In this blog, we will teach you about positive and negative reinforcement. I have found that many people who are unfamiliar with the technical lingo of ABA hear the word “negative” and think “bad” or “punishment.” That is not the case, which I will clarify in this blog. It is important to note that with both types of reinforcement, we are doing something in order to increase a response, which is usually a desirable one.
- Positive reinforcement is when we add something to increase a response. For example, when I prompt a client to “Touch ball” and they touch the ball, I praise them. This is called immediate praise, which is a very common form of positive reinforcement. Another example would be someone using a “First work, then break” on a board. By doing work the client is earning what they want- the break. In ABA, clinicians commonly use token systems to implement positive reinforcement.
- Negative reinforcement – people often confuse negative reinforcement with “punishment”. People see the word “negative” and automatically think bad. However, by using negative reinforcement we actually take away something “negative” to increase a response. For example: With an item a client does not want, the client gives the therapist a “no” picture, and the therapist removes the item. Another example is, mom puts peas on a client’s plate, client starts screaming, mom removes peas, client stops screaming.
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