Last week, Jessica threw a temper tantrum in the middle of the grocery store because her mother had said she could not have a candy bar. After 5 minutes of screaming and crying, Jessica got a candy bar. Now Jessica is throwing another temper tantrum in the grocery store because she was told that she could not have an ice cream cone. The frequency of Jessica's behaviour has been influenced by _____________.
A)response cost punishment
B)aversive punishment
C)negative reinforcement
D)positive reinforcement

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Jessica's behavior of throwing temper tantrums increased because she received a candy bar (a positive outcome) after the first tantrum. This is an example of positive reinforcement, where the addition of a desirable stimulus (the candy bar) following a behavior (the tantrum) increases the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future.

Last Week, Jessica Threw a Temper Tantrum in the Middle