Psychology Wiki
Line 32: Line 32:
 
* [[Monetary incentives]]
 
* [[Monetary incentives]]
 
* [[Monetary rewards]]
 
* [[Monetary rewards]]
  +
* [[Preferred rewards]]
 
* [[Premack principle]]
 
* [[Premack principle]]
 
* [[Reward allocation]]
 
* [[Reward allocation]]
  +
* [[Reward management]]
 
* [[Reward system]]
 
* [[Reward system]]
   

Revision as of 22:17, 5 July 2013

Assessment | Biopsychology | Comparative | Cognitive | Developmental | Language | Individual differences | Personality | Philosophy | Social |
Methods | Statistics | Clinical | Educational | Industrial | Professional items | World psychology |

Professional Psychology: Debating Chamber · Psychology Journals · Psychologists


This article is in need of attention from a psychologist/academic expert on the subject.
Please help recruit one, or improve this page yourself if you are qualified.
This banner appears on articles that are weak and whose contents should be approached with academic caution.


A reward is a subjectively pleasurable or satisfying event or experience that follows the completion of a task. The attainment of reward is reinforcement for the preceding action in conditioning paradigms. The rat receives a food pellet as a reward for pressing the bar and this serves as a reinforcement for its actions.From this one can see that the two terms are not completely synonymous.

Rewards induce learning, approach behaviour and feelings of positive emotions.


Types of reward

  • Primary rewards include those that are necessary for the survival of the species, such as food, water, and sex. Some people include shelter in primary reward.
  • Secondary rewards derive their value from the primary reward and include money, pleasant touch, beautiful faces, music etc. The functions of rewards are based directly on the modification of behavior and less directly on the physical and sensory properties of rewards. For instance, altruism may induce a larger psychological reward, although it doesn't cause physical or sensory sensations, thus favouring such behaviour, also known as psychological egoism.


See also