Positive Reinforcement (R+), Negative Reinforcement (R-), Positive Punishment (P+), Negative Punishment (P-): What Do They Mean!?!
One of the most confusing parts about training animals of any kind can be the terminology. For example, you might see the word "punishment" and automatically think it means something bad happens. And you might see the word "reinforcement" and think it automatically means something good. But in training and behavior modification, this is simply not so.
When we refer to "punishment" in training, we are referring to us doing something in order to make an animal's undesired behavior less likely to be repeated.
When we refer to "reinforcement" in training, we are referring to us doing something in order to make an animal's desired behavior more likely to be repeated.
Now comes the confusing part. "Positive" doesn't refer to something "good" and "Negative" doesn't refer to something "bad". Instead, "positive" just refers to you adding something to the animals environment (can be something pleasant or unpleasant) and "negative" just refers to you taking away something from the animals environment.
Now onto the Terms Themselves:
"Positive reinforcement" (R+) refers to us giving the animal something that they find rewarding (could be food, toys, attention, etc.) when they do a certain behavior in order to make them more likely to repeat that behavior in the future. (Example: Your dog sits down. You give them praise and a treat. Now your dog is more likely to sit down in your presence in the future.)
"Negative reinforcement" (R-) refers to us taking away something that the animal finds unpleasant (could be taking away physical pressure, removing something the animal fears, turning off a loud noise, etc.) when they do a certain behavior in order to make them more likely to repeat that behavior in the future. (Example: Your dog is afraid of new objects. Whenever your dog approaches the object, you remove it. So the dog learns that by approaching the scary object, you'll take it away. They will now be more likely to approach new objects in order to get them removed.)
"Positive punishment" (P+) refers to us adding something that the animal finds unpleasant (such as adding loud noise, physical pressure, etc.) when the animal performs a certain behavior in order to make them less likely to repeat it in the future. (Example: Your dog pulls you on a walk. You add a prong collar, and now whenever they pull they feel an unpleasant physical pressure on their neck. They stop pulling in order to avoid the sensation.)
"Negative punishment" (P-) refers to us taking away something that the animal finds rewarding (such as food, toys, etc.) when the animal performs a certain behavior in order to make them less likely to do it in the future. (Example: Your dog bites your hand when you're holding treats. You remove your hand every time they do so. After several repetitions, they will stop biting your hand as it makes you remove the treats.)
When we refer to "punishment" in training, we are referring to us doing something in order to make an animal's undesired behavior less likely to be repeated.
When we refer to "reinforcement" in training, we are referring to us doing something in order to make an animal's desired behavior more likely to be repeated.
Now comes the confusing part. "Positive" doesn't refer to something "good" and "Negative" doesn't refer to something "bad". Instead, "positive" just refers to you adding something to the animals environment (can be something pleasant or unpleasant) and "negative" just refers to you taking away something from the animals environment.
Now onto the Terms Themselves:
"Positive reinforcement" (R+) refers to us giving the animal something that they find rewarding (could be food, toys, attention, etc.) when they do a certain behavior in order to make them more likely to repeat that behavior in the future. (Example: Your dog sits down. You give them praise and a treat. Now your dog is more likely to sit down in your presence in the future.)
"Negative reinforcement" (R-) refers to us taking away something that the animal finds unpleasant (could be taking away physical pressure, removing something the animal fears, turning off a loud noise, etc.) when they do a certain behavior in order to make them more likely to repeat that behavior in the future. (Example: Your dog is afraid of new objects. Whenever your dog approaches the object, you remove it. So the dog learns that by approaching the scary object, you'll take it away. They will now be more likely to approach new objects in order to get them removed.)
"Positive punishment" (P+) refers to us adding something that the animal finds unpleasant (such as adding loud noise, physical pressure, etc.) when the animal performs a certain behavior in order to make them less likely to repeat it in the future. (Example: Your dog pulls you on a walk. You add a prong collar, and now whenever they pull they feel an unpleasant physical pressure on their neck. They stop pulling in order to avoid the sensation.)
"Negative punishment" (P-) refers to us taking away something that the animal finds rewarding (such as food, toys, etc.) when the animal performs a certain behavior in order to make them less likely to do it in the future. (Example: Your dog bites your hand when you're holding treats. You remove your hand every time they do so. After several repetitions, they will stop biting your hand as it makes you remove the treats.)
Watch the video below for a verbal explanation of these 4 terms plus examples using my rat Cream:
Disclosure: Esther (and her site rattrix.weebly.com) is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com