaviour? What could be done to prevent it in the future?

Answer 1

The strategy that I devised involves positive reinforcement and punishment. Positive reinforcement is providing a reinforcer which promotes the action/behaviour and punishment is the stimulus which decreases the likelihood of the behaviour/action.

So according to the strategy, first I will apply positive reinforcement by selectively praising and encouraging his polite and disciplined behaviour. If still his/her behaviour does not show improvement then I may take the help of prizes, treats etc.

For my last resort, I will use punishment. If the child still shows aggressive behaviour then he/she is punished by giving extra homework. Every time the child hit someone the amount of homework will be increased. But in no sense, the punishment should be physical. Punishment can be anything which helps the child reflect upon his/her actions and its consequences.

The most prominent reason a child learns aggressive behaviour is at their home. A child who sees aggression at home tends to learn that and practice it in his/her life as well. A number of studies have backed this claim that children learn aggressive behaviour at home.

To prevent such behaviour in the future we must help the child understand the severeness of his/her actions and its consequences. Moreover, we should talk to his parents about his and their behaviour and help them provide a better environment for the child.