Page 222 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

Negative reinforcers, which strengthen behaviors, should not be confused with punishers, which weaken
behaviors. Unpleasant consequences, punishers, decrease the frequency of or suppress a behavior.2 Punishment
may take one of two different forms. One form involves removal of positive reinforcers that the person already
has, such as a privilege. A second form involves the use of unpleasant or adverse consequences, as when a
person is scolded for improper behavior. Punishment can make a person avoid the situation in the future, so
scolding a client who has not lost any weight is not appropriate.

Extinction

What happens when reinforcers are withdrawn? A behavior weakens and eventually disappears, a process
called extinction of a behavior.2 If a person starts an exercise program or dietary change, for example, and
there are not continuous positive reinforcers, that person may decrease the new behavior and eventually end it.

When behaviors are undesirable and the reinforcers for it can be identified and removed, the behavior also
may become extinct. An employee’s boisterous behavior, for example, may change if the supervisor and other
employees ignore the person and do not respond with the attention he or she is seeking. Instead, the
supervisor will want to reinforce positively nonboisterous behavior in this person.

Shaping

The decision of what to reinforce in a client or employee, and when, is also important. Does one wait until the
desired behavior is perfect? No! Most people need reinforcement along the way to something new.
Reinforcing each step along the way to successful behavior is called shaping, or successive approximations.2,7 It
involves reinforcing progress rather than waiting for perfection. When client or employee goals can be broken
down into a series of identified steps or subskills, positive feedback may be given as each step or subskill is
mastered or accomplished.

Timing Reinforcement

An important principle is that positive consequences that are immediate are more effective than those that are
delayed. The connection between the behavior and the consequences is better understood in the person’s
mind. As a result, the nutrition professional needs to identify with the client or employee not only what is
positively reinforcing to that person but also a time schedule for dispensing that reinforcement for proper
behaviors. This concept explains why it is difficult for people to change their eating behaviors. Usually, the
positive consequences of the change, such as weight loss or better health, are in the future, whereas eating
disallowed foods is positively reinforcing immediately. It tastes good or hunger is reduced. Eating is
intrinsically reinforcing, that is, a behavior that is pleasurable in itself.1

The frequency of reinforcement has also been studied. In the early part of a behavior change, continuous
reinforcement after every correct response helps learning. Later on, a variable or intermittent schedule of
reinforcement is preferable. When rewards are overused, they lose their effect, so that after an individual has
had some rewarded successes, rewards should be given less frequently. Table 10-1 summarizes some of the
implications of the theories discussed in this chapter.

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