NEO_SKINNERIAN MODEL

THE NEO-SKINNERIAN MODEL

Shaping Desired Behavior

Skinners Key Ideas

This model is called Neo-Skinnerian to indicate that it is made up of newer applications of Skinners basic ideas. Skinner himself never proposed a model of school discipline.

1. Behavior is shaped by its consequences, by what happens to the individual after performing the act.

2. Behavior is strengthened if followed immediately by reinforces. Technically, a reinforcer is a stimulus that increases the likelihood that the individual will repeat the act. We commonly think of reinforces as rewards.

3. Strengthened behaviors are those that have become more likely to be repeated.

4. Behavior is weakened if it is not followed by reinforcement.

5. Weakened behaviors are those that become less likely than before to be repeated.

6. Behavior is also weakened if followed by punishment. Punishment is not the same thing as negative reinforcement.

7. Systematic use of reinforcement (rewards) can shape individuals behavior in desired directions.

8. In the early stages of learning, constant reinforcement produces the best results. Constant means that the behavior is reinforced every time it occurs.

9. Once learning has reached the desired level, it is best maintained through intermittent reinforcement, reinforcement that is provided only occasionally, on an unpredictable schedule.

10. When applied to classroom learning and discipline, this process of behavior shaping through reinforcement is called behavior modification.

11. Behavior modification is one of the most powerful tools available to teachers for strengthening desired classroom learning and behavior.

12. Behavior modification is applied in these two ways:
a. The teacher observes the student perform an desired act; the teacher rewards
the student; the student tends to repeat the act.
b. The teacher observes the student perform an undesired act; the teacher either
ignores the act or punishes the student, then praises a student who is behaving
correctly; the misbehaving student becomes less likely than before to repeat the
act.
13. Behavior modification successfully uses various kinds of reinforces. They include social reinforces, such as verbal comments, facial expressions, and gestures; graphic reinforces, such as marks and stars; activity reinforces, such as free time, free reading, and collaborating with a friend; and tangible reinforces, such as food, prizes, and printed awards.