Based on research by Aronson and Carlsmith (1963) in which children were threatened with either mild or severe punishment for playing with a forbidden toy, which of the following situations would make a child most want to play with a toy?

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Based on the research by Aronson and Carlsmith, forbidding the child from playing with the toy and threatening severe punishment if they do actually increases their desire to play with it. This is known as reactance, which is the psychological response to perceived threats to one's freedom or autonomy. Choice A is not relevant to the study as it does not involve any threat or restriction. Choice C is less effective than choice B because mild punishment is not as strong of a threat as severe punishment. Choice D is also not relevant to the study as it does not involve any threat or restriction.

Based on Research by Aronson and Carlsmith (1963) in Which