Terrell hates to clean up after dinner. One night, he volunteers to bathe the dog before cleaning up. When he finishes with the dog and returns to the kitchen, his wife has cleaned everything up for him. Which of the following statements is most likely TRUE?
A) Terrell will start cleaning up the kitchen before he bathes the dog.
B) Terrell's wife has positively reinforced him for bathing the dog.
C) Terrell's wife has negatively reinforced him for bathing the dog.
D) Terrell will never bathe the dog again.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is when a behavior is strengthened by the removal of an unpleasant consequence. In this case, Terrell's wife removed the unpleasant task of cleaning up after dinner when he bathed the dog. Therefore, Terrell is more likely to continue to bathe the dog in the future to avoid cleaning up after dinner.

Terrell Hates to Clean Up After Dinner