reinforcement contingency

the contingency (relationship) between a response and a reinforcer. The contingency may be positive (if the occurrence of the reinforcer is more probable after the response) or negative (if it is less probable after the response). Reinforcement contingencies can be arranged by establishing dependencies between a particular type of response and a reinforcer (as when a rat’s lever presses are followed by presentation of food), or they can occur as natural consequences of a response (as when a door opens when pushed) or by accident (see accidental reinforcement). Also called response–reinforcement contingency.

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Psychology term of the day

November 18th 2024

health activities questionnaire

any questionnaire designed to measure an individual’s current repertoire of health-related behaviors. In health care there is an increased emphasis on prevention, and many inventories exist to measure an individual’s compliance with physical activity, dietary control, preventive inoculations, and screening for potential health problems, such as mammography and prostate or colon cancer testing.