Which term describes the consequences that encourage or strengthen a desired behavior?

• A. Contingency
• B. Reinforcement
• C. Punishment
• D. Generalization

Answer: (B)

Reinforcement is the process that makes a consequence follow a behavior and increases the likelihood that the behavior will happen again. In training a military working dog, you use reinforcement when a desired action is followed by a rewarding outcome like a treat, praise, or play. This strengthens the behavior, making it more likely to occur in the future. It can be positive reinforcement (adding a pleasant outcome) or negative reinforcement (removing an unpleasant stimulus when the behavior occurs), both of which boost the chance the behavior will be repeated.

Punishment, by contrast, is meant to decrease or suppress a behavior, not strengthen it. Generalization is about the dog applying a learned behavior to similar, new situations, not about the consequence shaping its frequency. Contingency refers to the rule linking a behavior to its consequence, the relationship that makes reinforcement work, but the term itself is not the consequence that strengthens behavior.