The 5-year-old child of two very busy parents has been throwing tantrums. Whenever the child gets angry or upset, one or both of his parents immediately come to his side and fuss over and cajole him. Nevertheless, his tantrums do not diminish. In fact, they seem to occur more often. We may assume that for this child his parents' fussing over him serves as a(n) ________.
A) unconditioned response
B) positive reinforcer
C) punisher
D) negative reinforcer

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fact that the parents' behavior of fussing over and cajoling the child happens immediately after the tantrums suggests that it is reinforcing or rewarding for the child, thus increasing the frequency of the behavior. Therefore, the parents' behavior serves as a positive reinforcer for the child's tantrums.

The 5-Year-Old Child of Two Very Busy Parents Has Been