Reinforcement
Reinforcement occurs when a consequence that follows a behavior makes that behavior more likely to occur again in the future under similar conditions.
Reinforcement is defined by its effect. A consequence is a reinforcer only if the behavior it follows increases in the future; giving something the client likes does not count as reinforcement unless behavior actually goes up. There are two types. In positive reinforcement a stimulus is added or presented after the behavior; in negative reinforcement a stimulus is removed or reduced. In both, the behavior increases.
Reinforcement works best when it is delivered immediately after the behavior and contingently, meaning only when the target behavior occurs. A delay allows other behavior to occur in between, and that behavior may be reinforced instead. Other factors affect how well reinforcement works: the magnitude (amount, size or duration of access), the quality and intensity of the reinforcer, variety (rotating reinforcers to prevent satiation), and the client's current motivation (deprivation or satiation). The schedule of reinforcement specifies which responses produce it.
Reinforcement also explains a great deal of problem behavior: if screaming reliably produces attention, a toy or a break from work, screaming is being reinforced. That is why RBTs must follow the plan's instructions about what to reinforce and what not to, even when it is tempting to give in to stop the behavior. Reinforcement is the foundation of skill teaching and of most behavior reduction procedures.
Example and non-example
| Example | Each time a child says "juice", the RBT gives a sip of juice, and over the next few days the child says "juice" more often. Saying "juice" has been reinforced. |
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| Non-example | An RBT gives a sticker after each correct answer, but correct answers do not increase over several sessions; the stickers have not functioned as reinforcement for that behavior. |
Don't confuse it with
| Positive reinforcement | Reinforcement is the general process; positive reinforcement is the type in which a stimulus is added. |
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| Punishment | Reinforcement increases future behavior; punishment decreases it. |
Test yourself
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Question 1An assessment's instructions say to respond neutrally to correct and incorrect answers and to praise only sitting and attending between items. After a correct answer, the RBT says, "Yes! That's right!" and gives a token. What is the problem?
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B: Feedback on correct answers can change responding and skew the results. When an assessment calls for neutral responses, reinforcing correct answers can teach the client during the test, so the results no longer show their skills under the assessment's conditions.
- A: There is no rule limiting tokens to functional analyses.
- C: Praise often works as a reinforcer; it does not always lower motivation.
- D: Adding praise after a response is not negative punishment, which removes something after a behavior.
Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D
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Question 2In applied behavior analysis, what makes a reinforcement procedure "positive"?
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D: A stimulus is added after the behavior, and the behavior increases in the future.. "Positive" means a stimulus is added (presented) after the behavior, and "reinforcement" means the behavior occurs more often in the future. It has nothing to do with whether the stimulus seems pleasant.
- A: Removing a stimulus and seeing the behavior increase is negative reinforcement.
- B: Adding a stimulus that makes the behavior decrease is positive punishment.
- C: Delivering a stimulus on a time schedule regardless of behavior is noncontingent reinforcement, not a contingent reinforcement procedure.
Task C.1 · 40-hour curriculum section A
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Question 3What determines whether a consequence is a reinforcer for a client?
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B: It increases the future frequency of the behavior it follows.. A reinforcer is defined by its effect: a consequence is a reinforcer only if the behavior it follows occurs more often in the future. Liking an item, or delivering it quickly, does not make it a reinforcer.
- A: Smiling or saying they like an item does not show that it strengthens behavior.
- C: What most people enjoy may not strengthen this client's behavior.
- D: Immediate delivery makes a reinforcer more effective, but timing alone does not make something a reinforcer.
Task C.1 · 40-hour curriculum section A
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.