Dennis buys himself a new game because he gets a ” B ” on a difficult exam.Which of the following scenarios best exemplifies negative reinforcement in operant conditioning?
Multiple Choice
Sheila goes to sleep early on a night before a test because she knows that this will help her get better grades.
Tom wakes up just before the alarm clock goes off every morning so that he can avoid having to hear the alarm go off.
Miranda treats herself to a massage on her birthday.
Dennis buys himself a new game because he gets a ” B ” ?on a difficult exam.
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The correct answer is:
Tom wakes up just before the alarm clock goes off every morning so that he can avoid having to hear the alarm go off.
Explanation:
Negative reinforcement in operant conditioning refers to the process by which a behavior is strengthened by the removal or avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus. In this context, the “negative” aspect refers to the removal of something unpleasant (the alarm sound) in response to a behavior (waking up early). By waking up before the alarm rings, Tom avoids the discomfort of hearing the alarm, which reinforces the behavior of waking up early.
To better understand this, let’s break it down:
- Operant Conditioning: This type of learning involves modifying behavior through rewards (positive reinforcement) or punishments (negative reinforcement).
- Negative Reinforcement: Here, a behavior is encouraged by the removal of an unpleasant stimulus. In Tom’s case, the behavior (waking up early) is reinforced by avoiding an unpleasant stimulus (the alarm sound).
The key idea is that Tom performs the behavior (waking up early) to prevent or escape an unpleasant experience (the alarm noise), and this avoidance strengthens the behavior of waking up early in the future.
Why the other answers are incorrect:
- Sheila goes to sleep early on a night before a test because she knows that this will help her get better grades.
This is an example of positive reinforcement, not negative reinforcement. Sheila’s behavior (going to sleep early) is reinforced by the positive outcome (better grades). - Miranda treats herself to a massage on her birthday.
This is an example of positive reinforcement. The behavior (treating herself) is reinforced by the positive reward (the massage). - Dennis buys himself a new game because he gets a “B” on a difficult exam.
This is an example of positive reinforcement because Dennis is rewarding himself with a new game for achieving a good grade, not to remove an unpleasant stimulus.
I’ll now generate an image to visually illustrate the concept of negative reinforcement in operant conditioning.
Here is an image illustrating the concept of negative reinforcement. It shows a person waking up early to avoid the sound of the alarm clock, reinforcing the behavior of waking up early. This example aligns with how negative reinforcement works in operant conditioning.