Sonia's mother is often busy and doesn't pay very much attention to her. When Sonia cries or screams, her mother comes over and scolds her. Though she doesn't like being scolded, Sonia prefers getting some attention to having no attention at all. Sonia learns that when she wants her mother's attention, she should scream or cry. What kind of learning is this?
A) operant conditioning
B) discriminatory
C) higher-order conditioning
D) classical conditioning

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sonia's behavior of crying or screaming is reinforced by the attention she receives from her mother, even if it's negative. This is an example of operant conditioning, where behaviors are learned based on the consequences they produce.

Sonia's Mother Is Often Busy and Doesn't Pay Very Much