Positive Reinforcement = adding something to re-enforce
Negative Reinforcement = removing something to re-enforce
Positive Punishment = adding something to punish
Negative Punishment = removing something to punish
Punishment = something done to bring down a behavior in frequency and/or intensity.
Reinforcement is something done to increase a behavior in frequency and/or intensity.
So this person who wrote the following on an e-mail list I am on is using the terms incorrectly.
"I can get the other two dogs to go down the steps using mild negative reinforcement: stepping into their space and telling them to go down."
So I think what she is actually doing is using positive punishment. Stepping into their space (adding) to decrease their behavior (not going)?
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What are R+, R-, P+, P-, and extinction?
You'll see these terms pop up on the list fairly often. They are terms used in Operant Conditioning. They stand for:
Positive reinforcement (R+): something is added to increase the occurrence of a behavior. For example, you give the dog a treat to reinforce the sit.
Negative reinforcement (R-): something is removed to increase the occurrence of a behavior. For example, in the forced retrieve (not a clicker technique), a dog's ear is pinched to force him to open his mouth to take the dumbbell. When the dog opens his mouth -- the desired behavior -- the ear pinch is released.
Positive punishment (P+): something is added to decrease the occurrence of a behavior. For example, a collar pop is applied (not a clicker training technique) to discourage a dog from pulling on the lead.
Negative punishment (P-): something is removed to decrease the occurrence of a behavior. For example, turning away (removing attention) from a dog who is jumping up on you.
Extinction: Lack of reward. A behavior weakens because it is not reinforced -- not because it is punished. For example, a dog wants a bone on the other side of a fence. It reaches its paw under and can't get it. It will try repeatedly, but because the "reaching under" behavior isn't reinforced (by getting the bone), the dog will eventually quit trying. Extinction will not work for self-reinforced behaviors.
Is it important to know these definitions? Yes, it is, because it helps us understand each other much better. For example, in everyday usage, positive and negative often mean good and bad. However, on this list, positive and negative mean something added or taken away. Punishment is another word that carries strong connotations in everyday language. In Operant Conditioning, punishment means strictly "reducing the occurrence of a behavior."
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From an e-mail
Order of training strategies , always giving the animal a chance beginning with most positive first: R+ (Reinforcement positive bringing something into the environment like a reward), P-(Punishment negative such as ..take away, a time out), R- ( Reinforcement negative such as escape , moving away from something .. it increases behavior ) and last P+( Punishment positive ...adding an aversive)
Note: P- is the removal (or time out) of the chance to earn R+. With R-and P- , there are no aversive's which is something we want to avoid if possible first .
(Remember ,punishment, either + ( plus) or - (minus ) DECREASES a behavior.... and Reinforcement,either + (plus ) or - (minus ) INCREASES behavior)
