It seems obvious to think that if after performing a certain behavior we receive a prize or reward, it is much more likely that we will repeat it. Behind this principle, which may seem so obvious to us, there is a whole series of hypotheses and theories studied and debated throughout the history of psychology.

One of the main defenders of this approach was Burrhus Frederic Skinner, who through his Theory of Reinforcement tried to give an explanation to the functioning of human behavior as a response to certain stimuli.

Who was B.F. Skinner?

Psychologist, philosopher, inventor and author. These are just some of the occupations attributed to the renowned American-born psychologist, Burrhus Frederic Skinner. He is considered one of the main authors and researchers within the North American behaviouralist current .

One of its main objects of study was human behavior. Specifically, he sought to explain how human behavior worked in response to different stimuli that could influence it.

Through experimental manipulation and observation of animal behavior , Skinner outlined his first theories about the role that reinforcement has in behavior, creating from these the principles of the theory of operant conditioning.

For Skinner the use of the so-called positive and negative reinforcements was vital to modify both human and animal behaviour; either to increase or enhance certain behaviours or to inhibit or eliminate them.

Skinner also became interested in the practical applications of his theories; creating “programmed education”. In this type of educational process, students are explained a series of small nuclei of information that they must learn in a consecutive manner in order to move on to the next nucleus of information.

Finally, Skinner also gave rise to a series of trials surrounded by certain controversy in which he proposed the use of psychological techniques of behaviour modification with the aim of increasing the quality of society and thus reinforcing people’s happiness , as a kind of social engineering for the happiness and well-being of men and women.

What is the theory of reinforcement?

Skinner’s theory of reinforcement, also known as operant conditioning or instrumental conditioning, attempts to explain human behavior in correspondence with the environment or surrounding stimuli.

Using the experimental method, Skinner concludes that the appearance of a stimulus triggers a response in the person. If this response is conditioned using positive or negative reinforcers, it can influence this reaction or operating behaviour, which can be either enhanced or inhibited.

Skinner established that behavior is maintained from one context or situation to another as long as the consequences, that is, the reinforcers do not change or they do so following certain logics, “rules” that must be discovered. As a consequence, both human and animal behaviour can be conditioned or modified using a series of stimuli that the subject can consider satisfactory or not.

Explained more simply, the Reinforcement Theory emphasizes that a person is more likely to repeat a behavior that is positively reinforced, as well as more likely to repeat those that are associated with negative stimuli or reinforcements.

What types of reinforcement are there?

Both positive and negative conditional or reinforcing stimuli can be used to rectify or change a person’s behavior. These are very useful both in psychological therapy, and in the school environment , family or even work environment.

Skinner differentiated between two types of enhancers: positive enhancers and negative enhancers.

1. Positive reinforcers

Positive reinforcers are all those consequences that appear after a behavior and that the person considers satisfactory or beneficial. Through these positive or satisfactory reinforcers, the aim is to increase a person’s response rate, that is, to increase the probability of performing or repeating an action.

This means that acts that are reinforced in a positive way will be more likely to be repeated since are followed by rewards, prizes or rewards perceived as positive by the person performing the action.

It is very important to emphasize that for this partnership to be effective, it must be ensured that the person considers the positive reinforcement as such. That is to say, that it is really attractive to them.

What one person may consider a prize need not be a prize for another. For example, a child who is barely given any candy may perceive it as a more important reward than one who is used to it. Therefore, it will be necessary to know the particularities and differences of the person in order to be able to specify which will be the ideal stimulus that will serve as a positive reinforcer.

In turn, these positive reinforcers can be classified into the following categories:

  • Primary or intrinsic reinforcers : are behaviours that by themselves generate satisfaction. For example, eating if you are hungry.
  • Secondary reinforcers : are given through learning and are external to the person. They can be material, like money, or social, like recognition.

3. Negative reinforcers

Contrary to popular belief, negative reinforcers do not consist of administering punishments or aversive stimuli to the person; quite the contrary. The use of negative reinforcers seeks to increase the response rate of the person by eliminating those consequences that the person considers negative .

For example, a child who studies for a certain test and gets a good grade. In this case, the parents exempt him from doing any household chores or activities that he finds unpleasant.

As we can see, unlike positive reinforcement, in this case the appearance of a negative or aversive stimulus is eliminated in order to increase a certain behaviour. However, what they do have in common is that the stimuli will also have to be adapted to the person’s tastes.

Skinner’s reinforcement programs

As commented at the beginning of the article, besides theorizing about human behavior, Skinner sought to put these theories into real practice . To this end, he developed a series of specific reinforcement programs, the most outstanding being the continuous reinforcement and the intermittent reinforcement programs (interval reinforcement and reason reinforcement).

1. Continuous reinforcement

In continuous reinforcement the person is constantly rewarded for an action or behaviour . The main advantage is that the association is quick and effective; however, once the reinforcement is eliminated the behaviour also dies out quickly.

2. Intermittent reinforcement

In these cases the person’s behaviour is only reinforced on certain occasions . This program in turn is subdivided into two categories: interval reinforcement (fixed or variable) or reason reinforcement (fixed or variable)

In interval reinforcement the behaviour is reinforced after a previously established period of time (fixed) or a random period of time (variable). While in reason reinforcement the person has to carry out a certain number of behaviours before he or she is reinforced. As in the interval reinforcement this number of responses can be previously agreed (fixed) or not (random).

Criticisms of Skinner’s theory

Like all fields of study and research, Skinner’s theory is not without its critics. The main detractors of these hypotheses accuse Skinner of not taking into account the circumstances around which the behaviour takes place, thus creating a theory that is too reductionist as it is based on the experimental method . However, this criticism is replicated by drawing attention to the fact that the experimental method tries to put the focus precisely not on the individual, but on the context, what occurs in the environment.