Positive and negative reinforcement
Lesson 14 of 36 in RBT Exam Prep. The start plays free here.
- A consequence follows behavior
- The behavior increases
- When reinforcement follows
- Response counts or time
- Positive: add; behavior increases
- Negative: remove; behavior increases
- Fixed ratio: set response count
- Variable ratio: count varies
- Fixed interval: first response after time
- All 43 outline tasks
- 85 questions, 90 minutes
- Explains each wrong answer
Paid once, no subscription. Ask for a refund within 7 days of buying if you’ve done less than 25% of the class.
How the lesson starts
A client requests more often because of what happens after requesting. That's reinforcement: a consequence increases the behavior it follows.
You also need to know when reinforcement follows a response. Reinforcement schedules describe that timing. Some depend on response counts; others involve time.
You give a client praise after a request. Requests increase. Adding that stimulus increased the behavior. That's positive reinforcement.
Then, in the full lesson
- Removing something
- Count responses
- Varying counts
- Time then response
- 2 questions along the way
A question from this lesson
After a client asks for quiet, you turn off an unpleasant sound. Requests for quiet increase. What happened?
- Positive reinforcement: something was added
- Neither: reinforcement must add something
- Negative reinforcement: something was removed
Show the answer
C. Negative reinforcement: something was removed. Negative reinforcement occurred because removing the unpleasant sound increased requests. Positive reinforcement adds a stimulus. Reinforcement does not always require adding something; removal can also increase behavior.
The full class, $29 once.
Paid once, no subscription. Ask for a refund within 7 days of buying if you’ve done less than 25% of the class.
- All 43 outline tasks
- 85 questions, 90 minutes
- Explains each wrong answer
Passing isn’t guaranteed. Not affiliated with the BACB. Questions are original, written to the published outline.