Definition

A person or thing that strengthens or supports a behavior or response, often used in psychology to refer to rewards or stimuli that encourage certain actions.

Example

The teacher used praise as a reinforcer to encourage her students to participate more in class.

Conversation

I read that a good reinforcer can really help change behavior.

Yeah, like giving a reward when someone does something positive.

Exactly! It’s fascinating how that works in psychology.

For sure! That’s why positive feedback is so important.

Synonyms & Antonyms

Root Explanation

Reinforcer → It is formed from "re-" (meaning again) and "infor" (from Latin "informare", meaning to shape or form) and "-cer" (a suffix used to denote a person or thing that performs an action). The word "reinforcer" refers to something that shapes or strengthens a behavior again, typically in a learning context.

Memory Tip

Think of something that helps to 'shape' ('informare') a behavior 'again' ('re-') — that's why a reinforcer is something that strengthens or encourages a behavior.

Visually Confused Words