Final answer:
The answer is B. secondary; primary. A secondary reinforcer, like money or praise, gets its value from an association with a primary reinforcer, which satisfies basic biological needs or provides innate pleasure. Secondary reinforcers have no inherent value and are learned through their link to primary reinforcers in the context of operant conditioning.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Reinforcers in Psychology
A secondary reinforcer, such as money or praise, gets its value through an association with a primary reinforcer. The correct answer to this question is B. secondary; primary. A secondary reinforcer has no intrinsic value on its own but gains reinforcement power through its link to a primary reinforcer, which has innate reinforcing qualities.
Primary reinforcers are unlearned and natural, providing satisfaction for biological needs or innate pleasures, like food, water, sleep, or comfort. These are essential for survival and inherently rewarding. Secondary reinforcers, also known as conditioned reinforcers, derive their effectiveness from their association with primary reinforcers and through the process of learning.
For example, money does not satisfy any biological needs, but it can be used to purchase things that do, such as food or shelter. This gives money its value as a secondary reinforcer. Similarly, praise is a form of social reinforcement that, while not innately satisfying a biological need, becomes rewarding because it has been associated with positive experiences like affection or recognition, which are linked to primary reinforcers.
The concept of reinforcement is central to operant conditioning, a method of learning that occurs through rewards and punishments for behavior. Within this framework, a behavior is more likely to be repeated if it's followed by a positive consequence (reinforcement) and less likely to be repeated if followed by a negative consequence (punishment).
Examples of Reinforcement
- In child education, offering verbal praise or a sticker chart for good behavior are secondary reinforcers since the child learns to associate these with positive validation, a primary reinforcer.
- In the case of Skinner's box, food given to rats after pressing a lever is a primary reinforcer as it satisfies hunger, an innate biological need.
It is important to recognize that the use of reinforcers is not limited to educational settings but is a pervasive element in our daily lives, affecting our behavior and learning processes continually.