Intermittent reinforcement refers to behaviors that are rewarded intermittently, or not continuously. For example, if a kid threw a tantrum on the floor of Toys-R-Us and his parents gave him a present every time, that would be continuous reinforcement.

An intermittent schedule of reinforcement is a contingency of reinforcement in which some, but not all, occurrences of the behavior produce reinforcement.

Definition: When some but not all occurrences of a behavior result in the delivery of reinforcement. General Usage: Intermittent schedules are typically used to reduce the amount/frequency of reinforcement delivery after the target behavior has been initially acquired.

Continuous reinforcement schedules are most effective when trying to teach a new behavior. It denotes a pattern to which every narrowly-defined response is followed by a narrowly-defined consequence.

There are two types of reinforcement, known as positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement; positive is whereby a reward is offered on expression of the wanted behaviour and negative is taking away an undesirable element in the persons environment whenever the desired behaviour is achieved.

Negative punishment, an operant conditioning technique, reduces a behavior or response by taking away a favorable stimulus following that action. Because negative punishment procedures decreases the likelihood of the behavior occurring again by removing a stimulus, the stimulus must be pleasant or essential.

So giving a prison sentence for committing a crime is an example of positive punishment. The prison sentence will make is less likely that the convict will commit the crime again. Negative punishment consists of the termination of a rewarding stimulus which decreases the likelihood of a target response.

In Applied Behavior Analysis verbiage (ABA), time out is considered a negative punishment procedure. The “negative” means something is removed and the “punishment” refers to decreasing a behavior. Time out should be utilized in conjunction with teaching appropriate behaviors and positive reinforcement.

They are recommended by most pediatricians as a way to curb negative behaviors ranging from talking back to physical aggression. Research indicates that when used properly — along with other techniques that balance nurture and structure — time outs are effective and do not cause harm.