Editing Reinforcement (section)

==Natural and artificial reinforcement==

In his 1967 paper, ''Arbitrary and Natural Reinforcement'', [[Charles Ferster]] proposed classifying reinforcement into events that increase the frequency of an operant behavior as a natural consequence of the behavior itself, and events that affect frequency by their requirement of human mediation, such as in a [[token economy]] where subjects are rewarded for certain behavior by the therapist.

In 1970, Baer and Wolf developed the concept of "behavioral traps."<ref>{{cite book | first1 = Donald M. | last1 = Baer | first2 = Montrose M. | last2 = Wolf | chapter = The entry into natural communities of reinforcement | veditors = Ulrich R, Stachnik T, Mabry J | title = Control of human behavior | volume = 2 | pages = 319–24 | location = Glenview, IL | publisher = Scott Foresman }}</ref> A behavioral trap requires only a simple response to enter the trap, yet once entered, the trap cannot be resisted in creating general behavior change. It is the use of a behavioral trap that increases a person's repertoire, by exposing them to the naturally occurring reinforcement of that behavior. Behavioral traps have four characteristics:
* They are "baited" with desirable reinforcers that "lure" the student into the trap.
* Only a low-effort response already in the repertoire is necessary to enter the trap.
* Interrelated contingencies of reinforcement inside the trap motivate the person to acquire, extend, and maintain targeted skills.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Kohler FW, Greenwood CR | title = Toward a technology of generalization: The identification of natural contingencies of reinforcement | journal = The Behavior Analyst | volume = 9 | issue = 1 | pages = 19–26 | year = 1986 | pmid = 22478644 | pmc = 2741872 | doi=10.1007/bf03391926}}</ref>
* They can remain effective for long periods of time because the person shows few, if any, satiation effects.

Thus, artificial reinforcement can be used to build or develop generalizable skills, eventually transitioning to  naturally occurring reinforcement to maintain or increase the behavior. Another example is a social situation that will generally result from a specific behavior once it has met a certain criterion.