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 most likely TRUE?
A) 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 will never bathe the dog again.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened by the removal or avoidance of an aversive stimulus. In this case, Bill's aversive stimulus was cleaning up after dinner. By offering to bathe the dog instead, he avoided the aversive stimulus, and his wife cleaned up for him. Therefore, his wife's actions have negatively reinforced Bill's behavior of bathing the dog.

Bill Hates to Clean Up After Dinner