When they go grocery shopping, Sonia's mother is often busy and doesn't pay very much attention to her. When Sonia throws a tantrum in the store, her mother pays attention 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. Sonia's mother is unintentionally teaching her daughter using which type of learning?
A) Operant conditioning
B) Discriminatory
C) Higher-order conditioning
D) Classical conditioning

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sonia's mother's scolding is a form of punishment, which is a key aspect of operant conditioning. Sonia learns that throwing a tantrum (the behavior) leads to receiving attention (the consequence). As a result, she is more likely to repeat the behavior in the future to get attention. This type of learning is associated with operant conditioning.

When They Go Grocery Shopping, Sonia's Mother Is Often Busy