Question

Identify the operant conditioning process that is being illustrated in each of the following examples. Choose from: positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and negative punishment. When Joan turns the grocery cart down the candy aisle, her three-year-old son, Connor, starts screaming."Want candy! Candy!" Joan moves to another aisle, but Connor continues to scream. As other customers begin staring and Joan starts to feel embarrassed, she finally gives Connor a bag of M\&Ms. Connor is now more likely to scream in a store when he wants candy because he has experienced________.

Short answer

The operant conditioning process in this scenario is \(positive\ reinforcement\).

Step-by-step solution

Read the given scenario carefully to understand the situation and the behavior of the individuals involved. #Step 2: Identify the behavior being reinforced or punished#

In the scenario, Connor's behavior (screaming for candy) is the one being influenced. He is more likely to scream in a store when he wants candy because he experienced a specific operant conditioning process. #Step 3: Determine if the behavior is being reinforced or punished#

Since Connor's behavior (screaming) is more likely to occur in the future, we can conclude that his behavior is being reinforced, not punished. #Step 4: Determine if the reinforcement is positive or negative#

To determine if the reinforcement is positive or negative, we need to focus on what is being added or removed in the scenario. In this case, Joan gives Connor a bag of M&Ms which is added to the situation, satisfying his demand. Therefore, the reinforcement is positive. #Step 5: Identify the operant conditioning process#

Operant Conditioning Process

Based on the analysis in the previous steps, we can conclude that the operant conditioning process being illustrated in this scenario is positive reinforcement. Connor's behavior of screaming for candy is more likely to occur in the future because he received a reward (M&Ms) after his action.

Key concepts

Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is a central concept in operant conditioning. It involves adding something rewarding following a desired behavior to increase the likelihood that the behavior will occur again. In simpler terms, when you do something and get a reward for it, you're more likely to do it again.

Consider the scenario where Connor screams for candy, and his mother, Joan, gives it to him. The bag of M&Ms acts as a positive reward for Connor's screaming. Because he got what he wanted, echoing his cries the next time you're at a store aisle becomes more probable. This is a classic case of positive reinforcement.

• The behavior (screaming for candy) is increased.
• The reward (candy) is added to the situation.

Thus, positive reinforcement reinforces the behavior by adding something pleasurable. Over time, it conditions the individual to repeat actions that bring about similar rewards.

Negative Reinforcement

Negative reinforcement is sometimes confused with punishment, but it's entirely about increasing a behavior. It involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to strengthen a desired behavior.

Imagine a student who hates the loud noise of an alarm clock in the morning. To avoid this unpleasant sound, they start waking up just before the alarm goes off. The relief from the noise (which is the unpleasant factor) encourages waking up early. This adjustment is due to negative reinforcement.

• The behavior (waking up early) is increased.
• The unpleasant stimulus (alarm sound) is removed.

This process encourages behaviors by removing negative factors, making the individual more likely to repeat the desired behavior to avoid the aversive stimulus.

Positive Punishment

While the word "positive" might seem counterintuitive here, in operant conditioning, positive punishment means adding something unpleasant following an unwanted behavior to decrease its occurrence.

For example, if a student talks out of turn in class and receives extra homework as a consequence, this additional work aims to reduce the inappropriate behavior. By adding an unpleasant task, the educator hopes to suppress future instances of speaking out of turn.

• The behavior (talking out of turn) is decreased.
• An aversive stimulus (extra homework) is added.

Positive punishment seeks to discourage instances of undesirable actions by introducing a negative consequence right after the behavior.

Negative Punishment

Negative punishment revolves around reducing an undesirable behavior by removing a pleasant stimulus after the behavior occurs. It effectively decreases the likelihood of the unwanted behavior happening again.

Think about a teenager who loses their gaming privileges for a week because they missed curfew. The removing of the gaming time acts as a penalty to discourage future late arrivals. This outcome tries to teach the importance of adhering to rules and the consequences of breaking them.

• The behavior (missing curfew) is decreased.
• A pleasant stimulus (gaming privileges) is removed.

Through negative punishment, the goal is to convey that certain actions can result in losing something enjoyable, thereby influencing behavior modification.