Using reinforcers to change behavior can sometimes create complications. Explain some of the misuses of rewards and reasons why rewards can backfire
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: A good answer will include the following key points.
• Misuse of rewards may involve indiscriminately dispensing of rewards even if they have not been earned.
• The rewards quickly become meaningless.
• Rewards must be tied to the behavior that you are trying to increase.
• Rewards can backfire when they are not inherently related to the activity being reinforced.
• For example, giving extrinsic reinforcement for a behavior that is already intrinsically motivated may actually cause the behavior to decrease.
• Extrinsic rewards should be used carefully and should not be overdone, so that intrinsic pleasure in an activity can blossom.
You might also like to view...
Which of the following is the best way to make sure that babies get their appropriate levels of nourishment?
a. breast-feeding b. making sure that the baby eats at least once an hour during awake time c. ensuring the baby consumes 90–100 calories per pound of its weight each day d. enhancing formula with vitamin D
Residual refers to the error of prediction
Indicate whether the statement is true or false
Which of the following consists of all the sensations, perceptions, memories, and feelings you are aware of at any instant?
a. alertness b. personality c. consciousness d. intelligence
In within-subject experiments, each subject's performance is compared with his or her performance during a ______
a. control period b. random sampling period c. baseline period d. benchmark session