reinforcing stimulus
- noun
- /ˌriːɪnˈfɔːrsɪŋ ˈstɪmʊləs/
- Specialized
:
estímulo reforzador
- In operant conditioning, a reinforcing stimulus increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, like giving a dog a treat for sitting.
Examples
-
When the content of two unconscious images overlaps so much that animals, for example, are unable to discern the reinforcing stimulus, experimental neurosis emerges, and even the most docile of animals must be destroyed.
Academic text (1991) -
Another important advance stemming from the integration of these two sciences was the demonstration that drugs could function as reinforcing stimuli in operant conditioning procedures similar to other reinforcers, such as food.
Academic text (2009) -
Some of the most important models use studies of the stimulus properties of drugs, where they function as conditioned or unconditioned stimuli in classical conditioning and discriminative or reinforcing stimuli in operant learning.
Academic text (2009) -
The teacher used a reinforcing stimulus to encourage her students, rewarding them with stickers for good behavior.
-
After finishing his homework, the child received a video game as a reinforcing stimulus, making him more likely to complete tasks in the future.
Synonyms
1
7.7
Something given after an action to make that action happen more often
A thing given after a behavior that makes it more likely to happen again
Something pleasant that someone gives after a behavior to make it happen again
Antonyms
720
1.3
An action that makes someone suffer for breaking a rule, like a fine or time in prison
How Reinforcing
- Specialized
- Specialized
- Specialized
90
3.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
This is a straightforward modifier + noun composition: 'reinforcing' (increasing the likelihood of a response) modifies 'stimulus' (something that triggers a response). A B1 learner who knows both constituents can infer it denotes a stimulus that increases the chance a behavior will recur, so the meaning is directly compositional and transparent.
Etymology
The term reinforcing stimulus comes from simple animal and classroom tests where a stimulus, something given like food or praise, is reinforcing because it makes a behavior stronger. So, it means a thing that increases the chance the behavior will happen again.