Whenever Ridgley has a headache, he takes two aspirin tablets. Shortly thereafter, the pain goes away. The next time the headache shows up, Ridgley is more likely to take an aspirin. In learning theory, we would say that Ridgley's behavior of taking the aspirin has been
A) negatively reinforced.
B) positively reinforced.
C) negatively punished.
D) positively punished.

Question

Whenever Ridgley has a headache, he takes two aspirin tablets. Shortly thereafter, the pain goes away. The next time the headache shows up, Ridgley is more likely to take an aspirin. In learning theory, we would say that Ridgley's behavior of taking the aspirin has been
A) ​negatively reinforced.
B) ​positively reinforced.
C) ​negatively punished.
D) ​positively punished.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ridgley's behavior of taking aspirin is negatively reinforced because the unpleasant stimulus (headache) is removed following the behavior, increasing the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated in the future.

Whenever Ridgley Has a Headache, He Takes Two Aspirin Tablets