BYU Study: a need for positive reinforcement among teens

Parenting Children with Positive Reinforcement (Examples + Charts) Children don’t come with instructions and discipline is often experienced by parents and children alike as an arena where our will and wits are tested. Positive reinforcement is only one of many forms of discipline, but from the perspective of positive psychology, it may as well be the most important one as it focuses on amplifying what is already good in our children and in ourselves as their caretakers. Positive reinforcement as a form of positive discipline allows us to tap into our children’s individual strengths, draw attention to their personality traits and interests, and as a result give us an opportunity to connect, communicate effectively, and ultimately empower them to be more of themselves. Before you read on, we thought you might like to download our 3 Positive Psychology Exercises for free. You can download the free PDF here.

Rewarding behavior is key to parenting teens, study suggests Parenting is hard, and parenting teens brings about an entirely new set of challenges, from keeping their rooms clean to getting them home before curfew. But, a new study suggests parents who want their teenagers to keep their grades up could have better success if they focus more on rewarding good behavior and less on threatening to punish the bad. According to the report, published in PLOS Computational Biology, British researchers have found that adolescents focus well on positive incentives, but have difficulty staying motivated to avoid penalties. The study shows that teens and adults learn in different ways, according to the study’s lead author Stefano Palminteri, a researcher with the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. It suggests that “in some cases positive feedback may have more of an effect than negative feedback on learning” in adolescents. “Rewards give them something they want to think about,” Allen said.

Teens May Learn Best with Positive Reinforcement A new study finds that adolescents focus on rewards and are less able to learn to avoid punishment or consider the consequences of alternative actions. University College-London investigators compared how adolescents and adults learn to make choices based on the available information. Investigators tracked the way in which 18 volunteers aged 12-17 and 20 volunteers aged 18-32 completed tasks in which they had to choose between abstract symbols. Each symbol was consistently associated with a fixed chance of a reward, punishment, or no outcome. As the trial progressed, participants learned which symbols were likely to lead to each outcome and adjusted their choices accordingly. Adolescents and adults were equally good at learning to choose symbols associated with reward, but adolescents were less good at avoiding symbols associated with punishment.

How to Reward Your Teen for Good Behavior Teenagers are young adults who are trying to learn the ways of the world. When they do something great at school or at home or simply make a healthy decision, parents can give them a reward. The reward does not have to be money, but it is a nice way to say "thank you" or "I'm proud of you." Teens need this positive reinforcement because it shows them that they are on the right track.1 It is also a good life lesson that you can pass on: good things happen to good people. When Do Teenagers Deserve a Reward? A teen can earn a reward for positive behavior or by changing negative behavior.1 While you should not feel that you have to "pay" for every good thing your teen does, reinforcement of good behavior will help ensure that it continues.

Article 3: Positive and Negative Reinforcement When it comes to children, teaching them behaviors that they need to repeat and not repeat is never an easy task. But what makes decisions on parenting a lot easier is understanding the benefits of encouraging or discouraging certain behaviors. Both positive and negative reinforcements are used for all age categories and levels of mental activity. All of us can profit from reinforcement but especially developing children, teenagers, elderly, and those with psychological or developmental issues. They are all in need of positive and negative reinforcement to help accomplish certain tasks or milestones.

Positive Reinforcement for Adolescents By the time children have reached adolescence, their responses are often ingrained, but parental actions can still positively affect adolescent behavior. Since adolescents are struggling to develop their personal identity and are concerned about their body image, parental support is crucial to help positively frame experiences as learning opportunities. Positive reinforcement remains a powerful teaching tool during these formative years, and we encourage parents to take time to contemplate the ways they can help adolescents mature and become self-reliant. Reinforce mature decisions by allowing increased privileges when adolescent demonstrates increased responsibility.

Parents' Use of Physical Punishment Increases Violent Behavior Among Youth Violent behavior is one of the leading causes of mortality among youth. Research has revealed numerous predictors of violent behavior among youth, many of which relate to various forms of violence exposure (e.g., media violence, bullying, neighborhood violence, corporal punishment, etc.). In this study, researchers examined the relationship between young adolescents’ involvement in and attitudes toward violence, parental use of physical punishment, and parental expectations of violence use (both perceived and stated) among youth.

Why Harsh Punishments Don’t Work Harsh punishments are not effective for improving a child’s behavior. Instead, they only create resentment. If you punish your child too harshly, he will only be thinking about his anger toward you and not about the consequences of his actions. Parenting Teens: When It Comes To Learning, Positive Reinforcement Trumps Punishment Teens generally aren’t afraid to defy authority. Generations of parents know this, having tried different strategies for getting their adolescents to do what they ask — often in attempts to keep them safe and help pave a path toward success. Now, a new study shows that rewards, rather than punishments, could be the way to get them to cooperate. Researchers at the University College London asked 18 volunteers aged 12 to 17 and 20 volunteers aged 18 to 32 to complete both a learning task and post-learning task in which they chose between abstract symbols, each associated with a fixed chance of reward, punishment, or no outcome. As the trial progressed, participants learned which symbols were likely to lead to each result and adjusted their choices accordingly.

Article 4: Positive Punishment: What Is It And How It Works? - MomJunction Image: Shutterstock Positive punishment! Sounds like a perfect oxymoron. But how can a punishment be positive? How can you even enforce such a punishment? Parenting A Teen Through Positive Reinforcement - Back On Track Most parents can agree: the teenage years can be rough! Hormones are raging, they are trying to gain more independence, and they spend a lot of time away from their parents and their home while hanging with friends. One minute they love and adore you, the next minute you ruined their life. Can many of you relate?