Final answer:
Skinner recognized five important generalized reinforcers that sustain much of human behavior: primary reinforcers, secondary reinforcers, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and punishment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Skinner recognized five important generalized reinforcers that sustain much of human behavior: primary reinforcers, which have innate reinforcing qualities such as food, water, sleep, and pleasure; secondary reinforcers, which are learned reinforcers like money, praise, and toys; positive reinforcement, which is the presentation of a desirable stimulus to increase the frequency of a behavior; negative reinforcement, which is the removal of an aversive stimulus to increase the frequency of a behavior; and punishment, which is the implementation of a consequence to decrease a behavior.
Skinner's focus on positive and negative reinforcement of learned behaviors had a lasting influence in psychology.
Despite the growth of research in cognitive psychology, conditioned learning is still used in human behavioral modification.