Hadley was a compulsive gambler who used to gamble on all the different sporting events.A year ago, Hadley lost over $4,000 in a single weekend, and he hasn't gambled since then.Based on what is known about operant conditioning, you should conclude that for Hadley, the loss of $4,000 acted as a:
A)negative punisher for gambling
B)positive punisher for gambling
C)conditioned stimulus for gambling
D)negative reinforcer for gambling

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

According to operant conditioning, a punishment is any consequence that decreases the frequency of a behavior. Hadley stopped gambling after losing $4,000, which suggests that the loss of money acted as a punishment for his gambling behavior. Since the punishment was negative (loss of money), option A is the correct choice. B, C, and D are incorrect because they do not accurately explain the relationship between Hadley's behavior and the consequence of losing money.

Hadley Was a Compulsive Gambler Who Used to Gamble on All