Positive and Negative Reinforcement PDF

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Positive and Negative Reinforcement

Ambar D. Rodriguez-Mancilla Capella University PSY7708 Basic Foundations in Applied Behavior Analysis Professor Nicholas Orland February 12, 2021

2 Positive and Negative Reinforcement Reinforcement is one of the basic principles used in Applied Behavior Analysis to increase acceptable or vital behaviors to the client's well-being. It is also used to decrease behaviors that hinder the client's well-being. According to Miltenberger (2016), reinforcement is defined as "1. the occurrence of a particular behavior 2. is followed by an immediate consequence 3. That results in the strengthening of the behavior. (The person is more likely to engage in the behavior again in the future.)" (p. 67). Reinforcement can be placed into two separate categories: Positive reinforcement and Negative Reinforcement. According to Cooper, Heron, and Heward (2020), Positive Reinforcement is defined as "occurs when a response is followed immediately by the presentation of a stimulus change that increases the future occurrence of similar responses (p. 253). This meaning that Positive reinforcement occurs when a stimulus is added that increases the future probability of that behavior occurring again. Negative Reinforcement is defined by Cooper et al. (2020) as the "occurrence of a response produces the termination, postponement, or avoidance of a stimulus, which leads to an increase in the future occurrence of that response." (p. 287). This meaning that Negative reinforcement occurs when a stimulus is removed that increases the future probability of that behavior occurring again. Positive and Negative Reinforcement share some similarities and some differences. Both of these are similar in that they both increase the future frequency of a behavior. The difference in each of these is that in Positive reinforcement, a stimulus must be added to increase the future probability of a behavior. In contrast, in Negative reinforcement, a stimulus must be removed to increase the future probability of a behavior.

3 An example of Negative reinforcement is Nitzela has decided that she needs to lose weight and get into shape to stay healthy. She struggles significantly with committing to go to the gym every day for a minimum of one hour, so she decides that every time she skips the gym, she will have to pay her husband 5 dollars. As a result, Nitzela has gone to the gym seven days in a row and has also lost 3 pounds. In this example, the antecedent is Nitzelas' decision to lose weight, the behavior is having to give her husband 5 dollars every time she skips the gym, and the consequence is that she has gone to the gym seven days in a row and lost 3lb. Nitzela now goes to the gym a minimum of 5 days a week and continues to lose weight (A stimulus removal and an increase in the future probability of a behavior). Another example of Negative reinforcement is Ashanti having three litter boxes in her house that smell very badly. She decides that she will clean them as soon as she gets home, and once they are clean, the smell is gone. Ashanti now cleans her cats' litter boxes every day to avoid the rancid smell that comes from them. In this case, the antecedent was the foul smell coming from each of the litter boxes, the behavior was Ashanti cleaning out the litter boxes as soon as she got home, and the consequence is the removal of the foul smell. Ashanti now cleans out the cat's litter boxes daily (A stimulus removal and an increase in the future probability of a behavior). An example of Positive Reinforcement is Andrew being given a math sheet to complete in class. Andrew completes all the math problems presented to him in 10 minutes and give them to his teacher. His teacher tells him, "Great Work!" and gives him a sticker. Andrew now completes his math work quickly, more often than he did before. In this example, the antecedent is Andrew being given the math worksheet to complete by his teacher, the behavior is Andrew completing the math worksheet within 10 minutes of getting his work, and the consequence is his teacher tells him "Great Work!" and gives him a sticker. This caused Andrew to complete his

4 math work quickly, more often than he did before (A stimulus is added, and the future probability of the behavior increased). Another example of Positive Reinforcement is Adrianna is hungry and wants to have a snack. Adrianna raises her hand and says to her teacher, “May I please have a snack?” Her teacher then smiles at her and gives her fruit loops; now, when Adrianna is hungry, she will ask for a snack. In this example, the antecedent is Adrianna being hungry and wanting a snack, the behavior is her asking her teacher appropriately for a snack, and the consequence is her teacher smiling at her and giving her fruit loops to eat (A stimulus is added, and the future probability of a behavior has increased).

5 References Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis. Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited.

Miltenberger, R. G. (2016). Behavior modification: Principles and procedures. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning....