Normalize Error is a strategy that has a strong foundation in psychology. One of the biggest theories it parallels is Instrumental Conditioning, which is a segment of Behaviorism. Behaviorism is a theory that discusses the reactions before and after a behavior – Classical and Instrumental Conditioning, respectively. The most common example of Classical Conditioning is Pavlov’s dog, where ringing a bell signified that food was imminent. Instrumental Conditioning is the response that happens after a behavior has occurred. An example of this may be giving a child a treat every time he or she makes his or her bed, or, giving a child praise every time he or she gets a question correct. Eventually, the student will learn that a correct answer results in praise. The same would be true of a negative response to an incorrect answer. If students have been conditioned that correct answers result in overly positive responses and incorrect answers result in overly negative responses, students will become conditioned to only answer when they know they are correct. This discourages students from making risks and taking chances, in fear of receiving the negative response. By normalizing error, it removes overly positive and negative responses, which removes part of the conditioning, and in-turn increases students’ willingness to take risks.
Another benefit of Normalize Error is the effect it has on memory. One of the most important aspects of memory is the way in which information is presented, in order to make the information more organized and available for retrieval. By making sure that errors are normal and moved past quickly, it allows for more time to be spent on the correct information. If a teacher encourages a quick transition between correct and incorrect responses, it eliminates ambiguity when the brain is trying to decide whether information is useful or invalid.
Normalize Error can also have a direct effect on an individual. An individual’s view of his or her ability to complete a specific task is called Self-Efficacy. An example would be that Sally believes that she is good at Algebra II. Even if sally is good at Algebra II, if she continues to take risks and answer difficult questions and the teacher scolds her for incorrect answers, her self-efficacy will decrease. An individual’s view of his or her self-efficacies is the more commonly-known term, known as self-esteem. If a student has a low self-efficacy in many areas, his or her self-esteem will decrease, which leads to many more significant emotional and behavioral issues.
Another benefit of Normalize Error is the effect it has on memory. One of the most important aspects of memory is the way in which information is presented, in order to make the information more organized and available for retrieval. By making sure that errors are normal and moved past quickly, it allows for more time to be spent on the correct information. If a teacher encourages a quick transition between correct and incorrect responses, it eliminates ambiguity when the brain is trying to decide whether information is useful or invalid.
Normalize Error can also have a direct effect on an individual. An individual’s view of his or her ability to complete a specific task is called Self-Efficacy. An example would be that Sally believes that she is good at Algebra II. Even if sally is good at Algebra II, if she continues to take risks and answer difficult questions and the teacher scolds her for incorrect answers, her self-efficacy will decrease. An individual’s view of his or her self-efficacies is the more commonly-known term, known as self-esteem. If a student has a low self-efficacy in many areas, his or her self-esteem will decrease, which leads to many more significant emotional and behavioral issues.