Traditional Approaches to Managing Children's Behaviour Flashcards
What is the behaviourist philosophy?
child’s behaviour needs are managed by the adult. reward and punishments are key features
What are Guidance Philosophies
children need to be supported in understanding and developing considerate behaviour
what/who is the behaviourist philosophy based on?
operant conditioning developed by B F Skinner
What did Skinner 1974 believe
children’s behaviour could be shaped by positive, negative reinforcement and punishment
Positive reinforcement: What was the skinner box and what did it suggest?
Skinner designed a box that had a lever. When the lever was pressed a food pellet was delivered. Rats quickly learned to press the lever to get food. This suggested children can be made to behave in a particular way by positively reinforcing the behavior they want repeating
Rushing home in the winter to get out of the cold. What’s the negative reinforcer?
The cold weather
Studying for an exam to avoid getting a poor grade. What is the negative reinforcer?
Fear of low grade
Punishment: What did skinners box do to the rats? What does this suggest?
The rats were given an electric shock when they pressed the lever. They quickly learned not to press the lever to avoid this happening. This suggests punishing children prevents them from repeating unwanted behaviour.
Why has it been suggested that external means of attempting to shape behaviour will ultimately fail?
Does not take into account children’s emotional needs. Doesn’t address the reasons behind the behaviour
