Nest: Day 39
April 9, 2011 
3 Comments
Day 39
Get a reward or take a fine?
Australian Shepherd agility training by Ron Armstrong under GNU license.
I’m a student of the science of behavior. I’ve been getting instruction mostly in relation to animal training, but these principles apply equally to all living organisms. That’s a windy introduction to a simple fundamental rule you can use to create better habits.
We’ll keep it easy. There is one best way to increase performance of a habit, and that’s to give yourself positive reinforcement for it. It goes something like this:
Behavior increases when it is rewarded: positive reinforcement. So if you, for instance, are having trouble polishing your place twice a day, do this: Find something rewarding to you. Let’s say you love feta cheese. Cut it up into little half-inch cubes. We’re going to train you just the way we’d train a dog to roll over. Keep that cheese in the fridge and do not eat it at any time other than this. Immediately after polishing your place (or whatever behavior you’re trying to increase), pop one of those cheesy treats into your gaping maw. (Do not reward yourself if you only polish your place half way.) That’s it.
I’ll talk about other methods in future postings.
Do be certain that the treat you give is a reward to YOU. Every one’s different. Since I don’t want to resort to food treats, I’ll reward myself with poker chips that represent a certain amount of money I can spend at the bookstore. It’s fun to see the chips stack up. This “game” works great with kids, by the way. The chips can represent TV or computer time.
Nest Month 2
Here’s what to do so far:
In case you missed a day, the reminders below are clickable.
Do the worst first.
Lead by example.
Follow your BOP until a habit sticks.
Don’t do too much too soon.
Be on time.
Use positive reinforcement to increase habit behavior.
It took me a while to figure out a positive reinforcement I thought I could manage. Everything was either something I didn’t want that badly or something I was pretty sure I’d cheat and give myself anyway.
But I finally figured one out! There’s a particular online puzzle game that I love – I nearly always have it open in a tab and am slowly working my way through a puzzle in odd moments. The new rule is that I can’t work on the puzzle until I shovel my shitspot.
This is only day one of the reinforcement, but it’s 8am and I’ve already done the shoveling for today. *grin* I think it is going to work.
That’s fantastic. I have the same problem as you…knowing I COULD give myself the reward even if I’ve not completed the task. Your solution is particularly good when it comes to the more advanced principles of reinforcement. The best reinforcers can be given immediately following the assigned task. Your open tab assures that.