The 16 types of reinforcers (and their characteristics)

In behavior therapy and education, reinforcers are key to modifying behaviors.

Reinforcement is a technique widely used in behavior therapy. It is often applied in children and intellectual disabilities, in order to increase or develop different types of behaviors.

For this technique to be effective, the reinforcer must be appropriate. The reinforcer (or reinforcement) is any stimulus that increases the probability that a behavior will be repeated in the future. In this article we will learn about the different types of reinforcersaccording to six classification criteria.

Behavior modification through reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is a type of operant behavioral techniquethat serves to develop or increase behaviors. Normally, the behaviors that we want to increase or enhance are those behaviors that are adaptive and positive for the child's learning.

There are different types of reinforcers, which are applied depending on the situation, the child (characteristics, age, preferences, etc.), his/her relationship with the therapist or parent, the availability of resources, the context, etc.

Reinforcement is the procedure by which the application of a stimulus increases the probability that a behavior will be repeated in the future. in the future. On the other hand, the reinforcer or reinforcement is any stimulus that increases the probability that a behavior will be repeated in the future.

Some examples of reinforcers are: a compliment (verbal reinforcement), a type of food that the child likes, jelly beans, more time watching cartoons, a game, a book, tickling, jokes, etc.

Types of reinforcers

There are different types of reinforcers, depending on the criteria we use to classify them. We can classify them according to six different criteria:

1. According to their origin.

According to the origin of their reinforcing value, we find the following types of reinforcers.

1.1. Primary

They have an unconditioned or innate value. For example, food or drink.

1.2. Secondary or generalized

They become reinforcers through learning. They have a more specific character.

1.3. Generalized

They are reinforcers of multiple responses (e.g. money or tokens in the token economy system).

2. Nature

By their nature, we can list the following types of reinforcers:

2.1. Material or tangible.

They have a physical entity (e.g. a ball or a bicycle).

2.2. Edible or manipulable

They are eaten or can be manipulated (e.g. chewing gum or candy).

2.3. Social

They are interpersonal in nature; include verbal and non-verbal language (e.g. praise (e.g. praises or compliments).

2.4. Of activity

These are the behaviors that are pleasurable behaviors that are pleasurable for the for the subject (e.g. going to the movies or shopping).

2.5. Premack's principle

This occurs when a low-frequency activity increases its probability of occurrence when associated with another high-frequency activity.

3. Reinforcement process

According to the reinforcement process, there are two types of reinforcers:

3.1. Extrinsic

The reinforcement is open and observable.

3.2. Intrinsic

It is covert reinforcement (e.g. thoughts or images).

4. Manager

There are two types of reinforcers:

4.1. external

The reinforcer is administered by someone to the subjecti.e. another person.

4.2. Self-reinforcers

These are self-applied reinforcers (by the subject himself).

5. Receiver

Depending on who receives the reinforcer, these can be classified as follows:

5.1. Direct

The subject himself is the one who receives the reinforcer.

5.2. Vicarious

The subject observes how another subject receives the reinforcer.

6. Programming

We find two types, according to their programming:

6.1. Natural:

They have a high probability of occurring in the environment (e.g. a good grade in the school environment).

6.2. Artificial

They are those that are applied under specific conditions (e.g. tokens).

How is positive reinforcement applied?

As we have seen, we have many types of reinforcers to choose from; our choice will depend on some variables already mentioned.

In addition, for positive reinforcement to be effective, it must be applied correctly, it must be applied correctly. There are a series of guidelines for doing so, which are listed below:

• Specify precisely the behavior to be modified.
• Identify and select effective reinforcers (specificity and variety).
• Immediate administration of the reinforcers (no delay).
• Contingent application (always follow the behavior with the reinforcer).
• Control competing contingencies.
• Avoid satiation of reinforcers.
• Estimating the optimal amount of the reinforcerDeprivation/satiety and effort.
• Adhere to the set reinforcement schedule.
• Generalization and fading: design a change of reinforcement schedule when appropriate.

Reinforcement effectiveness

In the end, what matters is not so much the nature of the reinforcement or stimulus (i.e., what type of reinforcement it is), but that the behavior we want to increase actually increases thanks to that reinforcement. That is to say, what makes a reinforcer really effective is that it fulfills this function.

Thus, it is not so much that certain types of reinforcers are more effective than others, but rather that everything depends on the situation and the subject.

Some evidence that shows us that a reinforcer will be effectiveare:

• That the child is "hooked" to the reinforcer.
• That the child does not want to "leave" the reinforcing situation (looking for other stimuli, for example).
• That the child asks for it.
• That the child laughs or smiles while he/she has the reinforcer.

Other techniques

Other techniques similar to those of positive reinforcement, which have the same function (to enable the development or increase of certain behaviors) are: shaping, chaining, fading, and rule-operated behavior..

Bibliographical references:

• González, A. (2005). Contributions of behavioral psychology to education. Sinéctica, 25, 15-22.
• Vallejo, M.A.. (2012). Manual de Terapia de Conducta. Tomo I. Madrid: Dykinson.