RELATIVITY OF
REINFORCEMENT
BURRHUS FREDERIC SKINNER
B.F. SKINNER
Submitted By: Mary Angel G. Jinayon
BSP 2-3
Burrhus Frederic Skinner aka “B.F. Skinner”
An American Psychologist, Behaviorist,
Author, Inventor, and Social Philosopher
• Born on March 20, 1904, Susquehanna,
Pennsylvania, United States
• Died on August 18, 1990, Cambridge,
Massachusetts, United States
• Known for Operant Conditionisng, Radical
Behaviorism, Applied Behavior Analysis
Operant Conditioning
• A method of learning that occur through
rewards and punishments for behavior.
• Refers to anything that increases the
Reinforcement probability that a response will occur.
Also, refers to the effect that the
reinforcement has on behavior.
• The principle of reinforcement suggests
that when we follow behavior with
pleasant consequences, that behavior is
likely to be repeated.
Ex. We emulate a situation to a cat and
when a cat responded on a similar way,
we reward them.
Explanation: When the cat is exposed to
the same situation, they will execute a
similar action with the enthusiastically
expecting of getting more reward
CATEGORY OF REINFORCEMENT
• Primary Reinforcement
• Secondary Reinforcement
Primary Reinforcement
o Are naturally occurring and do not
require an individual to learn any
significant method or process in
order to work.
o The principle of primary
reinforcement is sometimes
Primary referred to as unconditional
reinforcement.
Reinforcement o Primary reinforcement assists the
survival of people, plants, and
animals.
Ex. Food, Water, Air, Sleep, and Sex
Ex. Taking a pill for the headache to
go away.
o Secondary Reinforcement is also
known as conditioned
reinforcement.
o Refers to a situation wherein a
stimulus reinforces behavior
after being previously associated
Secondary with a primary reinforce or a
Reinforcement stimulus that satisfies basic
survival instruct such as food,
drink, and clothing.
Ex. Money is a secondary
reinforce because it does not
directly reinforce you. Therefore,
you use the money to get primary
reinforces.
TYPES OF REINFORCEMENT
o Positive Reinforcement
o Negative Reinforcement
o Refers to the introduction of a
desirable or pleasant stimulus after
a behavior.
o Positive reinforcement involves
adding something to increase
response, such as giving a bit of
candy to a child after she cleans
Positive up her room
Reinforcement o An undesirable stimulus
introduced to discourage the
behavior
Ex. Teacher handing out smiley face
(pleasant stimulus) to children who
perfect they spelling test (Behavior)
o Refers to response or behavior is
strengthened by stopping, removing,
or avoiding a negative outcome or
aversive stimuli
o Negative Reinforcement involves
removing something in order to
Negative increase response, such as canceling
a quiz if students turn in all of their
Reinforcement
homework for the week.
Ex. You decided to clean up your messed
in the kitchen (Behavior) to avoid getting
into a fight with your roommate (removal
of the aversive stimulus).
o Refers to a type of schedule
of reinforcement that
regularly affects behavior.
o In situations when present
reinforcement is controlled,
such as during training, the
Continuous timing of when a reinforce is
Reinforcement presented can be
manipulated.
Ex. Giving a child a chocolate
everyday after he finishes his
math homework.
o Also referred to as intermittent
reinforcement
o This involves learning through
reinforcement or punishment.
o The type of reinforcement
used can play an important
Partial role in how quickly a behavior
Reinforcement is learned and the overall
strength of the resulting
response
Ex. A saleswoman gets incentive
after each pair of shoes she
sells
TYPES OF PARTIAL REINFORCEMENT
oFixed-ratio schedules
oFixed-interval schedules
oVariable-ratio schedules
oVariable-interval schedules
Fixed-ratio schedules
o Reinforcing a behavior after a
specific number of responses
have occurred.
Ex. Delivering a food pellet to a rat
after it presses a bar five times
Fixed-interval schedules
o Reinforcing a behavior after a
specific period of time has
elapsed.
Ex. In a lab setting would be
reinforcing a rat with a lab pellet for
the first bar press after a 30 second
interval has elapsed.
Variable-ratio schedules
o Reinforcing the behavior after an
unpredictable number of responses.
Ex. In a lab setting, This involve delivering
food pellets to a rat after one bar press, again
after four bar presses, and then again after
two bar presses
Variable-interval schedules
o Reinforcing the behavior after an
unpredictable period of time has elapsed.
Ex. Delivering a food pellet to a rat after the
first bar press following a one minute interval,
a second pellet for the first response
following a five minute interval and a third
pellet for the first response following a three
minute interval
