Some children with seizure problems bang their heads against a wall causing themselves serious injury. As a result, a psychologist might administer a brief electric shock to such a child every time she bangs her head on the wall. This would be an example of
A) negative reinforcement.
B) observational learning.
C) generalization.
D) aversive conditioning.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The administration of a brief electric shock to a child to stop them from banging their head against the wall is an example of aversive conditioning. Aversive conditioning is a type of learning in which an organism learns to associate a behavior with an unpleasant or painful stimulus, which then reduces the frequency of that behavior. In this case, the electric shock is an unpleasant stimulus that the child learns to associate with the behavior of banging their head on the wall, leading them to reduce or stop engaging in that behavior. Negative reinforcement (choice A) refers to the removal of an unpleasant or aversive stimulus following a desired behavior, which increases the likelihood of that behavior being repeated. Observational learning (choice B) refers to learning that results from observing others' behaviors and their consequences. Generalization (choice C) refers to the tendency to respond in a similar way to stimuli that are similar but not identical to a learned stimulus or situation.

Some Children with Seizure Problems Bang Their Heads Against a Wall