Sean is a high school student who seems angry most of the time.He often vents his anger by swearing at his teacher.One day his teacher decides to extinguish Sean's swearing by ignoring him whenever he swears.Yet over the next few weeks, Sean continues to swear as frequently as he always has.Three of the following are possible explanations as to why Sean's swearing is not decreasing.From a behaviorist perspective, which one is not a likely explanation based on this information?
A)Sean's swearing has previously been reinforced on an intermittent basis.
B)Sean is being reinforced for swearing by means of the Premack Principle.
C)Other students are reinforcing Sean's swearing.
D)Swearing allows Sean to release pent-up anger, so he is being negatively reinforced.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Premack Principle suggests that a more probable behavior can reinforce a less probable one. In this context, it doesn't directly explain why ignoring Sean's swearing doesn't reduce the behavior. The other options (A, C, D) are consistent with behaviorist explanations for the persistence of behavior despite attempts to extinguish it.

Sean Is a High School Student Who Seems Angry Most