Mia is sometimes loud and disruptive in class, and her teacher thinks she acts this way when she wants attention. The teacher worries that yelling at Mia might serve as a positive reinforcer for her bad behavior because it is giving Mia the attention she wants. One behavior modification that might help with this child is use of __________.
A) partial reinforcement
B) classical conditioning by shocking the child so that she stops speaking out
C) instinctive drift therapy
D) time-outs to remove the positive reinforcement that even a scolding gives the child

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Time-outs are a form of punishment in which positive reinforcement is removed. In this case, the positive reinforcement is the attention Mia receives from her disruptive behavior. By removing this reinforcement, the behavior is less likely to continue. The other options are not appropriate for this situation. Partial reinforcement is not related to addressing disruptive behavior in the classroom, classical conditioning by shocking the child is unethical and illegal, and instinctive drift therapy is unrelated to this behavior.

Mia Is Sometimes Loud and Disruptive in Class, and Her