Question

While at the dentist, six-year-old alex listens as his mom tells the dentist she flosses her teeth at least three times a week. alex notices that the dentist smiled at and complimented his mom on her behavior. as a result of this brief encounter, alex's mom will be likely to continue to floss as a result of _____ and alex will be likely to have a favorable attitude concerning flossing as a result of _____?

Answer 1

The correct answers are operant conditioning; observational learning

Answer 1: Alex's mom will be likely to continue to floss as a result of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning (OC) refers to a learning theory in psychology which states that behaviors followed by positive reinforcement (such as praise or rewards) are more likely to be repeated and occur in the future. Through OC, individuals develop associations between behaviors and their consequences (either reward or punishment).

Answer 2: Alex will be likely to have a favorable attitude concerning flossing as a result of observational learning. Observational learning (also known as social learning) refers to learning that takes place from observing the behaviors of others around us. Observers observe and emulate others' behavior when they see others as role models. Additionally observational learning takes place because individuals have learned that imitating someone else's behaviors will be personally advantageous or rewarding for them.