Which of the following concepts of operant conditioning is accurately matched with an example?

Question

A. Positive reinforcement – Harvey, a student, is suspended when he vandalizes school property. B. Negative reinforcement – Jeff holds his umbrella over his head when it starts to rain so that he will not get drenched. C. Positive punishment – Jacqueline’s teacher gives her a candy for completing an arithmetic exercise without any errors. D. Negative punishment – Tommy receives a written reprimand from his boss following a series of customer complaints.

Quizzma Team · Answer

The correct answer is B. Negative reinforcement – Jeff holds his umbrella over his head when it starts to rain so that he will not get drenched. ### Explanation: – Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable stimulus to increase a behavior (e.g., giving candy for good work). – Negative reinforcement means removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior (Jeff uses the umbrella to avoid getting wet). – Positive punishment adds an aversive stimulus to decrease behavior (e.g., suspending Harvey). – Negative punishment involves removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease behavior (e.g., Tommy’s reprimand does not fit the definition as loss of privileges isn’t described). If you have more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask!

Which of the following concepts of operant conditioning is accurately matched with an example?

1 Answer