reinforcement: Meaning and Definition of

re•in•force•ment

Pronunciation: (rē"in-fôrs'munt, -fōrs'-), [key]
— n.
  1. the act of reinforcing.
  2. the state of being reinforced.
  3. something that reinforces or strengthens.
  4. Often,an additional supply of personnel, ships, aircraft, etc., for a military force.
  5. a system of steel bars, strands, wires, or mesh for absorbing the tensile and shearing stresses in concrete work.
    1. a procedure, as a reward or punishment, that alters a response to a stimulus.
    2. the act of reinforcing a response.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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