Miguel used to enjoy occasionally drinking a glass of red wine, but when he drank too much red wine at a friend's party a few months ago he woke up with a terrible hangover. Since then Miguel refuses to drink any red wine. In this case, Miguel's hangover acted as
A) negative reinforcement for drinking red wine.
B) a conditioned response to wine drinking.
C) punishment for drinking red wine.
D) a secondary reinforcer for attending parties.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Miguel's hangover can be considered as a punishment for drinking red wine because it decreases the likelihood of him repeating the behavior. The unpleasant consequences of his actions served as a deterrent for future behavior. In this way, the hangover serves as punishment. Option A is incorrect because negative reinforcement involves removing an aversive stimulus to increase the likelihood of behavior. Option B is incorrect because a conditioned response is a learned response to a neutral stimulus that is paired with another stimulus to elicit a response. Option D is incorrect because a secondary reinforcer is a stimulus that becomes reinforcing through its association with a primary reinforcer. The hangover is not a secondary reinforcer for attending parties, nor does it make attending parties more likely or reinforce it.

Miguel Used to Enjoy Occasionally Drinking a Glass of Red