page_title: Applied behavior analysis
section_title: Reinforcement
hierarchical_section_title: Applied behavior analysis / Concepts / Reinforcement
caption_attribution_description: English: This image depicts punishments and rewards that may be used in ABA. Punishments include loss of a candy, loss of a sticker, loss of a token, being fed cayenne pepper, forced inhalation of ammonia, and being yelled at. Rewards include access to toys (such as stuffed animals, glitter jars, and balloons), candy, stickers, a token, and the ability to take a short break from the therapy session. (Tokens can be exchanged for bigger prizes, such as the ability to go play outside.)
context_page_description: Applied behavior analysis, also called behavioral engineering, is a scientific technique concerned with applying empirical approaches based upon the principles of respondent and operant conditioning to change behavior of social significance. It is the applied form of behavior analysis; the other two forms are radical behaviorism and the experimental analysis of behavior.
  The name "applied behavior analysis" has replaced behavior modification because the latter approach suggested attempting to change behavior without clarifying the relevant behavior-environment interactions. In contrast, ABA tries to change behavior by first assessing the functional relationship between a targeted behavior and the environment. Further, the approach often seeks to develop socially acceptable alternatives for aberrant behaviors.
context_section_description: Reinforcement is the key element in operant conditioning and in most behavior change programs. It is the process by which behavior is strengthened. If a behavior is followed closely in time by a stimulus and this results in an increase in the future frequency of that behavior, then the stimulus is a positive reinforcer. If the removal of an event serves as a reinforcer, this is termed negative reinforcement. There are multiple schedules of reinforcement that affect the future probability of behavior.
caption: A drawing showing examples of punishments and rewards. The use of punishments, especially those that inflict sensory or physical pain, is an area of controversy.
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