Joan begs her father for a frosted cookie at the bakery but he refuses to buy her one. Joan continues to whine and complain until finally he breaks down and gets her the cookie. For her dad, the cessation of Joan's whiny behavior is a ________.
A) positive reinforcer
B) negative reinforcer
C) negative punisher
D) positive punisher

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Joan's father gave in to her whining and complaining, which is a form of negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement is when a behavior is strengthened by removing something unpleasant or aversive. In this case, Joan's whining and complaining (the behavior) was strengthened by her father removing the aversive condition of not getting the cookie.

Joan Begs Her Father for a Frosted Cookie at the Bakery