Question

Which of the following best illustrates the process of positive reinforcement?

1) A child is sent to her room after screaming while at the dinner table.
2) A hungry rat presses a lever to obtain a food pellet.
3) A rat presses a lever that results in delivery of shock through the floor of the chamber.
4) A woman injects heroin into her veins to obtain a "rush."
5) A man ingests an aspirin to rid himself of a strong headache.

Answer 1

Option 2) A hungry rat pressing a lever to obtain a food pellet is the best illustration of positive reinforcement.

Step-by-step explanation:

The process of positive reinforcement is best illustrated by option 2) A hungry rat pressing a lever to obtain a food pellet. Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior occurring. In this case, the rat is hungry and pressing the lever leads to the delivery of food, which acts as a positive reinforcer and increases the rat's behavior of pressing the lever.