Erica is a 6-year-old female, who has a lot of energy, and her teacher is very i

Question

Erica is a 6-year-old female, who has a lot of energy, and her teacher is very impressed with her reading abilities, which are clearly above her grade level. The teacher has her read books of her choice to the other students, gives her a lot of individual attention, and gives her a lot of verbal positive reinforcement. She moves in the middle of the school year, and her new teacher does not believe she can read at a higher level and refuses to let her show her abilities. She feels Erica should try harder to fit into the social structure of the classroom, and sees her as being disruptive. She is highly critical of Erica’s schoolwork, which does decline over time. 3. Why do you think these two teachers might have such different views of Erica? 4. Why do you think her behavior and academic achievement is different in each of the classrooms?

Explanation / Answer

Th teacher in Erica's previous school was probably more accepting of individual differences. She encouraged Erica, which served as a form of reinforcement for her to strive to do better. Operant conditioning comes into play here. Erica's higher reading level and enthusiasm are involuntary and her teacher's positive reinforcement further strengthens her behavior.

The teacher in the new teacher, on the other hand, seems to prefer that Erica conforms to the standards of the students in her class. Operant conditioning is used by the new teacher as well, but it is focussed more on negative reinforcement. "Undesirable behavior" can decline through negative reinforcement or lack of any positive reinforcement when the behavior occurs. The new teacher's overly critical approach toward Erica serves as a negative reinforcement, which eventually results in a decline in Erica's performance at school.

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