Positive Reinforcement: Of Triangles and Newspapers
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Reading, Reading, Always Reading
So I was reading a post on positive reinforcement the other day. Great post with some good examples and groundwork laid out.
I’m kind of a horse/dog nut. Have been ever since I picked up a copy of The Little Fellow (which I still own, despite utterly destroyed binding).
In addition to animal fiction, I also read a lot of nonfiction. The Monks of New Skete (The Art of Raising a Puppy and How To Be Your Dog’s Best Friend) feature prominently, alongside Horse, Follow Closely and many others–all despite the fact that I have neither dog nor horse.
Still, positive reinforcement goes well beyond dogs and horses. It affects people, too.
College
I remember a class I took in college. The instructor asked for two volunteers to leave the room and NOT listen at the doors. After they were gone, the prof requested two more volunteers and gave one of them a triangle (the musical instrument) and the other a rolled up newspaper.
The goal, he told the class, was for each instrument holder to get their outside volunteer to walk down the aisle, walk up the stage, sit in the chair, then go back to their original seat in the audience.
All without speaking.
Triangle ringing was to be done if the person did the correct thing, and a (LIGHT) newspaper swat was to be delivered for someone doing the wrong thing.
Triangle went first (after the nervous giggles of the crowd died down). One of the outside volunteers was let into the room, amidst the chime of the instrument. VERY confused looks and lots more nervous tittering from the crowd, but the student got the hang of it pretty quickly and received well-deserved applause when they got back to their seats.
Then came the newspaper. It was a DISASTER. Although the student did manage to get on stage, they were never even able to figure out that they needed to sit in the chair, let alone go back to their own seat afterwards. Even knowing the soft fwaps of the newspaper didn’t hurt, it still looked very threatening to have the newspaper-wielder chasing after the other student, who truly did get the look of an abused dog after a while, cringing away and clearly unhappy.
The message was simple and clear. The newspaper did not work. The positive reinforcement absolutely did.
Yourself
I’m going to end this post on a contemplative note.
When you set a goal for yourself and you FAIL in that goal (either in a small way or in a big way) … what type of reinforcement do you give yourself?
What is the mental self-talk that goes through your mind?
If you’re like pretty much everyone I’ve ever met, it’s negative. If you’re like me, it’s borderline abusive.
What is one way that you can turn a thread of negative self-talk into positive reinforcement? Can you think of a common thread in your mind that could be spun on its axis and used as a triangle instead of a newspaper?
Positive reinforcement is something I’m very interested in (as you’ve gathered!) – although my study is mainly applied to dogs and horses it can and IMO should be applied to all species. There are plenty of scientific papers etc which prove positive reinforcement works far better than the more aggressive methods. I’m really pleased to see other people pushing this idea to try and help folk!
*nod* I think it has far-reaching effects — once you start looking into it for your pets (which is where it usually starts) it can be applied in so many ways. Relationships benefit from positivity as well. =]
This is why I think clicker training will be on my list of things to experiment with. As someone who responds VERY poorly to negative reinforcement myself, I’ve always leaned towards positive stuff.
The concern with horses is that some people confuse negative reinforcement with discipline, and what you end up with is a dangerous, spoiled animal with no manners, but that’s…another issue.
I’ve seen excellent results with clicker training — we used it in the Aggie Guide Dogs and Service Dogs group I was part of in college.
Totally agreed on the horse issue. My cousin had a mare so poorly trained that she actually pinned someone against a tree with her forehooves (reared up).
@Bubbles – you are absolutely correct, and it applies to people as well as animals. There is a difference between negative reinforcement and discipline. Everyone needs discipline, but it does not require negative reinforcement.
I spent my morning trying to convince students that the voice of fear and failure that they listen to is not helpful. It is a long road to getting them to believe that they know as much as they do, because they want to agree with the voice that tells them that they do not understand and they do not have the skills necessary to do well. Inevitably, humans will not even try, because that voice tells them there is no point in putting in the effort, as they will just fail.
I hate that voice.
The outloud voice I use for the family is:
There is a solution for everything. Find an answer for how to fix this. Even the worst problems have answers, but you have to address the issue and decide how you will change things for the better.
Internally, my voice just asks, “What is the plan? How are you gonna change things?” It changes my focus from what is wrong to what can be better.
Of course, on any given day you might hear me wail, “Why do none of my plans work? Plans arre so stupid!!”
@Anne – I love what you wrote!
As a project manager, I have to comment on plans. I have always been a ‘different’ kind of PM, since I don’t rule with due dates and to-do lists, but I truly believe in the power of planning. HOWEVER, my favorite saying about plans (which I am stealing, but I can’t remember where I read it a long time ago) has become my mantra through the years:
It is the ACT of planning that is so important, not the actual plan itself. Plans can (and should) change with the times, but the act of planning should NEVER be neglected. Planning is never complete, either, it is an ongoing activity.
@Anne
I love that you have an outloud voice that is so strong and positive. Rock ON.
@Willy
Love that saying!
If only Tami and Willy were children of mine! *sigh*
I guarantee that the level of appreciation my kids have for most of the things that I say is well below the accolades I am getting here.
There is a dog story here, but lack the time to share it fully. But last night, when Whiskey ran out of the yard, my youngest told him he was a bad dog. I reminded her that to punish him for returning was counter productive. The goal is to get him to understand that he is not to leave the fenced area and PRAISE him for being with us. She said that it scares her when he gets out and she wants him to stop.
“Ah, yes,” said Grasshopper. “But do not let your fear cloud your judgment of what is best for Whiskey. Praise him for being here. Love him for coming home. And stand by the gate to deter him from leaving in the first place.”
“It was cold.”
“Then you are at fault, not him.”
“I do not like it when you make sense. It makes me feel all responsible and yucky.”
Lord, do I know THAT feeling.
If I can’t be your kid, at least I can be your quirky long-distance friend, right? ^_^
Your daughter has it totally right. “I do not like it when you make sense. It makes me feel all responsible and yucky.”
That never goes away. Yuck.
First you want to be my friend and then you tell me my daughter is right. Can’t have it both ways.
The current conflict in the home is Nick joining percussion this year. So now he will be a clarinet player AND a percussionist. A double band nerd!! Yeah!
This is an issue because Jessica wanted to be a percussionist when she joins band and now her sacred territory is being walked on. And so there are some ridiculously heated arguments going on. One morning, Nick said, ” Well, you are probably going to take Jessica’s side on this.”
“SIDE? There are no sides to this. Everybody needs to GROW UP and deal with this responsibly!”
Jessica looked at me. “Is responsibility the answer to everything??”
That dumb band director is getting a scathing email from me. How can a band geek create soooo much disharmony??
Clearly, it’s up to the band directory to create symphony from all that disharmony.
Also, Jessica could totally take up the cello or violin. Those are both awesome instruments.
Not everyone can be a bassoon player, sadly.