Applied behavior analysts rarely if ever say they use rewards as components of their practice. The main reason seems antipathy toward vernacular language when referring to technical procedures. There is also a certain guild aspect to this language purification, Behaviorist Language Cops mentality. One demonstrates clearly they belong to the same fraternity (or sorority) by speaking exclusively Behavioreze, like a secret handshake. It is as though we behavior analysts must abide by our very own Maos Little Red Book, of prescribed terminology, only it wasnt written by Mao. In reality, Reward is a perfectly good term with all kinds of positive connotations. In the 11th and 12th centuries it was specifically linked to doing good deeds, as in,to reward spiritual acts, and being accorded spiritual credit. Later in that period, Reward in Old North French, meant to grant or bestow or to regard and watch over.. In the 14th century English, it came to refer to a regarding or heeding observation. by late 14th century it began to mean payment for a service, usually something helpful that was provided. Reward never ever meant a Bribe, as the Anti- Behaviorist Inquisitors would have people think. Bribe has entirely different origins in illegal and illicit actions. In that same time period, Bribe meant to pilfer or steal, or practice extortion. By the 16th century Bribe usually meant money or favor offered to a public official for an illegal benefit. It was NEVER associated with reward, which had spiritual meritorious origins. Dont allow the s..t heads define you. Define yourself through your actions and the words you use to describe them. Remember Skinner was born in 1905 and the word reward originated somewhere around 1000 AD. The word has considerable precedence, and we all grow up knowing connotatively what it means. When you insist parents or teachers say they are reinforcing their childrens behavior, it sounds like you are asking them to build bridges or repair broken windows, not helping their lovely little kids develop useful skills. Of course use reinforcement in its technical sense when speaking in technical contexts, just as do physicists and chemists use their technical vocabularies when talking to one anothers but not when discussing tomorrows weather with their Grandma. (See the On Line Dictionary of Etymology, and the paper version of the AbbreviatedOxford English Dictionary)
Posted on: Sun, 28 Dec 2014 18:02:22 +0000
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