What is Reinforcement? Your ultimate guide!

Last updated on April 16th, 2020 at 11:37 am

You’ll hear the term “reinforcement” used a lot in this blog and with good reason too. It’s one of the most interesting and important concepts to come out of behaviour analysis (the science of understanding behaviour). And its something that’s shaping how you behave on a daily basis! But myths and common misconceptions have lead to a lot of confusion as to what reinforcement actually is. So this is going to be my guide to explaining what reinforcement means, what the two types of reinforcement are and what the differences between them is. Happy reading!

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What is Behaviour Analysis? A Quick Guide

Last updated on April 16th, 2020 at 11:32 am

If you’re new to the concept of behaviour analysis then this post should get you up to speed with some of the key ideas.

The main thing that separates behaviour analysis from other types of psychology is this: instead of believing that our behaviour is caused by some kind of underlying trait that lives inside of us, behaviour analysis takes the viewpoint that the majority of our behaviour is actually learned and determined through interactions with our environment.

  • We aim to understand, explain, describe and predict behaviour
  • We have developed a set of “principles of behaviour” based upon years of scientific research. One example of these principles is reinforcement. These principles help us to recognize predictable patterns in behaviour.
  • Our goal is to use our research to help to make a really significant and positive impact on people’s lives

Behaviour analysis can be applied to so many different things! Business, classroom management, self-help, interventions for people with autism, recycling…… The list is endless!

In the image below you can see at a glance what behaviour analysis is and what it is not

Watermarked what is BA pic

I hope that I’ve managed to get you a bit more familiar with behaviour analysis.

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments section!

Self-monitoring: a simple and powerful way to break bad habits

Last updated on April 16th, 2020 at 11:33 am

Hopefully you have read part 1 in this series and you have managed to pin down what is maintaining your bad habit. Now that you know your enemy a little more, I can share a strategy with you to help kick that habit!

Self-monitoring is the act of keeping a daily record of a specific behavour that you want to change about yourself.  It’s a easy three step process that has a good success rate of breaking stubborn bad habits.

Let’s get started!

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