When Daryl's mother asked him to set the table, he complained that he was too tired to do it. After he argued and whined for several minutes, Daryl's mother went ahead and set the table herself just so she wouldn't have to listen to him whine anymore. As a result, Daryl learned that whining is an effective way to get out of doing something. This situation is referred to as the
A) positive reinforcement trap.
B) negative reinforcement trap.
C) punishment trap.
D) parent trap.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The situation described is an example of negative reinforcement, where the behavior (whining) is reinforced by removing an unpleasant stimulus (having to set the table). As a result, the behavior (whining) is more likely to occur in the future. The other answer choices do not accurately describe this situation.

When Daryl's Mother Asked Him to Set the Table, He