Question

The clown factory's bosses also do not like mistakes. If a worker forgets to put a nose on a clown, the bosses publicly scold the worker. This behavioral tactic is an example of:

A) Positive reinforcement

B) Negative reinforcement

C) Positive punishment

D) Negative punishment

Answer 1

The act of the clown factory bosses scolding a worker for forgetting to put a nose on a clown is an example of positive punishment, which intends to decrease the unwanted behavior by adding an unpleasant experience.

Step-by-step explanation:

The behavioral tactic described in the scenario is an example of positive punishment. In operant conditioning, positive punishment involves adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior. When the clown factory bosses publicly scold a worker for not putting a nose on a clown, they are adding a negative experience (the scolding) in response to the worker's mistake, with the intention of decreasing the likelihood that the mistake will happen again in the future.

This is different from negative punishment, which involves removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior. It is also distinct from negative reinforcement, which involves removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior, and from positive reinforcement, which involves adding a pleasant stimulus to increase a behavior. Thus, the bosses' action of scolding the worker for a mistake does not aim to reinforce, but rather to apply a punishment by adding an unpleasant experience.