Part 1: Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement

• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement

  • Feedback, Reinforcement, & Punishment are behaviour modification approaches that coaches, teachers, & exercise leaders use to direct behaviour & help participants develop motivation, commitment, & desired skills
  • [related to the direction component of Motivation]
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement

  1. Fundamental assumption 
  2. Feedback 
  3. Why is feedback (e.g. reinforcement, punishment) important?
  4. How does feedback influence behaviour?
  5. Type of feedback: Reinforcement 
  6. Positive & Negative 
  7. Type of feedback: Punishment
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Fundamental Assumption

  • Behaviour is determined by its consequences
  • B = f (???) (Skinner, 1968)
  • B = f (p x E)
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Fundamental Assumption

  • Still focuses on how person thinks & how interpret rewards
  • Thinking of something available in environment (providing rewards) 
  • We anticipate to what think consequences will be & modify behaviour to get consequence want or avoid one we don’t
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Fundamental Assumption

  • Is counterintuitive, is influenced by the future (anticipate rewards/punishments), can influence how behave in present (modify behaviour)
  • Trying to invent the future that we want 
  • Someone has control of those rewards
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Feedback

  • Information about a behaviour or the consequences of a behaviour (eg. knowledge of results, verbal & nonverbal communication, reinforcement, punishment)
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Feedback

  • Knowledge of results (quantifiable)
  • Communication from others 
  • A nod, body language (non-verbal)
  • Reinforcement 
  • To reinforce good/preferred behaviour 
  • Punishments 
  • To decrease something don’t want to see 
  • eg giving a yellow card - so that you don’t do it again 
  • When receive reward, can influence our behaviour next time (to get reward/outcome again) or avoid punishment
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Why is Feedback (eg reinforcement, punishment) Important?

  • Can’t learn unless get feedback, is how you improve 
  • Feedback to help adjust 
  • Learning is crucial to get better at something 
  • Feedback modifies behaviour 
  • Influence learning, and incentive, influence on present & future motivation
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Why is Feedback Important?

  1. It is necessary if learning is to occur
  2. It influences the performance of well-learned skills (by acting as an incentive)
  3. It affects psychological variables such as motivation, self-confidence, stress, and state anxiety
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Why is Feedback Important?

  1. It is necessary if learning is to occur
  2. It influences the performance of well-learned skills (by acting as an incentive)
  3. Influences the effort we put in to well-learned skills
  4. It affects psychological variables such as motivation, self-confidence, stress, and state anxiety 
  5. Motivation for engagement may increase or decrease
  6. Influences other psych factors
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - How does Feedback Influence Behaviour?

  1. INFORMATIONAL Function
  2. MOTIVATIONAL Function

  • Behaviour to a large degree influenced by what anticipate the future to look like
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - How does Feedback Influence Behaviour?

  • INFORMATIONAL Function
  • Feedback informs person what should & should not be done
  • In absence of feedback is hard to know if you did well or not 
  • What worked or what didn’t, what need to adjust 
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - How does Feedback Influence Behaviour?

  • MOTIVATIONAL Function
  • Feedback increases effort & intensity thru incentives & rewards for goal accomplishment
  • Helps us be persistent, come back 
  • Elements of what doing well & know what can do to help improve 
  • Incentive: to increase participation 
  • Come back to try again, bc/ rewards are worth coming back 
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Types of Feedback: Reinforcement

  • Reinforce = strengthen behaviours
  • Positive & negative reinforcements (increase its frequency)
  • Punishment = weaken behaviours 
  • May be a criticism but can still be helpful
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Types of Feedback: Reinforcement

  • Reinforce = strengthen behaviours
  • Positive & negative reinforcements (increase its frequency)
  • Punishment = weaken behaviours 
  • May be a criticism but can still be helpful
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Types of Feedback: Reinforcement

  • Any reward, praise, or event that increases the frequency or strength of a behaviour (ie. it reinforces or ‘strengthens’ the behaviour)
  • Reinforcement is defined by its effect:  increase
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Types of Feedback: Reinforcement

  1. Positive Reinforcement: contingent use of rewards / reinforcers to increase the frequency of a particular behaviour (eg., increasing praise when a skill/drill is done correctly)
  2. Negative Reinforcement*: contingent withdrawal of a negative stimulus to increase the frequency of a particular behaviour (eg., withdrawing criticism when drill/skill is done correctly)
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Types of Feedback: Reinforcement

  • Positive Reinforcement: contingent use of rewards / reinforcers to increase the frequency of a particular behaviour (eg., increasing praise when a skill/drill is done correctly)
  • If is seen as insecure & we have respect for their opinion/care what they think it is a powerful motivator 
  • Offer something that someone wants
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Types of Feedback: Reinforcement

  • Negative Reinforcement*: contingent withdrawal  of a negative stimulus to increase the frequency of a particular behaviour (eg., withdrawing criticism when drill/skill is done correctly)
  • Know if increase effort, won’t be criticised 
  • Both use the word contingent, meaning connected to (reinforces) contingent upon behaviour just executed 
  • Connect the dots 
  • Only way can work if someone can connect what it is they are reinforcing
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Type of Feedback: Punishment

  • Application of a negative stimulus (eg. pain, criticism), or the removal of something positive (eg. opportunity to play, praise), in order to decrease the frequency of a particular behaviour
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Type of Feedback: Punishment

  • Criticism or remove something positive 
  • Opportunity to play as a potential punishment if don’t stick to game plan or give enough effort 
  • Take them out of activity want to do 
  • Punishments always trying to decrease a behaviour 
  • Weather it is providing something negative or removing something positive 
  • Punishing behaviour, not the person 
  • Don’t personalise it, focus on behaviour (what are trying to change)
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Type of Feedback: Punishment

  • It weakens a particular behaviour. For example, punishing a player with a time-out or criticism when a drill/skill is done incorrectly or with little effort
  • Punishing a behaviour 
  • NB. Key point: Punishment does not necessarily eliminate or extinguish a behaviour; it may only temporarily reduce the rate of the behaviour
• Principles of Feedback & Reinforcement - Type of Feedback: Punishment in real world 

  • Such as referees: penalties (penalising/punishing undesired behaviour) etc as a form of behaviour modification in real world 
  • Don’t focus on just reinforcements or punishment; use a bit both 
  • Positive components (to still feel good); punishment will not feel good about, so may not follow them over time 
  • More likely to have success