Chapter 12: Unconditioned and Conditioned Reinforcers and Punishers

Unconditioned reinforcer

* A stimulus that is a reinforcer,

* though not as a result of pairing with another reinforcer.

Unconditioned punisher

* A stimulus that is a punisher,

* though not as a result of pairing with another punisher.

Conditioned reinforcer (secondary reinforcer)

* A stimulus that is a reinforcer

* because it has been paired with another reinforcer.

Pairing procedure

* The pairing of a neutral stimulus with

* a reinforcer or punisher.

Value-altering principle

* The pairing procedure

* converts a neutral stimulus into

* a conditioned reinforcer or conditioned punisher.

Generalized conditioned reinforcer (generalized secondary reinforcer)

* A conditioned reinforcer that is a reinforcer

* because it has been paired with a variety of other reinforcers.

Token economy

* A system of generalized conditioned reinforcers

* in which the organism that receives those generalized reinforcers can save them and

* exchange them for a variety of backup reinforcers later.

Conditioned punisher

*A stimulus that is a punisher

* because it has been paired with another punisher.

Conditional stimulus

* Elements of a stimulus

* have their value or function

* only when they are combined;

* otherwise, the individual elements may be neutral.