Effects of Verbal Reinforcement on the Rate and Content of a Conversation Verbal reinforcement is a characteristic of social reinforcement where language is used to buttress the conduct of either oneself or another. This is usually in the form of praise.
Effect of Verbal Reinforcement Verbal reinforcement is one of the most widely used strategies of initiating behavioral change in different individuals (Vallerand et al. 1987). Whether it is at the workplace or in school, people fully utilize this important method of influence. In this respect, the effect of positive verbal reinforcement has been extensively studied. Studies have been conducted with several populations, these include; elementary school children, pre-school children, high school and college students. The studies also entailed simple quantitative tasks requiring minimum learning such as marble dropping tasks and qualitative tasks such as ball rolling. It is generally assumed that positive verbal reinforcement given through positive comments or in the form of praise provokes facilitative performance in conversations. However, research evidence does not fully support this popular belief. Indeed, positive verbal reinforcement enhances rate and content of conversations, as compared to no reinforcement on tasks that require little or no learning. In contrast, it does not have any notable effects on tasks that require much learning. The verbal reinforcement of an individual, however subtle, can have profound and uncontrolled effects on the conversation of the subject (Azrin et al. 1973). When an individual restricts himself or herself to statements, smiles, nods, among other types of interaction, the conversation they are trying to sustain may end up being terminated in a matter of minutes. The rate and content of a conversation is enhanced through the application of verbal reinforcement.
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