John and Bill have both learned that when they whine and complain, their teacher will hurry over to see what's wrong.John's teacher gives him attention every time he complains.However, Bill's teacher gives him attention only on some of the occasions he complains.Both teachers eventually realize that they are reinforcing inappropriate behavior, and so they both stop attending to the boys when they whine and complain.From a behaviorist perspective, we can predict that:
A)Both boys will whine and complain even more than before.
B)Both boys will stop their whining and complaining almost immediately.
C)John's complaining will decrease more rapidly than Bill's.
D)Bill's complaining will decrease more rapidly than John's.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

John's behavior was reinforced on a continuous schedule (every time he complained, he received attention), which tends to lead to quicker extinction (decrease in behavior) once the reinforcement stops. Bill's behavior was reinforced on a partial or intermittent schedule (only sometimes receiving attention), which typically leads to more persistent behavior that extinguishes more slowly.

John and Bill Have Both Learned That When They Whine