Reinforcement - in the broad sense, any event, stimulus, action, reaction or information that, if followed by a reaction, serves to increase the relative frequency or likelihood of this reaction [1] . The concept of “reinforcement” is used differently in different approaches to the study of behavior . In classical conditioning, it is an association formed by repeatedly combining a conditioned stimulus with an unconditional stimulus; in operant learning , an association formed when a reinforcing stimulus follows an operant reaction [2] .
Reinforcement Types
By the nature of reinforcing incentives, there are:
- primary reinforcing stimuli, or direct physical rewards, and secondary reinforcing methods, that is, neutral stimuli that are associated with primary reinforcing agents and thus act as incentives themselves [3] .
- positive reinforcement is an increase in behavior (reinforcement) that occurs due to the occurrence of some stimulus or event; as a rule, it can be interpreted as stimuli that the subject wants to strengthen or extend by his behavior;
- negative reinforcement is an increase in behavior that occurs due to the disappearance of some unpleasant stimulus or event; occurs when there are stimuli, the action of which the subject wants to weaken or stop (for example, raise an umbrella to stop getting wet in the rain), changing behavior.
It is worth noting that positive and negative reinforcement are not punishment . Punishment is the occurrence of an unpleasant stimulus or the disappearance of a pleasant one.
Negative reinforcement is not a punishment , since the punishment is carried out after a behavioral act and does not make it possible to change the behavior at the moment [4] .
Differences between reinforcements and incentives [4]
- Reinforcement is the connection between behavior and consequences, and encouragement is an object . In some situations, tangible or symbolic rewards are used as reinforcements, but the scope of rewards is limited so as not to be addictive.
- Encouragement is not entirely amenable to control by the person himself, but is issued to him from the outside.
- Reinforcement is addressed to action , and encouragement is addressed to man .
Notes
- ↑ Oxford Explanatory Dictionary of Psychology / Ed. A. Reber. - M., 2002.
- ↑ Kjel L., Ziegler D. Theories of personality. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2003.
- ↑ Psychotherapeutic Encyclopedia / Ed. B. D. Karvasarsky. 2nd ed. - St. Petersburg: Peter, 2000
- ↑ 1 2 Vargas J. Analysis of student activity. Methodology for improving school performance. - M .: Operarant, 2015.
See also
- Operant conditioning
- Behavior
- Behaviorism
- Group reinforcement