A boy is pestering his mother for candy in the grocery store,whining for ten minutes and saying things like,"I want candy! Please? Just this once! Oh,come on,Mom,please?" His mother ignores him for ten minutes,but finally gives in and says,"Oh,all right.Here it is.Just stop whining!" If the boy engages in more whining in the future,and the mother gives in even more easily,which of the following would apply to the mother?
A)Negative punishment
B)Positive punishment
C)Negative reinforcement
D)Positive reinforcement

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The mother's behavior of giving in to the boy's whining is negatively reinforced because it removes the unpleasant stimulus (the whining), making it more likely she will give in again in the future to stop the whining.

A Boy Is Pestering His Mother for Candy in the Grocery