Question

Use an example to describe how positive reinforcement and motivation can be used effectively when providing positive behaviour support.

Why is engaging a person with meaningful activities likely to affect their behaviour?

Describe why supporting a person’s relationships, stress management and nutrition may have a positive impact on behaviour, and explain how improvements could be made.

In what ways can improving a person’s environment and systems help them manage their behaviour?

Answer 1

It is a widely accepted finding that reinforcement has a big role in learning. Researches in the field of learning by Skinner, Pavlov and Thorndike have suggested that positive reinforcement has more motivating properties for an individual to learn a specific behavioral response in comparison to punishment. This means that if a parent wants their children to learn a specific behavioral pattern they need to positively reinforce the behavior whenever the child manifests it or engages in. For example, if the parents want their children not to throw a tantrum in public, they need to reinforce the ‘no tantrum behavior’ rather than punishing the child when he/she throws a tantrum. The parents must also reinforce the behavior each time it is manifested and not use a variable ratio schedule of reinforcement.

If an individual meaningfully engages in a behavior then accordingly their behavior will be influenced. This will occur because in meaningful engagement thee individual takes into consideration all the pros and cons of the behavior and thus responds rather than reacts to the situation. This also means that he/she will use all the cognitive, affective and intellectual resources he/she has to deal with the situation at hand. The result will thus, be beneficial for the individual.

Stress is an inevitable part of life. But if an individual is healthy and engages in healthy stress management activities then he/she will be more adept at handling stress. For dealing with daily stressors what one eats and how much water an individual drinks impacts their physical resources to deal with stress. If stress is well under control, an individual will not displace his stress and frustration on the significant others. This means that nutrition and stress under control influences one’s relationships as well.

If an enabling environment is given then there are maximum chances that the individual will strive and thrive and will be a fully functioning individual. By giving an opportunity to showcase their abilities and providing enough challenges will furnish the skills of an individual.

Overall, it may be concluded that there are various situational and individual factors that impact the behavior of an individual.