Each time Elizabeth cries to be picked up from her playpen,her mother tells her that she must stay there for a little longer.Hearing this,Elizabeth begins to scream until her mother can no longer tolerate the noise and picks up the child.This same scenario is repeated daily.It appears that the mother has

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Elizabeth's crying behavior is being reinforced by her mother picking her up, which is an example of instrumental conditioning (also known as operant conditioning). The mother's response is strengthening the behavior, making it more likely to occur in the future. The scenario does not describe classical conditioning, where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a reflexive response (such as when Pavlov's dogs learned to salivate at the sound of a bell that was repeatedly paired with food). The scenario also does not suggest that Elizabeth has internalized her crying response or that her mother has failed to condition her behavior operantly.

Each Time Elizabeth Cries to Be Picked Up from Her