Is reinforcement the same as bribery?

I'm sure you have heard the term "reinforcement" several times. All you see is a therapist giving your child something they like (i.e., snacks, stickers, tokens, tickles, attention, praise, etc.) to complete a task. You're probably thinking, "Why is my child being bribed to do things?" "Shouldn't my child just do what is being asked?" or "I bribe my child all the time, and it doesn't work…why not?

First, let's check the definition of bribery in the dictionary. According to Oxford Languages Dictionary bribe means to "persuade (someone) to act in one's favor, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money." (How to Parent Effectively (with Pictures) - wikiHow. https://www.wikihow.com/Parent-Effectively). According to the principle of Applied Behavior Analysis, reinforcement is used to increase or decrease the occurrence of behaviors. It can be positive or negative behaviors, so the therapist needs to be extra careful when presenting the reinforcers.

For example, if you praise your child for doing their homework, that's reinforcement. But if you promise them a new toy if they do their homework, that's bribery.

Bribery can be effective in the short term, but it's not a good long-term strategy. That's because bribery creates a sense of entitlement. The child comes to expect a reward every time they do something you want them to do.

In contrast, reinforcement strengthens the desired behavior because it's given after the behavior is displayed. The child knows that they're being rewarded because they did something good.

So which is better, bribery or reinforcement? It depends on what you're trying to achieve. If you want someone to do something once in a while, bribery might work. But if you want someone to do something regularly, reinforcement is the way to go.