Types of Reinforcement

 There are both positive and negative types of reinforcement.  When we want to reinforce a desirable behavior we need to provide immediate stimulus or reward to ensure that the behavior increases.  We can also accidentally reinforce negative behavior by giving the desired reaction to the behavior.  If a student is looking for attention for either teacher or their peers and we reinforce the behavior by giving that attention they are more likely to continue that behavior since they received the desired stimulus.  

We can set a schedule of reinforcement based on independent, dependent, and interdependent variables.  Group contingency is often used in classrooms where the class works towards a group reward.  Students will hopefully encourage each other to perform the desired behavior so the whole class can get the reward.