Final answer:
In operant conditioning, consequences that have innate reinforcing qualities are referred to as primary reinforcers. These include food, water, shelter, and sex, which are intrinsically rewarding and don't require learning to be considered desirable.
Step-by-step explanation:
Natural selection has prepared us to find some consequences reinforcing, and those that have innate reinforcing qualities are referred to as primary reinforcers. These reinforcers, such as food, water, shelter, and sex, do not need to be learned to be considered rewarding, and their desirability is evolutionarily ingrained in organisms. This concept is an aspect of operant conditioning, a type of associative learning where behaviors are influenced by their consequences. Psychologist B.F. Skinner, a major proponent of operant conditioning, noted that the consequences we receive for our behavior – the reinforcements or punishments – play a key role in shaping our behavior according to the law of effect. Reinforcement, which can be positive or negative, implies an increase in the frequency of a behavior, whereas punishment implies a decrease.