Types of Behaviour Modification

Behaviour modification is a treatment approach that replaces undesirable

behaviours with more desirable ones by using the principles of operant
conditioning. Based on methodological behaviorism, overt behaviour is
modified with consequences, including positive and negative reinforcement
contingencies to increase desirable behaviour, or administering positive and
negative punishment and/or extinction to reduce problematic behaviour.
Reinforcement provides a system of rewards and punishments to change
negative behaviour into positive responses.
There are two types of reinforcement, known as positive reinforcement and
negative reinforcement;
Positive reinforcement
Positive reinforcement occurs when a desirable event or stimulus is presented
as a consequence of a behaviour and the chance that this behaviour will
manifest in similar environments increases.
 Example: Whenever a rat presses a button, it gets a treat. If the rat starts
pressing the button more often, the treat serves to positively reinforce
this behaviour.
 Example: A father gives candy to his daughter when she tidies up her
toys. If the frequency of picking up the toys increases, the candy is a
positive reinforcer (to reinforce the behaviour of cleaning up).
 Example: A company enacts a rewards program in which employees
earn prizes dependent on the number of items sold. The prizes the
employees receive are the positive reinforcement if they increase sales.
 Example: A teacher praises his student when he receives a good grade.
The praise the student receives is the positive reinforcement in case the
student's grades improve.
 Example: A supervisor attaches a monetary reward for the employee
who exceeds expectations the most. The monetary reward is the
positive reinforcement of the good behaviour: exceeding expectations.
Negative reinforcement
Negative reinforcement occurs when the rate of a behaviour increases because
an aversive event or stimulus is removed or prevented from happening.[13]: 253 
 Example: A child cleans their room, and this behaviour is followed by the
parent stopping "nagging" or asking the child repeatedly to do so. Here,
the nagging serves to negatively reinforce the behaviour of cleaning
because the child wants to remove that aversive stimulus of nagging.
 Example: A company has a policy that if an employee completes their
assigned work by Friday, they can have Saturday off. Working Saturday is
the aversive stimulus; the employees have incentive to increase
productivity to avoid the aversive stimulus.
 Example: An individual leaves early for work to beat traffic and avoid
arriving late. The behaviour is leaving early for work, and the aversive
stimulus the individual wishes to remove is being late to work.
Primary reinforcers
A primary reinforcer, sometimes called an unconditioned reinforcer, is a
stimulus that does not require pairing with a different stimulus in order to
function as a reinforcer and most likely has obtained this function through the
evolution and its role in species' survival. Examples of primary reinforcers
include food, water, and sex.
Secondary reinforcers
A secondary reinforcer, sometimes called a conditioned reinforcer, is a
stimulus or situation that has acquired its function as a reinforcer after pairing
with a stimulus that functions as a reinforcer. This stimulus may be a primary
reinforcer or another conditioned reinforcer (such as money). An example of a
secondary reinforcer would be the sound from a clicker, as used in clicker
training.
Reinforcement versus punishment
Reinforcers serve to increase behaviours whereas punishers serve to decrease
behaviours; thus, positive reinforcers are stimuli that the subject will work to
attain, and negative reinforcers are stimuli that the subject will work to be rid
of or to end. The table below illustrates the adding and subtracting of stimuli
(pleasant or aversive) in relation to reinforcement vs. punishment.
Rewarding (pleasant) Aversive (unpleasant)
stimulus stimulus
 Adding/Presenting Positive Reinforcement Positive Punishment
Removing/Taking Away Negative Punishment Negative Reinforcement

For example, offering a child candy if he cleans his room, is positive

reinforcement. Spanking a child if he breaks a window, is positive punishment.
Taking away a child's toys for misbehaving is negative punishment. Giving a
child a break from his chores if he performs well on a test, is negative
reinforcement. "Positive and negative" do not carry the meaning of "good and
bad" in this usage.