Question

Ava is wheeling her toddler, Jamie, through the supermarket after a long and tiring day. When Jamie begins to fuss, Ava scolds her sharply and Jamie's fussing subsides. Which of the following statements is most likely true?

A) Ava's scolding has reinforced Jamie's fussing behavior.
B) Ava's scolding has punished Jamie's fussing behavior.
C) Jamie's fussing is unrelated to Ava's scolding.
D) Ava's scolding has extinguished Jamie's fussing behavior.

Answer 1

The most likely true statement is B) Ava's scolding has punished Jamie's fussing behavior. This is an example of negative punishment, where the undesirable behavior (fussing) is weakened or decreased by removing a desired stimulus (Ava's attention and presence).

Step-by-step explanation:

The most likely true statement is B) Ava's scolding has punished Jamie's fussing behavior.

This is an example of negative punishment, where the undesirable behavior (fussing) is weakened or decreased by removing a desired stimulus (Ava's attention and presence). When Ava scolds Jamie sharply, it serves as a form of punishment and discourages Jamie from fussing further.

Through observational learning, children can learn from the consequences of their own behavior and the behavior of others. In this case, Jamie observed that Ava's scolding resulted in the removal of attention, which served as a punishment and reduced the likelihood of Jamie's fussing behavior in the future.