Creative Writings on Positive and Negative Punishment and Ideal Slot Machine for Gambling

Positive and negative punishment

Punishment is the act of inflicting a penalty as a way of reducing certain behaviours. Discipline aims to ensure that one does not repeat a particular action in the future. There two kinds of punishments, positive and negative punishment. Positive punishment involves adding a stimulus to decrease a specific behaviour. On the other hand, negative punishment involves removing a stimulus with the aim of reducing a particular behaviour.

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Personal Experience with Punishment

I have ever been punished severally especially while in the lower grade. Sometimes the punishment worked while on other occasions it never worked. The result of the punishment always had a different outcome yet I was mainly punished for a similar issue. The difference in the outcome of the punishment is primarily caused by the kind of punishment that my parents and teachers gave me. Some were positive punishment while the others were negative ones,

While in class in grade four and five I used to be very destructive in class. I used to destruct other students such that they would not concentrate on whatever the teacher was saying. The teacher realised this and punished me. Her punishment was for me to be left behind while the others go for breaks and write 'I am sorry' ten pages. It was a tuff punishment put it did not affect my behaviour change. It did not reduce my bad behaviour.

Soon my mother learned about my mischief in class. The teacher had informed her about my behaviours and that even with punishment my behaviour was not changing. My mother decided to approach the matter from a different angle. Every time that the teacher reported that I had been mischievous in class, mom would take away my favourite toys for two days. I loved toys, and therefore I had to change my behaviour to avoid living without them.

Differential Outcomes of Positive and Negative Punishment

The first punishment which was by the teacher was a positive punishment. It involved the teacher adding a stimulus which in this case was writing that I was sorry. It never worked. The second punishment was a negative punishment from my mother. This punishment involved my mother removing social stimulus which in this case was my toys. Taking my favourite toys was sufficient punishment, and it helped me reduce bad behaviours.

Design the ideal slot machine - one that would make people addicted

Ideal slot machine for gambling would follow the principle of behaviour psychology called classical conditioning. It is based on an experiment by Ivan Pavlov on dogs. The tests involved ringing a bell to the dogs and then simultaneously bringing them food. After sometimes they were used to getting food after the bell rung. Pavlov stopped offering food but observed that the dogs were salivating with the expectation of food after the bell had rung. He would occasionally offer food to the dogs after ringing the bell thereby making them expectant.

Initial Wins as Motivation

An ideal slot machine for gambling would work in the same way. When the participants put their coins in the slot machine for the first time, they will win. At first, it will appear as if there is a trend which the people will try to master with the aim of making more money. However, it would be just a motivation factor to make them sink into the game more.

Breaking the Winning Trend: Controlled Frequency of Wins

After winning severally, the slot machine will be designed in such a manner that it breaks the trend of winning. However, the participant in the game will still be winning but not as frequently as before. Once in a while, the participant will even win a considerable amount of money as a way of keeping them intact in the game. Soon they will be addicted, and even when they lose a lot of money, they will still believe that they will win again.

The Role of Pleasant Sounds in Reinforcement

The slot machine will also be designed in such a manner that it has pleasant sound whenever one wins. Bearing this in mind, a casino with many slot machines there will always be a winning participant once in a while. It will ensure that there is the 'pleasant sound' made which will act as a motivating factor to the other gamblers.

Near Misses and the Illusion of Winning

There will also be cases where the gambler almost wins the jackpot. For example, the gambler missing by just one number. It will help to motivate the gamblers to play more. They will feel as though they will be winning soon. They will even tell their friends about it who will likely get into gambling too with the aim of winning the jackpot. With time these gamblers will get addicted, and the business will flourish.