Sonia's mother is often busy and doesn't pay very much attention to her, but when Sonia cries or screams, her mother 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. Eventually, however, Sonia's mother realizes that Sonia only wants attention, so she stops coming over when Sonia cries and screams. What should happen as a result?
A) The mother will learn to discriminate against Sonia.
B) Higher-order conditioning.
C) Sonia's screaming behaviour will be extinguished.
D) Sonia's screaming behaviour will be reinforced.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Sonia's screaming behaviour was initially reinforced by her mother's scolding response, as this was the only way for her to receive attention. However, when her mother stops responding, the reinforcement is removed, and the behaviour becomes less likely to occur in the future. This process is known as extinction. Therefore, the correct answer is C - Sonia's screaming behaviour will be extinguished.

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