Natalie is Ms. Smitren's class clown. Natalie is very popular with her classmates because of her witty personality. Ms. Smitren has decided that the reason Natalie shows off is that she wants to be in the spotlight, so she decides to ignore Natalie when Natalie begins her comedy routines. However, much to Ms. Smitren's dismay, Natalie's behavior does not decrease. What did Ms. Smitren use in this example?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mrs. Smitren used extinction in this example by thinking that she was the reinforcer for this student's actions and thus by ignoring her she would remove the reinforcer, causing the response to undergo extinction. It was unsuccessful because Mrs. Smitren is not the reinforcer in this case, the other students are.

Natalie Is Ms