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

268
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...
268
Timing and Consequences on Behavior01:08

Timing and Consequences on Behavior

100
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...
100
Instinctive Drift01:05

Instinctive Drift

225
Instinctive drift refers to the tendency of animals to revert to their innate behaviors despite repeated reinforcement. Breland and Breland demonstrated this concept in an experiment with a raccoon. The raccoon was trained to pick up two coins and place them in a container in exchange for food. Initially, the raccoon learned to associate the coins with food, making them a conditioned stimulus or a substitute for food. However, over time, the raccoon became less willing to put the coins into the...
225
Punishment01:27

Punishment

192
Negative reinforcement and punishment are often confused but serve distinct functions in behavior modification. Reinforcement, whether positive or negative, increases the likelihood of a desired behavior, while punishment decreases it.
Punishment can be positive or negative. Positive punishment involves adding an undesirable stimulus, such as scolding, to decrease a behavior. Negative punishment involves removing a desirable stimulus, such as taking away a favorite toy, to decrease behavior....
192
Reinforcement Schedules01:24

Reinforcement Schedules

148
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,...
148
Generalization, Discrimination, and Extinction01:24

Generalization, Discrimination, and Extinction

566
Generalization, discrimination, and extinction are key concepts in operant conditioning that influence how behaviors are learned and maintained.
Generalization occurs when a behavior reinforced in one context is performed in similar situations. For instance, a student who studies diligently for calculus and receives excellent grades might apply the same study habits to psychology and history, expecting similar results. Generalization shows how learning in one setting can influence behavior in...
566

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Correction: Integrating Client and Implementer Preferences During Functional Communication Training with Discriminative Stimuli.

Behavior analysis in practice·2026
Same author

Integrating Client and Implementer Preferences During Functional Communication Training with Discriminative Stimuli.

Behavior analysis in practice·2026
Same author

Contingency discrimination training and resurgence: Effects of reduced extinction session durations.

Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior·2025
Same author

On the Evidence for Interactive Effects During and Following Synthesized Contingency Assessments.

Behavioral interventions : theory & practice in residential & community-based clinical programs·2025
Same author

Anxiety and Depression Affect Sleep Quality: A Preliminary Investigation in Crowdsourced Samples of Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults.

Journal of autism and developmental disorders·2025
Same author

Identifying Cyclical Patterns of Behavior Using a Moving-Average, Data-Smoothing Manipulation.

Behavioral sciences (Basel, Switzerland)·2025

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 7, 2025

Reinstatement of Drug-seeking in Mice Using the Conditioned Place Preference Paradigm
08:29

Reinstatement of Drug-seeking in Mice Using the Conditioned Place Preference Paradigm

Published on: June 7, 2018

11.6K

Relative preference for distinct reinforcers maintaining destructive behavior.

Halle M Norris1,2, Brian D Greer1,3,4

  • 1Children's Specialized Hospital-Rutgers University Center for Autism Research, Education, and Services (CSH-RUCARES), Somerset, NJ, USA.

Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
|December 22, 2023
PubMed
Summary

This study developed a method to assess reinforcer preference for individuals with destructive behaviors. Results showed clear preferences, but these varied among participants and weren't predictable from earlier tests.

Keywords:
choicedestructive behaviormultiply maintained respondingreinforcement schedule thinning

More Related Videos

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats
06:11

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

Published on: February 20, 2019

7.5K
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

9.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jul 7, 2025

Reinstatement of Drug-seeking in Mice Using the Conditioned Place Preference Paradigm
08:29

Reinstatement of Drug-seeking in Mice Using the Conditioned Place Preference Paradigm

Published on: June 7, 2018

11.6K
A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats
06:11

A Conflict Model of Reward-seeking Behavior in Male Rats

Published on: February 20, 2019

7.5K
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

9.5K

Area of Science:

  • Behavioral science
  • Applied behavior analysis

Background:

  • Limited guidance exists for sequencing treatments for multiply maintained destructive behaviors.
  • Assessing functional reinforcer preference may inform treatment decisions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a robust relative preference and reinforcer assessment for individuals with multiply maintained destructive behavior.
  • To evaluate the effectiveness of guided and free-choice trials in identifying reinforcer preferences.

Main Methods:

  • Participants chose between two multiple-schedule arrangements during guided and free-choice trials.
  • Schedules of reinforcement were thinned based on consistent participant choices and responding.
  • Relative preference was assessed by analyzing choices between signaled periods of reinforcer availability and unavailability.

Main Results:

  • All four participants demonstrated a strong preference for one of two functional reinforcers.
  • Individual preferences varied significantly across participants.
  • Reinforcer preferences were not reliably predicted by responding in prior analyses.

Conclusions:

  • The developed assessment method shows promise for identifying functional reinforcer preferences in individuals with multiply maintained destructive behavior.
  • Individualized assessment is crucial, as preferences differ and are not easily predicted.
  • Further research is needed to refine and validate this assessment approach.