How to instigate behaviour change – your child’s, your own, and other people’s!
Reinforcement, the strengthening of behaviour through the consequences of that behaviour (reinforcers or reinforcing stimuli), is a key psychological concept, one that has been applied widely in homes, schools and workplaces. Reinforcement has entered into our popular culture. It is common to hear non-psychologists talk about the importance of reinforcing particular behaviours and the strategies […]
In our culture we fetishize willpower. We get hooked on the idea that individuals change themselves through the internal flexing of their own will, somehow pulling themselves up by their own bootstraps. We fall into the trap of thinking that we can force others to change through sheer will. Complex and poignant interactions between people […]
All parents know that as children develop, they go through stages were they particularly ‘test the boundaries’. During these stages, children often focus on testing out particular family expectations. Suddenly a daily task that caused no distress or grief whatsoever becomes the centre of vocal and angry objections. These ‘boundary testing’ times can be very […]
There are no easy answers to many of the dilemmas that parents face and even if there were, they wouldn’t necessarily be right for your child. However, this doesn’t mean that you are lost and adrift with nothing to guide you either. Although there are no easy answers, there is flexible adaptation, a process of […]
Many of the biggest dilemmas parents face are about discipline; how to gradually and effectively shape our children’s behaviour both to make everyone’s life easier in the short-term and to ensure, in the long-term, that as an adult they are equipped with the kinds of skills and behaviours that will bring them success, health and […]
Feeding a toddler can be anxiety-provoking, frustrating, stressful and messy! Many a well-meaning parent has become trapped in feelings of guilt or anxiety about what or how much their child eats. Fortunately, feeding our fussy toddlers doesn’t have to be so difficult. Here’s how to feed a healthy toddler in five easy steps: Accept that […]
When I was in the second year of my undergraduate studies in psychology at the University of Queensland, one of my lecturers, Professor Ottmar Lipp (who still teaches at UQ) said something particularly marvellous. He said that every question in psychology has the same answer and the answer is this: it depends. At the time […]
Most parents have a whole variety of plans for how they will parent, how their family will operate and how their children will behave. But most parents also know that children have plans of their own! It is not unusual as a parent to find yourself in a situation where your ideas about what should […]
Parents are often made to feel guilty and ashamed of the way their children sleep (or don’t). But the truth is: There are a variety of ways that adults, children and babies can sleep. Sleeping practices are cultural. We each have our own individual sleeping preferences, needs and patterns (e.g. children vary in how much […]
Showering love on your child, in other words, giving your child plenty of attention and affection and responding to their (developmentally appropriate) requests for more attention and affection has many benefits. It will help to develop your child’s confidence, to strengthen your relationship with your child (a boon for other aspects of parenting), and increase […]