Jeanine lays her head down on the table when Mom prompts her to do her homework because in the past, laying her head down on the table resulted in Mom telling her to go take a nap. This is an example of which type of explanation for behavior?
The correct answer and explanation is:
This is an example of escape behavior. Escape behavior occurs when an individual engages in a specific action to avoid or escape an unpleasant or undesired situation. In this case, Jeanine is laying her head down on the table as a strategy to avoid doing her homework, because in the past, this behavior led to her being sent for a nap instead of having to complete the homework.
Escape behavior is a type of operant conditioning, where the behavior is reinforced by the removal of an aversive stimulus—in this case, the demand to do homework. Jeanine has learned that by laying her head down on the table, she can escape the task of homework. The key element in this scenario is that the behavior is driven by the desire to avoid an unpleasant situation, which is homework.
The reinforcement Jeanine experiences (being sent for a nap) is negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement involves the removal or avoidance of an aversive stimulus, which increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated in the future. Since the behavior of laying her head down leads to an escape from the task she doesn’t want to do, it is likely that she will repeat this behavior in similar situations to avoid homework.
In operant conditioning, behaviors are shaped by consequences. Jeanine’s action of laying her head down is a learned response to the previous reinforcement she has received, and it is a form of avoidance or escape. Over time, if this pattern continues and the escape remains reinforcing, Jeanine may persist in using this behavior to avoid tasks she finds unpleasant.