Magnitude of reinforcement
How much reinforcement follows a response, such as the amount of an item, the length of access to an activity, or the intensity of the praise or stimulus.
Magnitude refers to the size of a reinforcer: three pieces of cracker rather than one, five minutes on a tablet rather than one minute, or enthusiastic praise rather than a quiet "ok". The RBT Test Content Outline lists magnitude along with intensity and variety as dimensions along which reinforcement can be adjusted.
In general, a larger amount of reinforcement supports more responding, but only up to a point. Very large amounts lead to satiation sooner, and long breaks from instruction reduce the number of learning opportunities in a session. Supervisors often plan for magnitude to match effort: a bigger or longer reinforcer for a hard or first-time independent response, and a smaller one for easy or prompted responses. This is one way of using differential reinforcement in teaching.
An RBT follows the amount written in the plan and delivers it consistently. Giving a large amount for one response and a tiny amount for the same response later, without a plan, makes the contingency unclear. If a reinforcer of the planned size no longer seems to work, the RBT reports this to the supervisor.
Example and non-example
| Example | The plan says an independent correct answer earns 30 seconds with a favorite toy and a prompted answer earns brief praise only. The RBT times the 30 seconds and gives the toy only for independent answers. |
|---|---|
| Non-example | Switching from bubbles to a song after a correct response changes the type of reinforcer (variety), not its magnitude. |
Don't confuse it with
| Immediacy | Immediacy is how soon the reinforcer follows the response; magnitude is how much of it is delivered. |
|---|
Test yourself
-
Question 1A plan says: "Independent correct responses earn 2 minutes with the building blocks. Prompted correct responses earn 20 seconds with the blocks." Which dimension of reinforcement does the plan vary?
Show answer
C: Magnitude. Magnitude is the amount or duration of the reinforcer. Here the same reinforcer is given for both kinds of responses, but independent responses earn more of it.
- A: The plan does not change when the reinforcer is delivered, only how much is given.
- B: Both kinds of responses produce the reinforcer; what changes is how much.
- D: The same reinforcer is used for both, so variety is not what changes.
Task C.1 · 40-hour curriculum section A
-
Question 2In a school setting, a teen earns 20 seconds of tablet time after each correct sight-word response. After one trial, the teen is still using the tablet two minutes later. What should the RBT do?
Show answer
B: End access on time per the plan, then run the next trial. The amount of reinforcement is part of the plan. Ending access on time keeps the contingency consistent and helps prevent satiation; trouble with ending access should be reported to the supervisor.
- A: Open-ended access changes the reinforcer and cuts down on teaching time.
- C: Withholding earned reinforcement breaks the plan's contingency.
- D: Changing the amount of reinforcement is a plan change for the supervisor to make.
Task C.3 · 40-hour curriculum section E
Answer every question to see your score.
On the RBT exam
This term belongs to task C.1 Positive and negative reinforcement in content area C, Behavior Acquisition, which is 19 of the 75 scored questions.