reinforced practice

a learning procedure in which participants receive incentives for performing specific desired behaviors. For example, children with a fear of the dentist may become more cooperative when praised and rewarded for allowing dental instruments in their mouths for several brief periods before the dentist actually begins work. The technique has been shown to be effective with a variety of behaviors in numerous experimental and real-world situations. The reinforcement need not be complex to be effective and may even be provided automatically, such as a computer screen showing a smiley face when a student presses the button for the correct answer to a study question. In operant conditioning, the term generally denotes the process of shaping.

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Psychology term of the day

May 8th 2024

ontogeny

n. the biological origin and development of an individual organism from fertilization of the egg cell until death. Also called ontogenesis. Compare phylogeny. See also recapitulation theory. —ontogenetic adj.