Christmas is closing fast
For small kids it is a time of great expectation - a tormenting time of waiting for the Christmas eve or day - depending on which geological culture they are part of. The awaiting is a time for them to wonder how nice they've been .. and eventually how their good behaviour would be rewarded by Santa (or elves etc.)
Twenty four days is a long time !
The actual question is; Does their behaviour affect in any way to the amount of gifts they'd be receiving? Probably not ...
Naughty or nice?
This saying or habit of ours, in order to keep the children kind at least for the time of those 24 days, raises an interesting question in my mind. As an animal behaviour professional it makes me wonder which behaviour management principles are in use to promote good behaviour in children. At least in principle this should work but the practice is probably a completely different matter.
Grandma's rule
Could this be a case of enforcing Grandma's rule? At first glance it looks very much like that. But ..What is then Grandma's rule?
David Premack (1925-2015, USA) studied various reinforcement methods around the turn of the 1960’s. He focused on the reinforcing effects of activities rather than traditional primary reinforcers, for example in his capuchin monkey studies; later he studied the same principles with children.
According to the principle, a stronger and more pleasant activity reinforces a weaker form of behaviour. An activity high in the preference hierarchy reinforces other behaviours perceived as less pleasant. However, the preference hierarchy can change according to different situations or periods, places, and other factors, and it can also be influenced by training or reinforcement techniques. Premack actually stated that eating itself as a physical act or even playing are stronger and more rewarding activities than the food or toy itself.
Santa's power
Twenty four days being nice is a long time for let's say 4-5 year old tiny tot, just with a possible promise of an unidentified reward of gifts at Christmas. It is a long chain of expected behaviours. Personally I don't think the power of Santa would be enough for such a long wait. On the other hand in some cultures, like in my family, a Christmas calendar with some tiny surprises each morning, may act as an reinforcement for kid while waiting for the Grande finale.
As in any chain behaviours a reinforcement should be given to all states of the behaviour in some extend. Premack's principle can also be used as an excellent reinforcer when training chained behaviours. One could almost say that the reinforcing power of Premack's principle is essential for chain behaviours. Premack's principle is an excellent tool and is essentially a basic skill for every animal trainer. Its effect is strongly rewarding, it is a form of secondary reinforcement, and above all, it also teaches us owners, caregivers and trainers to better understand what is a rewarding activity for the animals under our care. When something new to be learned is added in front of already learned pleasant behaviour, this subsequent activity itself acts as a reinforcer for the behaviour attached in front of the chain. However it is important to remember that at the end of the chain, the reinforcement should be the strongest of all – it rewards the entire chain of activities according to the condition of the preference hierarchy. If the strongest reinforcement would be given at some other point within the chain, the continuation of the chain could be threatened.
Premack to Christmas?
In above mentioned way the Premack principle could be considered as the reinforcing power for kids to behave kindly during the waiting period for the Christmas. How ever the chain in the situation is very long - just too long. Just to think of the anticipation of the reward and the effect it might have for the production of endorphins like dopamine seems to be too long. Dopamine is a pleasure hormone and studies show that it is indeed a kind of reward that reinforces the anticipation of something rewarding.
Considering all this; The “naughty or nice” idea (e.g., Santa’s list, or parents tracking their kids behaviour) is within behaviour–consequence framework, but to my opinion it isn’t exactly or exclusively the Premack principle. However, there are some overlapping elements; When you engage in the desired (= nice) behaviour, you get access to preferred activities. In other words a "nice" behaviour increases access to preferred activities (or rewards) and "naughty" behaviour reduces access to preferred activities (or rewards).
If you do a nice (an expected) behaviour (the low-probability behaviour), you can then do the fun (the preferred behaviour) activity (the high-probability action). Then it aligns with the Premack principle when implemented like this.
As a conclusion; it is rather hard to say what is the driving force in keeping kids behaving kind meanwhile they are expecting the Christmas. I believe it is partly due to Premack's principle but also positive reinforcement, which happens during the waiting time and at the Grande Finale has a significant role in it. In addition to that I bet there are also elements of negative reinforcement by the parents in appropriate moments while the Christmas is approaching.
Anyhow - for us animal behaviour professionals & hobbyists it is crucial that we are aware of different forces or stimuli's that are affecting our animals daily lives. Knowing this gives us multiple tools
in directing them into a better welfare and to a better everyday life with them.
Happy holidays and pleasant calm awaiting of Christmas times.
Sincerely
Kai
P.s Here's a great gift to any animal lover who is interested in learning more about animal training - my book;
"Who is training whom?"
(Still only in Finnish - but a translation is on its way to English)
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