Two-year-old Hannah said the word hell in the middle of dinner, and her parents immediately stopped talking to each other and scolded her. They spent the rest of the meal paying close attention to what Hannah said. Later, Hannah says hell repeatedly, and each time her parents spend time talking to her and paying attention to her. In this situation, the parents' attention is a __________, and Hannah's inappropriate language is a(n)__________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The parents' attention acts as a positive reinforcer because it increases the likelihood of Hannah repeating the behavior (saying "hell"). Hannah's inappropriate language is an operant because it is a behavior that is influenced by the consequences (attention) that follow it.

Two-Year-Old Hannah Said the Word Hell in the Middle of Dinner