Sometimes society will take a word and develop another meaning for it. This often happens, in part, to ignorance of the true meaning of the word, or over stating/exaggerating the meaning. For example, the word, “awesome.” In the 80s, “awesome” was used for about anything from “I agree,” to “that is neat,” to overstating an impact of an event. Sometimes we would actually use the word correctly, but most of the time, we did not.

 

Reinforcer and punisher are two words that have both been taken over my misrepresentation. A lot of people abhor the word punisher. In one of my classes, I had a student say, “I will never use a punisher with my children.” I asked if their baby picked up a hot poker, would you take it away? Of course they would! And the act of doing so would be a negative punisher.

 

On the other hand, a reinforcer is often considered a bribe. I have had students say, “I will not give a reinforcer for things my children should be doing.” Can you imagine the problem this could present? How is the child to understand what behavior is to be increased if it is not reinforced? Same goes for a dog, or a cat, or a spouse….

 

So please think about some issues that are popular in society today. Do you think you could only give positive reinforcement for all learning? Could you positive reinforce the baby with the hot poker? Pick a behavior that you would like to instill in a child or pet. Could you teach this behavior without reinforcing? Can behaviors change without consequences?

 

Pay attention to the bold paragragh to answer the questions