What term refers to a stimulus whose presentation increases the future frequency of a behavior?

What term refers to a stimulus whose presentation increases the future frequency of a behavior?

• A. Positive Reinforcement
• B. Post Reinforcement Pause
• C. Positive Reinforcer
• D. Prediction

Answer: (C)

Understanding reinforcement helps you see why this label fits. A reinforcer is anything that increases the future frequency of a behavior. When that reinforcer is presented after the behavior, it’s called a positive reinforcer—the added stimulus boosts the likelihood of the behavior happening again. So the term that names the stimulus itself is positive reinforcer, with positive indicating that something is being added. The other terms don’t describe the stimulus. A post reinforcement pause refers to a pattern of responding after reinforcement, not a type of stimulus. Prediction isn’t a term used to describe a stimulus that changes future behavior. Remember, positive reinforcement describes the process of increasing behavior by presenting a stimulus, while the specific stimulus that does the increasing is the positive reinforcer.

Understanding reinforcement helps you see why this label fits. A reinforcer is anything that increases the future frequency of a behavior. When that reinforcer is presented after the behavior, it’s called a positive reinforcer—the added stimulus boosts the likelihood of the behavior happening again. So the term that names the stimulus itself is positive reinforcer, with positive indicating that something is being added.

The other terms don’t describe the stimulus. A post reinforcement pause refers to a pattern of responding after reinforcement, not a type of stimulus. Prediction isn’t a term used to describe a stimulus that changes future behavior. Remember, positive reinforcement describes the process of increasing behavior by presenting a stimulus, while the specific stimulus that does the increasing is the positive reinforcer.