I’ve been thinking about a way to illustrate how the differences between negative and positive reinforcement might play out in a human work situation.
Imagine coming into work and your boss brings you into a room with lots of files and several file cabinets, however you have no idea what your assignment is. You look around a make a move towards one of the files to pick it up. You can see some personal papers within the file and the papers include a name, year and company heading. You set the file back down in its place, sit and wait for instructions.
Your boss comes back in the room and scowls at you, then tells you to take a stack of magazines down four flights of stairs to the recycle area, which you do. You come back to the room with no idea of what the task is, but not wishing to irritate your boss again you look at the files. There are several filing cabinets and a whole table full of files. You look at a couple of files and decide to put them in a cabinet in alphabetical order. Your boss comes in the room, scowls and sends you down the stairs with another heavy stack of magazines to carry to the recycler.
When you return to the room this time you look at the chair and the stacks of files. You know you shouldn’t sit, but you tried to do the filing and still had to carry the magazines for failing to figure out the task. You walk to the files and look at them. Each file has a date, so you decide to file 2 or 3 files according to the year they were created. Your boss comes in, scowls and sends you on the dreaded magazine chore.
This time when you return you decide to sort the files both alphabetically and according to the year. You work quickly not wanting to make the magazine trip again, however your boss repeats his frown/punishment routine and sends you to the basement with two extra stacks of magazines.
When you return for the last time, there is no spring in your step and you are feeling a bit resentful. You know you can’t show the resentment; that might mean more step climbing. You give one last guess to place the files according to business, year and alphabetical order. The only way you know that you did the job correctly is that your boss walks in and this time you aren’t seeing his scowl.
Now imagine a different scenario. Your boss takes you to a room and when you walk in, he waits. You look at the files, the cabinets and start to walk towards the desk with the files on it. Your boss nods, smiles and gives you a Starbucks gift card.
You quickly go back to the desk and pick up a file. You decide to make a guess and file it alphabetically. Your boss gives you another gift card; so you file a couple more and check in. This time you don’t get a card, so you re-evaluate and decide to see if the files should be sorted by year as well. Your boss gives you a card and so you get busy and file 10 more records.
This time when you check in your boss doesn’t smile or give you a card, so you look at the files again. You pick up the file and look at the company heading. Before you have a chance to do anything else your boss gives you a Hershey’s kiss. You know you’re on the right track. You start to sort by company, date and the alphabetical criteria. You file 2 files this way and your boss gives you another card and a Hershey’s kiss. Boosted by the extra piece of candy you quickly file several files and before you finish your boss hands you another card, a Hershey’s kiss and tells you when you’re done you can have the afternoon off.
Now I know this example seems bizarre from a human standpoint, since we have language to help us. In the case of pressure/release, the only way our horses know the instructions or cues is by the release of that pressure. Imagine how it would be to live in that kind of learning environment, the kind of insecurity, possible resentment and uncertainty it could create. Now imagine how it would feel to be rewarded for creativity, guessing and effort.
It doesn’t take much thinking to decide which system most people would choose.
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