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Potential Reinforcers
The first thing you need to know about reinforcement is the difference between a reinforcer and a potential reinforcer. A potential reinforcer is anything your dog wants enough that it seems likely that he would be willing to change his behavior to get it. A reinforcer is anything that actually does serve to increase the rate of the response, if it is consistently presented either during the response, or immediately after the response is made.
For example, your dog would probably like it if you called him a good dog, so by definition, verbal praise is a potential reinforcer. But can we say that verbal praise is an actual reinforcer for your dog? It depends. If praising your dog every time he obeys your command to come results in his coming when called more and more often, then, for your dog, verbal praise can be said to be a reinforcer. If it doesn't increase the rate at which you dog comes when called, then, it is not a reinforcer. It's just a potential reinforcer. When it comes to the question of whether a particular potential reinforcer is, in fact, an actual reinforcer, the proof is in the pudding. If it increases the rate of compliance, then, it is. But it don't, it ain't.