positive reinforcement

Last year, I was trying to teach my 2-year old son to go up the stairs using both feet. He would get his right foot up and push on his right leg with enough strength to lift himself up, but strangely never use his other leg. I remember feeling somewhat frustrated:

OK now the other leg! No, no, not that one! …

I tried a few different things over a period of weeks, but ultimately, it was positive reinforcement that did the trick. After using his right foot on the first step, I cheered him up and complimented him:

Allright, great job buddy, way to go!

He paused for a brief moment as he listened to my cheers and then, out of nowhere, lifted his other leg, and climbed another step! I cheered even louder as he started going back and forth. My son was more driven by positivism than by other means of education.

Applying this concept to software engineering can be very valuable. Code reviews usually solely focus on what needs to change, and it can sometimes feel disheartening when lots of things need changing. Taking the time to highlight the good parts during code review usually yields faster reaction time and quality response. To praise someone’s piece of code shows appreciation for one’s intellect. It increases self-esteem and confidence, it boosts morale and generates a desire to become a better coder.

7 Comments

Byron says (December 23, 2014 at 10:06 pm):

I really enjoyed this post. It’s nice to think that people can be happier and more productive with a little positive feedback.
I wonder if part of the trick is not just that you’re cheering them up, but that you’re showing them which parts of their own code to model their revisions after. While we can explain what we’re looking for in our own words, surely it’s easier to repeat your own successes than someone else’s.

Nicolas Bize says (December 23, 2014 at 10:42 pm):

@Byron: Thanks for your comment! While I agree with you, I’d say that both actually probably go hand in hand. When people take the time to understand what you did right, you are most likely to respond positively to their criticism as well.

Sean says (December 23, 2014 at 11:29 pm):

Hey there, I’m glad you’ve found such positive results!
This is quite interesting, I’m a medical student and we are often taught to use the Pendleton model of feedback. This works in the same manner as you have mentioned here: citing positives, and then negatives. It’s great that you have found the same solution in your own way. Shows that there must be some genuine evidence for it being useful!

Nicolas Bize says (December 24, 2014 at 2:03 am):

Hey Sean, thanks for the insight!
I just read some articles written by Prof. Donnelly and Mr Kirk about the subject. Very interesting 🙂

Aivar says (December 24, 2014 at 10:01 am):

Thanks for the post!
I’m a programming teacher and it inspired me a lot!

Kent says (December 24, 2014 at 10:22 am):

I just recently finished reading How to Win Friends and Influence People, and much of what it suggests is inline with your experiences. I can highly recommend the book if you’ve not read it. I’ve been trying to apply the positive enforcement ideas to my own life (esp. 2 kids) and have had a little bit of success so far.
Thanks for your post because it is additional encouragement to keep trying (it’s not easy focusing on the positive when you’re so used to being negative).

Lars Clausen says (December 24, 2014 at 1:35 pm):

Very well written, and correlates well with my own experience. Following this would be a great new years resolution.
Wrt comments on the internet being mostly negative, here’s a twist on it: Many photographers will post their photos and get mainly comments along the line of “great shot”, “wow”, “+1”. While obviously better than “that sux”, they are not very useful for getting better. Comments that point out specific negatives are downers, but can be learned from. Comments that point out the parts that are done well and what could be done to improve other parts are pure gold, uplifting and educational at the same time. The Critiques section of yore on Luminous Landscape was like that, extremely educational – see e.g. http://www.luminous-landscape.com/critiques/september-2002.shtml

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