prase comments on A Rational Approach to Education - Less Wrong

-4 Post author: jrichardliston 16 November 2011 06:43PM

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Comment author: prase 17 November 2011 11:21:15AM 0 points [-]

If you wanted to design a system so as to maximize humiliation (ETA: within the bounds permitted in routine situations, see below), that is pretty much the way you'd go about it.

Humiliation and praise can serve as motivation factors, not necessarily to train compliance.

Comment author: Morendil 17 November 2011 01:47:34PM 0 points [-]

Any evidence to back that up? If you wanted to design a system to result in maximum student motivation, and you had done even a modest amount of research on the topic of motivation, I'm pretty sure you would not do it that way.

Comment author: prase 17 November 2011 03:51:47PM *  0 points [-]

Evidence to back up what? That threat of humiliation when failing exam can motivate people to learn more? I find it obvious. At least it works for me.

I don't say it's the optimal way to motivate. That doesn't exclude the possibility (quite probable in my opinion) that most people in charge (from teachers to education ministry bureaucrats) who consciously endorse the practice think it is.

It even seems to me that motivation is essential part of your hypothesis. The praise and humiliation aren't indiscriminate, they serve as reward and punishment. The questions are what is rewarded more, whether learning or compliance, and what certain people believe is the main purpose.

(I think that school rewards both learning and compliance, just don't think that mere existence of humiliation and praise is evidence for either being more important.)