William has noticed that every time his dog sits quietly by his chair, he tends to scratch the dog's ears. As a result, the dog usually sits quietly by William's chair any time William sits in the chair. This is an example of
A)positive reinforcement.
B)negative reinforcement.
C)escape learning.
D)positive punishment.
E)negative punishment.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is an example of positive reinforcement because William is adding (positive) a pleasant stimulus (ear scratches) in response to the dog's behavior (sitting quietly by the chair), which increases the likelihood that the dog will repeat the behavior in the future.

William Has Noticed That Every Time His Dog Sits Quietly