Final answer:
This scenario illustrates the operant conditioning approach to learning, where the manager's threat of a pay cut acts as punishment to change the employee's behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
This scenario illustrates the operant conditioning approach to learning. Operant conditioning is a learning process in which behavior is modified by consequences. The manager's threat of a pay cut serves as a negative consequence for the employee's tardiness. As a result, the employee changes their behavior and starts coming to work on time every day.
This approach to learning involves the use of positive or negative reinforcement, which strengthens a behavior, or punishment, which decreases a behavior. In this case, the threat of a pay cut serves as a form of punishment, leading to a change in the employee's behavior.