PSYB45H3 Chapter Notes - Chapter 4: Motivation, Developmental Disability, Reinforcement
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Positive reinforcer: event that, when presented immediately following a behavior, causes an increase in the (cid:271)eha(cid:448)io(cid:396)"s f(cid:396)e(cid:395)ue(cid:374)(cid:272)(cid:455). Behaviors that operate on the environment to generate consequences and are in turn influenced by those consequences are called operant behaviors (or operant responses). Operant behaviors that are followed by positive reinforcers are increased, while those that are followed by punishers are decreased. Positive reinforcers increase a response when they are introduced or added following a response. The removal of an event following a response may also increase that response. Example, a parent might nag a teenager to do dishes; when the child complies, the nagging stops. Negative reinforcement (escape conditioning): removal of certain stimuli immediately after the occurrence of a response will increase the likelihood of that response. Positive reinforcement increases a response due to presenting a positive stimulus, and negative reinforcement increases a response by removing a negative (aversive) stimulus.
