Reinforcers can be classified as
either primary or secondary. Reinforcers that are learned are called (secondary) as for
example, money, getting good grades, etc. Reinforcers that do not have to be learned
are called (primary).
What does a glass of water, a meal, a cup of coffee, an aspirin, a cigarette, or an ounce
of alcohol have in common? Guess what? They may all be classified as primary reinforcers
and as drugs! [1]
[See an online dictionary for a definition of drug such as
the following hyperlink.]
http://medical-dictionary.com/
The classic definition of a drug, found in almost every introductory book to pharmacology,
classifies a drug as" any chemical substance that affects living protoplasm".
Don't be too self-righteous when you classify others as drug takers and yourself as
non-drug takers. A word of warning might be that the word drug is something that has been
arbitrarily defined by certain segments of society and has lost most of its meaning.
The point is that any substance can be used as a sympathomimetic, i.e., any agent which
stimulates the autonomous nervous system , which can reinforce the fight/flight response.
You may be thought of as literally-- you are as stressful as the reinforcers in what you
eat, drink, and think! [2]
Reinforcement can be classified into various reinforcement schedules: 1. fixed, 2.
variable, 3. ratio, and 4.
interval. As you may know, eating can observed in a
reinforcement schedule.[3]
For example, eating at the same time every day would be called a fixed schedule. Eating the same amount every day would be thought of as a ratio schedule. If one eats at a different time each day it would be called an interval schedule. If one eats a different amount each day it would be called a variable ratio. If one eats a different amount each day at a different time, it would be called a variable ratio- interval schedule.[ 4 ]
[Be careful here as the schedule that you might think is the strongest may actually be the weakest.] You can only tell how strong a reinforcement schedule is when you take away the reinforcement schedule and then notice how long the behavior continues which has been reinforced.
See lesson 15 for the helpful hint. Give an example and your reasoning. Reasoning here is intended to mean that you must explain how you drew your conclusions from the premises, or the arguments, you used. Which is likely the least type of reinforcement schedule? Give an example and explain your reasoning. How is becoming aware of the reinforcements and the reinforcement schedules important in reducing the impact of stress on your life?
1. Eric Goode, Drugs in
American Society, New York: Alfred Knopf, Inc., 1972, p. 18
2. http://www.msnbc.com/news/526132.asp
The Brain-The Origin of
Dependence, Newsweek, February 2001
3 http://www.brembs.net/operant
4.Ibid., http://www.brembs.net/operant