Maria, a Middle Manager, Enjoys Talking Over Work Situations with Daniel

Maria, a middle manager, enjoys talking over work situations with Daniel, her subordinate, who is a first-line supervisor. However, she notices that Daniel frequently brings problems to her that he expects her to solve, rather than solving them himself. Since Daniel has been a supervisor for a significant length of time, he should be more independent in his actions. Based on what you know about operant conditioning theory, what should Maria do?

A) solve the problems for Daniel to give him an example on how to deal with these situations
B) compliment Daniel on his various managerial abilities to boost his confidence
C) allow Daniel to take the afternoon off to think of a solution whenever one of these problems occurs
D) stop acting interested in the problems Daniel brings to her and make her responses brief