Which of the following types of consequences is CORRECTLY matched with an example?
A) Positive reinforcement - Harvey is suspended when he vandalizes school property
B) Negative reinforcement - Jeff puts up his umbrella when it starts to sprinkle so he won't get wet
C) Positive punishment - Jacqueline's teacher puts a cute sticker on an arithmetic exercise completed without mistakes
D) Negative punishment - Tommy receives a written reprimand from his boss following a series of customer complaints

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an aversive stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. In this case, Jeff puts up his umbrella (a behavior) to remove the aversive stimulus of getting wet (the rain), increasing the likelihood that he will repeat that behavior in the future.

The other answer choices are incorrect:
A) Positive reinforcement involves adding a reinforcing stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Being suspended (an aversive consequence) would actually decrease the likelihood that Harvey would vandalize school property again in the future.
C) Positive punishment involves adding an aversive stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Getting a cute sticker (a reinforcing stimulus) would actually increase the likelihood that Jacqueline would continue to complete arithmetic exercises without mistakes in the future.
D) Negative punishment involves removing a reinforcing stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Getting a written reprimand (an aversive consequence) would actually decrease the likelihood that Tommy would continue to engage in behaviors that lead to customer complaints in the future.

Which of the Following Types of Consequences Is CORRECTLY Matched