Question

A follow-up study included only the participants who showed high anxiety symptoms to examine the role of coping strategies on anxiety symptoms.

During the first week, the participants did not obtain any reward for engaging in coping strategies. During the second week, they received a prize every time they engaged in a learned coping strategy. During the third week, they received a prize in a random fashion, only on some of the occasions when they engaged in a learned coping strategy.
How is the frequency with which each child engages in coping strategies likely to change over the course of the follow-up study?
A. Decrease over the course of the study
B. Increase over the course of the study
C. Increase over the first two weeks of the study and decline on the third week
D. Be stable over the first two weeks of the study and fluctuate on the third week

Answer 1

Child participants' use of coping strategies is expected to increase when prizes are consistently offered during the second week, then decrease in the third week when reward becomes unpredictable.

Step-by-step explanation:

The frequency with which each child engages in coping strategies during the follow-up study is likely to increase over the first two weeks and then decline on the third week. Intrinsic motivation for problem-focused coping strategies typically involves actively addressing issues directly causing stress. When external rewards are introduced for performing these strategies, as was done in the second week of the study, it can bolster the behavior due to the additional extrinsic motivation. However, this boost may diminish when rewards become unpredictable, as implemented during the third week. The uncertainty of receiving a prize can reduce the frequency of the behavior, which incorporates principles of operant conditioning prominently featured in learning theories.