Reinforcement is a fundamental aspect of Applied Behavior Analysis. Call it the backbone, keystone, or cornerstone of ABA… whatever you call it, never underestimate it. It may appear self-explanatory on its surface – especially if you have some background ABA knowledge (which you do if you have been reading our blog!) – but it’s worth taking a closer look at. Reinforcement exists far beyond the world of ABA, so we caution you: learning and understanding reinforcement’s impact on behavior may inspire you to implement some interventions of your own.
At its core, reinforcement involves strengthening a behavior or increasing the likelihood that the behavior will recur. Reinforcement is a consequence meaning that it follows or comes after a behavior. It comes in two forms: positive and negative, and they are means to the same end: increasing or strengthening behavior. Positive reinforcement entails adding or giving something after the desired behavior occurs. Examples are helpful, so here we go… You may love your job, but would you do it for free? Receiving a paycheck or seeing the direct deposit go through is positive reinforcement. Something is being given (money) after a behavior has occurred (working), and it is increasing the likelihood that this behavior (working) will continue in the future. Here’s positive reinforcement on a more personal note: I have zero interest in exercising and I don’t like virtual meetings, so I had to get a little creative in the way that I reinforce myself to participate in online exercise classes. When I participated in-person, there was plenty of social reinforcement – I was making new friends and enjoying the small talk, so I kept showing up. Enter the COVID pandemic, and I had to establish a new reinforcer for exercise…Netflix. I watch Netflix only when I am exercising. My positive reinforcement (watching Netflix) is contingent on the engagement in the desired behavior (exercising). Fortunately, I have a growing list of things to watch, so my desired behavior has increased!
On the flip side, negative reinforcement involves removing or taking away something after a behavior occurs, but the intention is the same: increasing or strengthening the behavior. “Negative reinforcement” sounds a bit counterintuitive, but we’ll see if we can clear it up with a few examples. Do you wear your seatbelt when you’re driving? Why? You probably have more than one reason: to be safe, it’s the law, out of habit… and to turn off the irritating beeping noise that won’t stop until you buckle up!!!! That is an example of negative reinforcement. Your behavior (putting on your seatbelt) is reinforced by something being removed (annoying sound). Didn’t realize that your car is practicing behavioral psychology did you?! Again, here’s another personal example, and I’m sure you can relate: I get headaches. When I get headaches, I take a pain reliever. I do this because at some point, taking a pain reliever was negatively reinforced. Taking medicine alleviates or removes the pain and I am more likely to repeat that behavior (taking medicine) in the future.
Reinforcement is more than the yin and yang of positive and negative, but these are the crux of it. To help you remember, think of the + and – symbols. Positive (+) reinforcement is the addition of something and negative (-) reinforcement is removal. Both are meant to yield the same results: an increase and/or strengthening of behavior. Now that you’ve got this information, do you feel more powerful? You were cautioned at the start that you may feel the desire to experiment with these concepts. Have fun!
