Question

Suppose you study two mothers who have new babies but who have different attitudes about how to care for a crying baby. ruthie believes that every time her baby cries, she should be picked up and comforted. glenda believes that picking up a crying baby will reinforce the crying and the child will become harder to care for. research on this topic suggests that whose child is likely to cry less at age 1 year?

Answer 1

At age one, Glenda's baby would cry less because she would know that crying does not lead to a reward and therefore learn to use the tactic less often.

On the other hand, Ruthie's baby will learn that crying leads to love and care and therefore that behavior will be associated to receiving comfort and attention.

Therefore Glenda's theory that picking up a crying baby will reinforce the crying and the child will become harder to care for, has shown better results.