Reinforcement


This is a technical term used by educational psychologists; it refers
to how our learning is affected by the way in which people react to
our efforts to learn--or it refers to our own assessment of how
successfully we are mastering a learning task.
Reinforcement can be seen as any kind of reward, which is known
as "positive reinforcement"; or any kind of punishment, which is
"negative reinforcement". The range of reinforcers can be as wide
as the satisfying experience of a car moving forward when first gear
is successfully engaged, or the disappointment of the car stalling
when the wrong gear goes in-to the smile or the frown on the face
of the driving instructor!
If you consider the way in which very young children behave, you
will recognize how important reinforcement is as a factor in learn-
ing. When very young, our behaviour was "shaped" by the way in
which our parents rewarded or gave "permission" to certain kinds
ofbehaviour. Even when much older, we still tend to seek out those
situations which give us pleasure and avoid those which cause us
pain. Thus, positive reinforcement is usually a more powerful force
for learning than negative reinforcement.
If farmers enjoy your field days because they find you supportive
and encouraging of their efforts, then their motivation to attend
will be heightened. But if they meet only criticism, then they will
tend to stay away-unless their motivation to learn is extremely
high and the rewards to be gained from learning are so great they
will put up with a discouraging, negative style of presentation.
When someone is practising a skill, there is the second kind of
reinforcement operating. The reinforcement is "built-in" to the
process, in the sense that reward comes from the experience of
succeeding. Conversely, negative reinforcement occurs if the task
is not being carried out successfully.
This again indicates the importance of practice in mastering
techniques. It also points up an important factor in instruction.
When setting tasks for the farmers to perform, it is vital to make
sure that they are not too complex or difficult; otherwise they will
only experience the frustrations of failure and they will be discour-
aged.
The key factor in reinforcement is feedback. This either comes
from you as the trainer, commenting on what a farmer is doing, or
it is the result of the farmer "knowing for himself that he is right--