Vollmer, T. R., & Hackenberg, T. D. (2001).
Reinforcement contingencies and social reinforcement: Some reciprocal relations between basic and applied research.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
34, 241-253.
Reinforcement contingencies and social reinforcement are
ubiquitous phenomena in applied behavior analysis. This
discussion paper is divided into two sections. In the first
section, reinforcement contingencies are discussed in terms of
the necessary and sufficient conditions for reinforcement
effects. Response–stimulus dependencies, conditional
probabilities, and contiguity are discussed as possible
mechanisms of, and arrangements for, reinforcement effects. In
the second section, social reinforcement is discussed in terms of
its functional subtypes and reinforcement context effects. Two
underlying themes run throughout the discussion: (a) Applied
research would benefit from a greater understanding of existing
basic research, and (b) basic research could be designed to
specifically address some of the issues about reinforcement that
are central to effective application.
DESCRIPTORS: _reinforcement, contingency, social reinforcement,
basic and applied research