Sonia's mother is often busy and doesn't pay very much attention to her. When Sonia cries or screams, her mother 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. Eventually, however, Sonia's mother realizes that Sonia only wants attention, so she stops coming over when Sonia cries and screams. What should happen as a result?
A)The mother will learn to discriminate against Sonia.
B)Higher-order conditioning.
C)Sonia's screaming behaviour will be extinguished.
D)Sonia's screaming behaviour will be reinforced.
E)Sonia's screaming would get louder.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sonia's screaming behavior was initially reinforced by her mother's attention. When her mother stops responding to the screaming, the behavior no longer receives reinforcement, leading to extinction of the behavior.

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