Sara Sincell wants to use negative reinforcement to get workers to come to meetings on time. She lets the workers know that she will assess a nickel fine for anyone who is late to a meeting. After a month, she has several dollars worth of nickels, but no change in meeting punctuality. The MOST LIKELY reason that operant conditioning did not work in Sara's situation is because ________.
A) the reinforcement schedule was delayed
B) individual preferences were not considered
C) the consequences were not equal in magnitude to the desired behavior
D) the antecedents of the desired behavior were improperly identified

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The consequence (a nickel fine) was not perceived as a significant enough punishment, or was not equal in magnitude to the desired behavior (being on time to meetings). This means that workers may not have been motivated to change their behavior, as the consequences were not strong enough.

Sara Sincell Wants to Use Negative Reinforcement to Get Workers