Bill hates to clean up after dinner. One night, he volunteers to bathe the dog before cleaning up. When he finishes with the dog and returns to the kitchen, his wife has cleaned everything up for him. Which of the following statements is accurate?
A)In the future, Bill will start cleaning up the kitchen before he bathes the dog.
B)Bill's wife has positively reinforced him for bathing the dog.
C)Bill's wife has negatively reinforced him for bathing the dog.
D)Bill's wife has established bathing the dog as a secondary reinforcer.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened by the removal or avoidance of an aversive stimulus. In this case, the aversive stimulus is cleaning up after dinner, and Bill was able to avoid it because his wife had already cleaned everything up. Therefore, Bill's wife has negatively reinforced him for bathing the dog.

Bill Hates to Clean Up After Dinner