Belinda has a terrible headache. If she takes some aspirin so as to make her headache go away, this would be an example of
A) positive reinforcement.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) punishment.
D) generalization.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is the removal or avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus following a desirable behavior, which then increases the likelihood of that behavior being repeated in the future. In this case, Belinda takes aspirin to remove the unpleasant stimulus of her headache, and this increases the likelihood of her taking aspirin in the future when she has a headache. Positive reinforcement involves adding a desirable stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, while punishment involves adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Generalization refers to when a behavior or response is applied to a similar situation or stimulus.

Belinda Has a Terrible Headache