Sonia's mother is often busy and doesn't pay very much attention to her.When Sonia cries or screams,her mother comes over and scolds her.Though she doesn't like being scolded,Sonia prefers getting some attention to having no attention at all.Sonia learns that when she wants her mother's attention,she should scream or cry.What kind of learning is this?
A) Operant conditioning
B) Discriminatory
C) Higher-order conditioning
D) Classical conditioning

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sonia's behavior of screaming or crying is being reinforced by her mother's attention, even if it is negative attention (scolding). This is an example of operant conditioning, where behavior is strengthened by positive or negative reinforcement.

Sonia's Mother Is Often Busy and Doesn't Pay Very Much