Vicarious Reinforcement

Vicarious reinforcement more generally falls under the rubric of social learning and modeling theory procedures. These procedures are often called observational learning or, more simply, modeling. As with simple reinforcement procedures, vicarious reinforcement involves the alteration of environmental consequences to increase the probability of the occurrence of a given behavior. Unlike other reinforcement procedures, however, vicarious reinforcement does not involve direct application of consequences to the individual whose behavior is targeted for change; rather, learning takes place when an individual observes the consequences that result from another's behavior.

Vicarious reinforcement, like more straightforward reinforcement procedures, can either involve the addition of desirable stimuli (i.e., positive reinforcement) or the removal of aversive stimuli (i.e., negative reinforcement). Examples from everyday life include the adolescent who starts smoking because he or she sees a friend's social status increase when smoking or children who learn to complete their chores because they notice that their older siblings receive attention from parents for finishing all their chores.

A good example of the use of vicarious reinforcement procedures in treatment comes from pediatric psychology and the preparation of children for painful medical procedures. After teaching a child various coping skills, the child observes a model undergoing a painful medical procedure and successfully uses the coping strategies to reduce the pain, thereby making it more likely that the child will employ the coping skills again in the future.

Vicarious reinforcement operates on the principle that the individual who receives the direct reinforcement changes, as does the individual who observes the behavior change. This is especially evident in school or social settings for young children and teenagers. Children are easily influenced by their peers and often engage in inappropriate behaviors based on peer pressure. An example of this would be a child acting out in class and getting attention from his or her classmates. Therefore, another child who observed this disruptive behavior would be more likely to act out in class to also receive positive reinforcement from his or her peers. Close proximity or interrelatedness between the two individuals may lead to greater vicarious reinforcement influence. For example, a child would be less influenced by a stranger of the same age and more influenced by a close friend or classmate.

However, some studies have suggested that in certain situations, individuals show little evidence of vicarious reinforcement. They may observe positive or negative reinforcement applied to others, but this does not influence their perceptions or behaviors, because the consequences are not naturally reinforcing for them. For example, a child who answers questions in class may receive attention and praise from a teacher for participating in classroom discussion. However, a child who has a phobia of public speaking or is afraid of being judged will not be vicariously reinforced by increased attention from the teacher.

Other studies have suggested that when vicarious reinforcement occurs, its effects may last for a limited time (i.e., a couple of days). Other studies have found that attempts at vicarious reinforcement may have the unintended consequence of implicitly punishing the observer. For example, if two employees are typically punctual for meetings and one receives praise for the punctuality while the other simply observes the praise, the employee who is not directly praised may decrease his or her punctuality rather than increase it.

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