Final answer:
Affection is identified by Skinner as a generalized social reinforcement, which is a form of a secondary reinforcer that is valued due to its association with primary reinforcers.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Skinner (1953), affection is best identified as a generalized social reinforcement. In behaviorism, especially as outlined by B. F. Skinner, a primary reinforcer is something that has innate reinforcing properties, like food or water. On the other hand, a secondary reinforcer, also known as a conditioned reinforcer, does not inherently reinforce behavior but does so by being associated with a primary reinforcer. In this context, generalized social reinforcement is a type of secondary reinforcer that has become associated with a wide variety of positive states and can encourage behavior in the absence of any particular primary reinforcer. An example of this would be affection or praise, which does not satisfy a basic biological need but is still sought after because it has been repeatedly associated with other rewarding experiences.