Bill and Ben are about to have breakfast.Their mother asks Bill,"What would you like for breakfast?" Bill answers,"I would like some damn porridge." She slaps him,then turns to Ben and asks,"And what would you like?" Ben answers,"I don't really care,as long as it isn't any of that damn porridge!" Ben's misunderstanding highlights the importance of ____.
A) immediate and efficiently severe punishments
B) children learning through imitation
C) appropriate responses being identified and positively reinforced
D) specifying why punishment is being administered

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Ben's misunderstanding highlights the importance of specifying why punishment is being administered. If their mother had explained to Bill why she was slapping him, Ben would have understood that the punishment was for using inappropriate language, rather than for requesting porridge. This would have prevented him from imitating his brother's behavior and making a similar mistake. Therefore, it is important to communicate the reasoning behind punishment to children to help them understand appropriate behavior.

Bill and Ben Are About to Have Breakfast