Marcy has a habit of taking toys from her sister. Which of the following would be the best way for Marcy's parents to correct this bad habit?
A)Ignore this habit since all children go through a phase of intense "sibling rivalry."
B)Reprimand her for taking her sister's toys, but reward her for cooperative play and sharing toys with her sister.
C)Give her a spanking to immediately eliminate this selfish behavior and then a 30-minute time out to think about her transgression.
D)Use a severe response cost that would include giving several of her own toys to her younger sister or to charity.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Reprimanding Marcy for taking her sister's toys addresses the negative behavior directly, while rewarding her for positive behavior like cooperative play and sharing encourages the development of more desirable habits. This balanced approach of negative reinforcement for undesirable actions and positive reinforcement for desirable actions is effective in behavior modification.

Marcy Has a Habit of Taking Toys from Her Sister