Satiation

When using a reinforcer, its important that you don’t use a reinforcer that has already reached satiation. This occurs when the kid has experienced the reward so much that it is no longer enticing. For example, if a kid has eaten 8 ice cream cones that day and you offer another ice cream cone as a reward, the offer will probably not be very enticing. When picking a reinforcer, pick someone that isn’t likely to reach satiation by the time the reward is obtained. This can be a reward that the person craves so much that satiation will never be reached, like a teenager’s cell phone. It can also be a reward that only occurs on a limited basis, like desert at dinner time.

Poor Example:

Joey wanted his kid to do his bed time routine on his own. This consisted of his child brushing his teeth, bathing, changing into pajamas, and saying his prayers. Joey’s son loved to watch YouTube videos. He usually watched 5 hours of videos a day. Joey told his son that if he completed his bedtime routine by himself, he could watch a 20-minute video before going to bed. By the end of the day, his son had already reached satiation and this offer did not motivate his son to push through the difficulty of learning to be self-directive.

Good Example:

Joey decided that it probably was unhealthy for his son to watch 5 hours of video a day. He limited his son’s video time to 1 hour a day. He told his son that if he did his bedtime routine by himself, he could watch his videos for another hour before going to sleep. Learning to be self-directive was difficult for his son. His son had not yet developed that muscle. His son really wanted to watch the video. The enticement was strong enough influence him to push through the difficulty of being self-directive. Through trial and error, his son was eventually able to learn to be self-directive and accomplish his bedtime routine without prompt.