Cooper Ch 11: Positive Reinforcement

stimulus preference assessment

variety of procedures used to determine the stimuli that a person prefers, the relative preference vale (high v low) of those stimuli, the conditions under which those preference value remain in effect, and their presumed value as reinforcers.

generalized conditioned reinforcer

A conditioned reinforcer that as a result of having been paired with many other reinforcers does not depend on an establishing operation for any particular form of reinforcement for its effectiveness.

response-deprivation hypothesis

A model for predicting whether contingent access to one behavior will function as reinforcement for engaging in another behavior based on whether access to the contingent behavior represents a restriction of the activity compared to the baseline level of engagement.

Premack principle

A principle that states that making the opportunity to engage in a high-probability behavior contingent on the occurrence of a low-frequency behavior will function as reinforcement for the low-frequency behavior.

unconditioned reinforcer

A stimulus change that increases the frequency of any behavior that immediately precedes it irrespective of the organism's learning history with the stimulus. These are the product of the evolutionary development of the species (phylogeny). Also called primary or unlearned reinforcer.

conditioned reinforcer

A stimulus that gains its reinforcing power through its association with a primary reinforcer; also known as secondary reinforcer.

positive reinforcer

A stimulus whose presentation or onset functions as reinforcement.

positive reinforcement

Occurs when a behavior is followed immediately by the presentation of a stimulus that increases the future frequency of the behavior in similar conditions.

reinforcer assessment

Refers to a variety of direct, empirical methods for presenting one or more stimuli contingent on a target response and measuring their effectiveness as reinforcers.

automatic reinforcement

Reinforcement that occurs independent of the social mediation of others (e.g., scratching an insect bite relieves the itch).