Pairing Yourself with Reinforcement

When implementing schedules of reinforcement in the classroom, it is crucial that your students find the environment and YOU reinforcing. This doesn’t always happen naturally. You can change that by intentionally pairing yourself with the delivery of the student’s reinforcer.

But first…

If you are wondering how to find out what your student’s reinforcer is, click here to see my post on preference assessments.
If you are wondering how you can visually teach and remind students of positive behavior, click here!
Interested in a reinforcement cheat sheet? This one is great!

What is Pairing?

Pairing is the process in which a teacher/practitioner etc. connects themselves with the delivery of the student’s reinforcer. In a true stimulus pairing, the practitioner will deliver the reinforcement and at the same time deliver some kind of desired socially mediated reinforcement. Socially mediated reinforcement is any kind of reinforcement that exists via another person. Through repeated exposure to this contingency, the student begins to associate the teacher with the positive reinforcer.

Note: This contingency will not work if there is no prior relationship building done with the student. A positive rapport is critical for this contingency to be successful.

How do we pair ourselves with reinforcement?

Just like any other contingency created, consistency is key in order to successfully pair yourself with a reinforcer. Once you build strong, positive rapport with your students, you can begin to introduce a pairing contingency.

To begin pairing yourself with reinforcement, first find out what your student’s preferred socially mediated reinforcer is. You can do this by conducting a preference assessment.

Next, you will engage in the socially mediated reinforcer at the same time as delivering the other reinforcer (usually tangible or edible). By introducing them at the same time, the student learns that both the tangible reinforcer AND your socially mediated reinforcer hold the same value.

Example: A student is working on a math worksheet. The student is on a fixed ratio 3 schedule (FR3), and will receive a token after every three questions answered correctly. At the delivery of the token, the teacher will also say “Great job!” or “I love the way you are trying your best!”

Eventually, you can begin to fade the tangible reinforcer. Then, your socially mediated reinforcer will be the primary reinforcer, making you the reinforcer!

Examples of Socially Mediated Reinforcers

“Good Job!” “Way to Go!” “Nice Work” etc.

While these are all great phrases, they often do not provide specific enough praise for the student to know what you are reinforcing them for. If you choose to use one of these phrases, be sure to pair it with a “I like…” statement (seen below).

“I like…” Statements

By using an “I like…” statement, you are telling the student EXACTLY why you are reinforcing them.
– “I like how you are sitting so calmly in your chair.”
– “I like that you kept your hands by your side while you walked in the hallway.”

Physical Social Reinforcers

Prior to COVID-19, I was BIG on “Thumb Fives” and “Hand Hugs”.

What’s a thumb five or a hand hug you ask? A thumb five is simply pressing thumbs together in a thumbs up position. A hand hug is pressing hands together and wrapping thumbs around. I included pictures below.

I don’t use high-fives because I have students who hit. When giving a high-five, it can look and sound like hitting especially if you are coming into it with force (or excitement). To avoid this, I just teach my students how to thumb 5.

The reason I do hand hugs instead of regular hugs is simple. My students are all boys that are going through puberty. By teaching them hand hugs, we are learning how to keep physical boundaries and personal space.

Let me know how you pair yourself with tangible reinforcement! Have questions? Let me know!