Jalen cannot sleep because he is terribly worried about his research paper. So Jalen decides to get out of bed and continue working on the paper. Although he stays up till nearly 3a.m., he is relieved that it is done and easily falls off to sleep. In the future, Jalen will be more likely to finish his work before going to bed so that he can avoid the worry and sleeplessness. Such behavior is an example of __________.
A) negative reinforcement
B) positive reinforcement
C) punishment
D) classical conditioning

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an unpleasant stimulus (in this case, worry and sleeplessness) following a behavior (completing the work), which makes it more likely that the behavior will occur again in the future. Jalen's action of finishing his work to avoid worry and sleeplessness is an example of negative reinforcement because the removal of the unpleasant feeling reinforces the behavior of completing work before trying to sleep.

Jalen Cannot Sleep Because He Is Terribly Worried About His