REINFORCEMENT AND FEEDBACK

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REINFORCEMENT AND FEEDBACK

• Matt Vaartstra
• University of Idaho
• Edited from Damon Burton

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REINFORCEMENT TERMINOLOGY

• What is reinforcement?
• What is punishment?
• What is extinction?
• What is the difference between positive and
  negative reinforcement?
• What is the difference between punishment and
  response-cost punishment?

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5 BASIC RESPONSE CONSEQUENCES
Present
Remove
Extinction (weakens behavior) Response Cost
Punishment (weakens behavior)
Positive Stimuli
Positive Reinforcement (strengthens behavior)
Negative Reinforcement (strengthens behavior)
Punishment (suppresses/weakens behavior)
Aversive Stimuli
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WHAT IS REINFORCEMENT?

• Reinforcement is anything that increases
  likelihood that a behavior will occur in the
  future under the same conditions. It may enhance
  both the quantity and/or quality of a behavior.
• For example, telling an athlete good job when
  she masters a new skill.
• For example, increasing an athletes playing time
  for their hard work in practice.

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TYPES OF SPORT REINFORCEMENT

• What is the most frequently used reinforcer in
  sport?
• verbal praise
• What is the most powerful reinforcer in sport?
• playing time

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WHAT IS PUNISHMENT?

• Punishment is the presentation of an aversive
  stimuli in order to decrease the quantity and/or
  quality of a behavior.
• For example
• Criticizing an athlete who is not paying
  attention.
• Suspending an athlete from the team for 4 games
  for breaking team rules.

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TYPES OF SPORT PUNISHMENT

• What is the most frequently used punishment in
  sport?
• stern rebuke
• What is the most powerful punishment in sport?
• lack of playing time, suspension or dismissal
  from team

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EXTINCTION

• Extinction removal of a positive stimulus that
  has in the past followed certain behavioral
  results.
• For example, when an athlete no longer get
  attention for being the team clown, his showoff
  behavior will normally decrease.

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POSITIVE VERSUS NEGATIVE REINFORCEMENT

• Positive reinforcement present or add positive
  stimuli in order to increase the likelihood that
  the behavior, (i.e., quantity, quality, or both)
  will occur under the same conditions.
• Example?
• Negative reinforcement remove or take away an
  aversive stimuli in order to strengthen a
  behavior that results in successful avoidance.
  It could change both the quantity and quality of
  a behavior.
• Example?

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TWO FORMS OF PUNISHMENT

• Punishment entails presentation of aversive
  stimuli with the effect of suppressing the
  behavior.
• Example?
• Response Cost Punishment contingently taking
  away something valued by the athlete.
• Example?

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NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS OF PUNISHMENT

• Punishment promotes fear and can prompt athletes
  to become motivated by fear of failure.
• Develops an unpleasant team climate that reduces
  enjoyment
• Reduces coachs ability to be a good role model
• Inhibits ability to develop good coach-athlete
  relationships

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WHY AVERSIVE CONTROL COACHES SUCCEED

• They communicate caring for players as people so
  abuse is not taken personally.
• They recruit talented athletes.
• They recruit thick-skinned athletes who are
  less bothered by abuse.
• They are skilled teachers and tacticians who can
  overcome the abuse.

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POSITIVE CONTROL COACHES

• Like John Wooden, they view mistakes as the
  stepping stones to achievement.
• Emphasis is on improving skills rather than not
  screwing up.
• Most top coaches and teachers use a very high
  percentage of positive reinforcement (i.e.,
  80-90) and a minimal amount of punishment.

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WHY POSITIVE CONTROL COACHES SUCCEED

• Foster a positive learning environment in which
  mistakes are viewed as a valuable part of
  learning.
• Promote positive coach-athlete relationships.
• Athletes like coaches more.
• Athletes enjoy sport experience more.
• Create high team cohesion.
• Athletes perform better.

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HOW REINFORCEMENT ENHANCES BEHAVIOR

• Find a reinforcer that works for each athlete
• Make reinforcement dependent on performing the
  desired behavior
• Make sure the athlete specifically understands
  why the reinforcement is being given

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WHAT IS SHAPING?

• Shaping is the process of using reinforcement
  to gradually enhance performance using operant
  conditioning principles.
• Operant conditioning the process of allowing an
  animal to operate in its environment until it
  performs correctly and then reinforce them for it
  to motivate them to repeat the desired behavior

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SHAPING -- HUMAN OPERANT CONDITIONING

• Shaping breaks down a complex skill into a
  series of manageable parts or goals and
  systematically uses reinforcement to gradually
  improve performance.
• Each time the first goal is attained, the
  individual is reward
• immediate reinforcement
• reinforced every time

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SHAPING -- HUMAN OPERANT CONDITIONING

• Shaping is catching athletes doing something
  well or at least better.
• Gradually reinforcement is modified to enhance
  retention
• delayed reinforcement
• reinforce every 3, 5, 7, 9 times
• Once Goal 1 is mastered, then shaping moves on to
  Step 2 and the process repeats

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REINFORCEMENT SCHEDULES

• Continuous schedules reinforce immediately and
  every time and they enhance immediate motivation.
• Intermittent schedules reinforcement is delayed
  and occurs on a schedule such as every 3rd, 5th,
  7th, or 9th time in order to enhance long-term
  motivation and retention.

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WHAT TO REINFORCE

• Effort
• Learning new material
• Skill improvement
• Mental preparation
• Strategy selection and use
• Reaching goals

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SHAPING PROCESS

• B

4
3
Shaping start with Step 1 and work on it until
behavior is consistent and then move to Step 2,
then Step 3 and finally Step 4
2
1
A
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FOOTBALL SHAPING EXAMPLE

• Komaki Barnett (1977) identified 3 offensive
  plays that were each broken down into 5 stages
  judged crucial for overall play execution.
• For one play, the 5 stages included
• Quarterback-center exchange
• Quarterback-right halfback fake
• Fullback blocking the end
• Quarterback decision to pitch or keep
• Quarterback action

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BEHAVIORAL COACHING PROCEDURES

• Execute the play and freeze on the whistle.
• Coach judges correct execution and says freeze
  if incorrect.
• Coach describes the incorrect behavior.
• Coach models the correct behavior.
• Athletes imitate correct behavior and feel what
  good position should be.

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FOOTBALL SHAPING EXAMPLE

• Each time the play was run, the coach checked off
  which stages of the play were executed
  successfully.
• Reinforcement was given to players for the stages
  run successfully.
• Performance increased significantly for each of
  the 3 plays following shaping (20).
• Systematic reinforcement can be a great
  performance enhancement strategy.

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REINFORCEMENT AND INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

• Self-Determination Theory confirms that
  reinforcement doesnt have to reduce intrinsic
  motivation as long as it is given to
• Recognize increased competence
• Enhance greater levels of self-determination
• Contingent rewards promote IM

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MOTIVATIONAL CLIMATE

• Shaping creates a mastery-oriented motivational
  climate that fosters IM, learning, and
  improvement.
• Outcome-based rewards promote an ego-oriented
  motivation climate that prompts overemphasis on
  winning, fear of failure, underdevelopment, and
  underachievement

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PERFORMANCE FEEDBACK

• 75 of John Woodens feedback to his team was
  instructional in nature.
• Feedback motivates directly.
• Feedback can also
• focus attention
• enhance effort
• promote persistence
• stimulate use of new task strategies

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BEHAVIORAL COACHING

• Teach skills in a way that allows for greater
  opportunities to use reinforcement.
• Emphasis is on systematically making closer and
  closer approximations of correct technique and
  form.
• Understand correct form and focus on what it
  feels like.