Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Primary and Secondary Reinforcers01:23

Primary and Secondary Reinforcers

In psychology, reinforcement is a key concept in behavior modification. B.F. Skinner demonstrated this with his experiments involving rats in what is known as a Skinner box. The rats learned to press a lever to receive food, a primary reinforcer that fulfilled their innate need for nourishment.
Effective reinforcers for humans vary depending on the individual and the context. Primary reinforcers, such as food, water, sleep, shelter, and pleasure, have inherent value and satisfy basic biological...
Dose-Response Relationship: Potency and Efficacy01:22

Dose-Response Relationship: Potency and Efficacy

The potency of a drug is the measure of its ability to produce a biological response and can be compared by looking at the half-maximum effective concentration or EC50 values of different drugs. A lower EC50 value indicates higher potency of the drug. In the dose–response curve of two antihypertensive drugs, candesartan and irbesartan, a significant difference is observed in their EC50 values. A lower EC50 value for candesartan indicates that it is more potent than irbesartan, as it produces...
Timing and Consequences on Behavior01:08

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

In operant conditioning, the timing of reinforcement is crucial. For animals like rats and cats, immediate reinforcement (within a few seconds) is much more effective than delayed reinforcement. For example, a food reward for a rat needs to follow within 30 seconds of pressing a bar to be effective. 
Humans, however, can respond to delayed reinforcers. We often make decisions between immediate small rewards and delayed larger rewards. This ability to delay gratification is a significant factor...
Reinforcement01:23

Reinforcement

Positive and negative reinforcement are key concepts in operant conditioning, a learning process where the consequences of a behavior affect the likelihood of that behavior being repeated.
Positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior is followed by the presentation of a rewarding stimulus, increasing the frequency of that behavior. For example:
Law of Effect01:06

Law of Effect

B.F. Skinner, a prominent figure in behavioral psychology, introduced operant conditioning by emphasizing the role of consequences in shaping behavior. This theory builds upon the law of effect proposed by Edward Thorndike, which posits that behaviors followed by satisfying outcomes are likely to be repeated. In contrast, those followed by unsatisfying outcomes are less likely to recur.
Edward Thorndike's foundational work involved studying learning in animals, particularly using puzzle boxes...
Reinforcement Schedules01:24

Reinforcement Schedules

Positive reinforcement is a powerful method for teaching new behaviors to both animals and humans. B.F. Skinner demonstrated this with his experiments using rats in a Skinner box. When a rat pressed a lever, it received a food pellet. This immediate reward encouraged the rat to repeat the behavior. This method, where a reward follows every instance of the behavior, is known as continuous reinforcement. It is highly effective for establishing new behaviors quickly.
Once a behavior is learned,...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

[Clinical application of improved treatment of the free margin of the leaflet in aortic root remodeling procedure].

Zhonghua wai ke za zhi [Chinese journal of surgery]·2025
Same author

[Advancements in understanding the pathogenesis of thoracic aortic aneurysm].

Zhonghua xin xue guan bing za zhi·2024
Same author

[Efficacy of arteriovenous argatroban versus heparin flush anticoagulation after cardiovascular surgery].

Zhonghua yi xue za zhi·2023
Same author

[Association of thrombocytopenia with mortality after surgery in patients with Standford type A aortic dissection].

Zhonghua yi xue za zhi·2022
Same author

Crisis stabilisation services for people with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review.

Journal of intellectual disabilities : JOID·2021
Same author

[Early outcome of valve sparing aortic root replacement with partial upper sternotomy].

Zhonghua wai ke za zhi [Chinese journal of surgery]·2021
Same journal

Latency and persistence of renewal in an intensive outpatient clinic.

Journal of applied behavior analysis·2026
Same journal

The effect of varied versus constant high-probability instructional sequences on cooperation.

Journal of applied behavior analysis·2026
Same journal

Relations between heart rate and precursors: A replication and extension of prior research.

Journal of applied behavior analysis·2026
Same journal

Integrating five linear trend techniques into performance-criteria-based effect size measurements: Impressions and recommendations.

Journal of applied behavior analysis·2026
Same journal

Functional analysis and treatment of higher level restricted repetitive behavior displayed by individuals with autism.

Journal of applied behavior analysis·2026
Same journal

Contingency drives children's vocal behavior.

Journal of applied behavior analysis·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 9, 2026

A Novel Procedure for Evaluating the Reinforcing Properties of Tastants in Laboratory Rats: Operant Intraoral Self-administration
11:16

A Novel Procedure for Evaluating the Reinforcing Properties of Tastants in Laboratory Rats: Operant Intraoral Self-administration

Published on: February 6, 2014

On the relation between reinforcer efficacy and preference.

May S H Lee1, C T Yu, Toby L Martin

  • 1University of Manitoba and St. Amant Research Centre.

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|September 3, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

This study compared stimulus preference and reinforcer assessments, finding that preference rankings and reinforcing effects largely agreed, especially for strong reinforcers. Discordance was noted with weaker reinforcers, impacting behavioral interventions.

Keywords:
developmental disabilitiespreferencereinforcer assessment

More Related Videos

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
09:12

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

Published on: March 17, 2019

Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance
13:20

Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance

Published on: December 5, 2025

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 9, 2026

A Novel Procedure for Evaluating the Reinforcing Properties of Tastants in Laboratory Rats: Operant Intraoral Self-administration
11:16

A Novel Procedure for Evaluating the Reinforcing Properties of Tastants in Laboratory Rats: Operant Intraoral Self-administration

Published on: February 6, 2014

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
09:12

Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats

Published on: March 17, 2019

Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance
13:20

Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance

Published on: December 5, 2025

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral Psychology
  • Applied Behavior Analysis
  • Reinforcement Assessment

Background:

  • Traditional stimulus preference and reinforcer assessments often follow a sequential pattern.
  • Typically, only the most and least preferred stimuli are evaluated as potential reinforcers.
  • This approach may not fully capture the nuanced relationship between preference and reinforcing efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantify the reinforcing efficacies of six distinct food items.
  • To assess the relative preference for each of these food items.
  • To examine the concordance between reinforcer efficacy and relative preference rankings.

Main Methods:

  • Quantification of reinforcing efficacies for six food items.
  • Assessment of relative preference for each food item.
  • Comparison of preference rankings against measured reinforcing efficacies.

Main Results:

  • High concordance (almost perfect) between relative preference ranking and reinforcer efficacy was observed for one participant.
  • Partial concordance was found for a second participant.
  • Discordance between preference and efficacy was more pronounced for weaker reinforcers.

Conclusions:

  • Relative preference and reinforcer efficacy assessments demonstrate significant, though not absolute, concordance.
  • The strength of a reinforcer appears to influence the degree of agreement between preference and efficacy.
  • Findings suggest that evaluating both preference and efficacy is crucial for effective behavioral intervention design.