You are working with Jerome, a student in your classroom for whom the only effective reinforcer is something to eat, such as candy or raisins. You would like Jerome to find your praise reinforcing as well. From an operant conditioning perspective, your best strategy would be which one of the following?
A) Show Jerome that all his classmates respond positively to praise.
B) Whenever you give Jerome something to eat, give him praise as well.
C) Explain to Jerome that praise gives him feedback about the things he is doing well.
D) Explain to Jerome how important it is that he not be so reliant on concrete reinforcers.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

By pairing praise with something reinforcing, like food, you can gradually increase the reinforcing value of praise over time. This process is known as "pairing and fading." Start by giving Jerome a piece of candy (or another food item he likes) and praising him at the same time. Over days or weeks, gradually reduce the amount of candy and increase the amount of praise until praise alone is enough to maintain his behavior.

You Are Working with Jerome, a Student in Your Classroom