Behaviour Modification (Skinner)

Skinner's Key Ideas

This model includes new applications of Skinner's basic ideas. Skinner himself never proposed a
model of school discipline. Other writers have taken his ideas on learning and adapted them to
controlling the behavior of students in schools. The following ideas reveal the essence of
Skinner's model:
1. Behavior is shaped by its consequences, by what happens to the individual
immediately afterward.
2. Systematic use of reinforcement (rewards) can shape students' behavior in
desired directions.
3. Behavior becomes weaker if not followed by reinforcement.
4. Behavior is also weakened by punishment.
5. In the early stages of learning, constant reinforcement produces the best result.
6. Once learning has reached the desired level, it is best maintained through
intermittent reinforcement, provided only occasionally.
7. Behavior modification is applied in these two main ways:
o The teacher observes the student perform an undesired act; the teacher
rewards the student; the student tends to repeat the act.
o 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.
8. Behavior modification successfully uses various kinds of reinforcers. They include
social reinforcers such as verbal comments, facial expressions, and gestures; graphic
reinforcers such as marks and stars; activity reinforcers such as free time and
collaborating with a friend; and tangible reinforcers such as prizes and printed
awards.

The Skinner model can be a powerful model for classroom teachers, one that can be easily
modified and implemented with students of all ages and backgrounds.

The Skinner Model of Shaping
Desired Behavior
Human behavior can be shaped
along desired lines by means of the
systematic application of
reinforcement.

Types of Reinforcers
Types of reinforcers commonly used in schools fall into four categories:
1. Social

Social reinforcers consist of words, gestures, and facial
expressions. Many students work diligently just to get a smile, pat,
or a kind word from the teacher. Some examples are:
Verbal * OK. Wow! Excellent. Nice going. Exactly. Right.
Thank you. I like that. Would you share that.
Nonverbal * Smiles, winks, eye contact, nods, thumbs up,
touches, pats. walk beside, stand near, shake hands.

2. Graphic

Graphic reinforcers include marks of various kinds such as
numerals, checks, happy faces, and special symbols. Teachers make
these marks with felt pens and rubber stamps. They may enter
them on charts or use a paper punch to make holes in cards kept
by the students. They may attach stars or stickers that are
commercially available in large quantities and varieties.

3. Activity

Activity reinforcers include those activities that students prefer
in school. Any activity can be used as a reinforcer if students
prefer it to another. Examples of activities that usually reinforce
academic learning are:
For younger students:
o Being a monitor, sitting near the teacher, choosing the
song, caring for the pet, sharing a pet or toy.
For middle students:
o Playing a game, free reading, decorating the classroom,
having extra recess time, going to an assembly.
For older students:
o Working with a friend, being excused from a test, working
on a special project, being excused from homework.

4. Tangible

Tangible reinforcers are real objects that students can earn as
rewards for desired behavior and are more powerful for some
students than other types of reinforcers. They are widely used
with students who have special behavior problems. Many primary
teachers use tangible reinforcers regularly. Examples of
inexpensive reinforcers are: popcorn, raisins, chalk, crayons, felt
pens, pencils, badges, etc.


Comments on Skinner's Model
Teachers who once begin using behavior modification in a systematic way tend to stick with it, appreciating its
powerful effects. They come to see it not as manipulating students, but as freeing them to behave in ways that
bring success and positive recognition.
Systematic attention and reinforcing become natural parts of the teaching act, occurring automatically. After a
while, teachers do not even have to think of them. That natural spontaneity makes reinforcement even more
effective. Students feel that the teacher is simply kind, considerate, and friendly, not designing or manipulative.
But do teachers see behavior modification for what it really is? And if they do, are its inherent dangers evident to
them? Considerable controversy over these questions began decades ago and continues to the present time.
One of the most perplexing questions has to do with whether, and to what extent, behavior modification amounts
to blatant teacher control of students' thoughts and actions. Related to that question is the concern over free
will, which most people believe to be the essential quality that sets mankind apart from other organisms. Skinner
rejected the concept of free will, which he considered to be a formidable road block to understanding human
behavior
In recent years, research has cast doubt on whether rewards, the keystone of behavior modification, actually
serve to strengthen desired learning and behavior Some contend that rewards serve to reduce intrinsic motivation,
supplanting it with a control-system of compliance and external modification (Hill, 1990).
In truth, not all teachers like behavior modification, but those who do, say it makes teaching easier and more
enjoyable. With regard to discipline, they find behavior modification especially effective in preventive and
supportive control, though they admit it is slow and cumbersome (and often ineffective) when it comes to
correcting misbehavior.
Application of the Model
(Jack will not work)
Jack, in Mr. Jones' class, is quite docile. He never disrupts class and does little socializing with other students. But
despite Mr. Jones' best efforts, he can hardly get Jack to participate in class activities. He rarely completes an
assignment. He doesn't seem to care. He is simply there, like a bump on a log, putting forth virtually no effort. How
would Skinner deal with Jack? Skinner would suggest that Mr. Jones try the following approaches with Jack.
1. Catch Jack being good (doing anything that is appropriate). Reward him whenever he participates or works.
2. Reiterate the class rules regarding work. Praise Jack whenever he follows the rule.
3. Consider stronger reinforcers. If praise is ineffective, use points, tokens, or other tangible objects to reinforce and
shape Jack's improvement.
4. Set up a contract with Jack. Identify a reward that is exceptionally attractive to him. Outline what he must do in order
to earn the reward. Share the contract with Jack's parents to enlist their support. Reinforce every improvement Jack
makes.