lecture 5: guidelines for effective positive reinforcement

selecting bhvr to be increased

specific bhvr, if possible select one that will come under reinforcement of natural consequences, gather baseline data

selecting the reinforcer

complete reinforcer survey, select reinforcers that are readily available, can be presented immediately, can be used over and over, does not require a lot of time to consume

applying positive reinforcement

tell individual about plan before starting, reinforce immediately, describe desired bhvr to the individual while reinforcer is given, use lots of praise and contact, to avoid satiation mix it up

weaning from program

if bhvr has been occurring at desirable rate, slowly eliminate tangible reinforcers and maintain with social reinforcement

look for reinforcers in natural environment that might maintain bhvr once it has been increased

to ensure bhvr is being reinforced occasionally, plan periodic assessments of bhvr after program has finished

backup reinforcers

a reinforcer that a conditioned reinforcer can be exhanged for, they give conditioned reinforcers (e.g., tokens, money, points) their power

conditioned reinforcer vs backup reinforcer

conditioned reinforcer = learned through being paired with other reinforcer (e.g., you learn that money gets you thing you like), back up reinforcer (e.g., what you use the money on)

tokens

conditioned reinforcers that can be accumulated and exchanged for backup reinforcers

token system

bhvr modification program in which individuals can earn token for specific bhvrs and trade tokens in for backup reinforcers

token economy

token system implemented within a group

simple conditioned reinforcer

paired with a single backup reinforcer

generalized conditioned reinforcer

paired with more then one kind of backup reinforcer