Ian's mother tells him to stop watching TV and do his homework. Ian then begins to whine about wanting to watch more TV to the point that his mother gives in and lets him watch more TV as long as he stops whining. Consequently, Ian's whining behavior increases in frequency. This sequence is BEST described as:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ian's whining behavior increases because it successfully allows him to avoid an undesired activity (homework) and continue a desired one (watching TV). This is a classic example of a negative reinforcement trap, where the mother's behavior of giving in to avoid the whining inadvertently reinforces Ian's whining behavior, making it more likely to occur in the future.

Ian's Mother Tells Him to Stop Watching TV and Do