Final answer:
The use of reward and punishment by a student's parents for their behavior corresponds to operant conditioning, a theory of learning where behaviors are influenced by consequences following those behaviors.
Step-by-step explanation:
When your parents praised you for your good behavior and grounded you for your bad behavior, this use of reward and punishment illustrates the theory of operant conditioning. Operant conditioning, developed by B. F. Skinner, is a form of learning where the motivation for a behavior occurs after the behavior has been demonstrated. This learning happens through consequences that are either reinforcements, which increase the likelihood of a behavior, or punishments, which decrease its likelihood.
Positive reinforcement, such as praise for good behavior, and negative consequences, such as grounding for bad behavior, are intended to modify behavior over time. These consequences directly follow the targeted behavior to either strengthen or weaken it, with the goal of increasing desirable behaviors through reinforcement or decreasing undesirable behaviors through punishment.