Introduction
Behavioral psychology is the study of how behavior is guided by conditioned and unconditioned stimuli. This field argues that all behaviors are acquired through conditioning of some kind that can take the form of association or reward and punishment through the association of behavior and the consequences it results to. (Zaibert, 2006)
Main body
Positive reinforcement is of operant conditioning that involves the observation of behavior then a reward is offered to encourage the behavior. However, the timing of the reward is important in determining how fast the reinforced behavior will be acquired and also has an effect on the strength of the response. Positive reinforcement is therefore an attempt to make the given behavior adopted and used over and over. It’s also meant to have the effect of attaching the given behavior with the good consequences it results in and thus seek its repetition to be rewarded. In the process of repeating the behavior the individual gets accustomed to that behavior and does not reinforce it anymore.
An example of this is when a student is rewarded for passing in a given subject as they will perform better in under get more rewards. Another example is when a student is given a gift by the parent for having done some work well. (Rang, 2003)
Negative reinforcement on the other side is the conditioning that may be unconscious but which leads to the take-up of the undesired behavior, especially in children. In this, the aspect of timing also applies and it results in the occurrence of the undesired time and time again. An example is a drunkard parent who is very generous to the children when he is drunk. The effect is that the children associate the drinking habit with generosity. The other is in a case where a parent for one reason or the other steals something; the child takes up the behavior due to the parent’s influence. (Zaibert, 2006)
Positive punishment is the negative reward that is given in an attempt to discourage a given behavior and encourage the desired one. An example of this is beating a child who steals something and forces him/her to return the stolen item. (Zaibert, 2006) Negative punishment is the case where the reward given is not encouraging a good act or discouraging a bad one but results in confusion of the good and the bad. An example of this is when a child who has not met the set targets but has done well enough is beaten up. This often is done by parents with psychological problems. (Zaibert, 2006)
A case that undesirable behavior is reinforced unconsciously is when a parent who drinks is known by the children to be good and generous when drunk. The children, therefore, associate the drinking habit with generosity and good nature. The consequences are that the children take up and grow to become drunkards due to having attached it to the good generous nature. The ways of avoiding the wrong behavior are by rewarding or punishment in good timing. The other way is by doing the behavior that you are enforcing as a role model, especially towards children. (Rang, 2003)
Neurotransmitters are chemical fluid units that are held under the presynaptic side of a synapse. They play the role of transmitting, amplifying, and control signals between a neuron and other cells after stimulation that amounts to energy or potential action. Their general function within the body is to activate receptors of body activities like sleep and temperature change. Their impact on behavior is that they regulate mood, sleep, and wake cycles and store memories thus form a greater part of behavior. (Zaibert, 2006)
Neurons are excitable cells within the nervous system that process and pass information through electrochemical signaling. This is achieved through special functions like touch, sound, light, and smell. The connection between neurons and neurotransmitters is that the neurotransmitters transmit, amplify and or control the signals from the neurons to other cells. (Rang, 2003)
Serotonin is the transmitter that regulates mood, sleep and wake cycle, and body temperature. An example of its function is during sunny conditions and ecstasy. Disease or malfunctions of the components of the body use the transmitters to show symptoms like lack of sleep. (Zaibert, 2006)
Acetylcholine is the transmitter that connects muscles and motor nerves controlling motion and other bodily functions. The failure of these transmitters can cause diseases like lameness among other muscle-related disorders. Often, diseases affect particular neurotransmitter systems; an example is Parkinson’s disease that brings about failure of dopaminergic cells. In other cases, certain disorders can result in failure or inefficient function of transmitters. (Rang, 2003)
Conclusion
Behavioral psychology is the study of the relation between behavior and both conditioned and unconditioned stimuli. The majority of these stimuli are perceived through the transmission of signals to the brain by the neurons and the neurotransmitters to be translated into behavior.
List of References
Rang, H. P. (2003). Pharmacology. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
Zaibert, L. (2006). Punishment and retribution. Aldershot, Hants, England: Ashgate.