Positive reinforcement is a
behavorial management technique in which something is
added to a situation in order to increase the chances of the desired
behavior happening, at all or in greater
frequency.
Parents,
teachers,
clergy,
supervisors,
psychologists, (anyone else in a position of
authority you can think of), use positive reinforcement to get their
minions to do their
bidding. The most common form of positive reinforcement is to add
praise and/or
tangible rewards to the situation. This may account for many a
psych 101 student failing the portion of the test about positive reinforcement. Many people mistake 'positive' for 'good and yummy' instead of 'adding to'. If they misunderstand the
concept of positive reinforcement, they probably also misunderstand the concept of
negative reinforcement.