Final answer:
In operant conditioning, if a child's crying leads to receiving a toy, the crying acts as positive reinforcement because it adds a reward that encourages the behavior to continue.
Step-by-step explanation:
When a child cries to obtain a new toy, and if the crying leads to the child receiving the toy, the crying acts as a positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable stimulus to increase a behavior. In this case, the new toy serves as a positive stimulus, encouraging the child to cry next time they want a toy because they expect a favorable outcome. It's important to understand that in operant conditioning, 'positive' refers to the addition of something, whereas 'negative' refers to the removal of something.
Both positive and negative reinforcement serve the purpose of increasing the likelihood of a behavior. Conversely, punishment, whether positive or negative, functions to decrease behavior. Therefore, the crying of the child, when it leads to acquiring a new toy, does not serve as negative reinforcement, neutral stimulus, or represent the operant behavior itself, but rather, it triggers the rewarding process that reinforces the crying behavior.