Final answer:
A secondary reinforcer, such as praise, money, or tokens, is a stimulus that gains reinforcing properties through association with primary reinforcers. These reinforcers are essential in operant conditioning to modify behavior by being traded for goods or representing something valuable due to their connection to other reinforcers or experiences.
Step-by-step explanation:
A secondary reinforcer is a stimulus that gains its reinforcing properties through its association with a primary reinforcer. Unlike primary reinforcers, which satisfy biological needs and have innate reinforcing qualities such as food, water, and shelter, secondary reinforcers have no inherent value. Examples of secondary reinforcers include praise, money, and tokens such as stickers on a behavior chart. These become valuable and reinforcing only when they can be used to obtain primary reinforcers or are consistently paired with other reinforcing experiences.
For instance, receiving praise from a coach becomes reinforcing for a player like Sydney, not necessarily for the words themselves, but for the affection and recognition that they represent. In the academic setting, the use of a token economy system, where tokens are collected and exchanged for rewards, is an effective way to reinforce and modify behavior. These tokens are secondary reinforcers because they are valued due to their exchangeability for desired items or privileges, not for the tokens themselves.
In everyday life, we encounter many situations where secondary reinforcers are utilized. Token economies, positive reinforcement, and the motivational effect of secondary reinforcers on behavior are all grounded in the principles of operant conditioning as proposed by B. F. Skinner.