Mary arrives home to find her son washing the dirty dishes left from his party the night before. When she discovers his first-semester grade report on the table and sees that he got straight A's, Mary rewards him by relieving him of the unpleasant task of finishing the dishes. Which operant process does the example illustrate?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus (in this case, the task of washing dishes) following a desired behavior (getting straight A's), which increases the likelihood of the behavior occurring again.

Mary Arrives Home to Find Her Son Washing the Dirty