It's a very hot summer day and Ai is sweating in her apartment.She turns on the air conditioning and right away,her apartment gets cooler.The fact that Ai is now more likely to turn on the AC when she is hot to reduce her discomfort illustrates ____.
A) positive reinforcement
B) negative reinforcement
C) punishment
D) a penalty

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement is the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. In this case, Ai turns on the AC to remove the unpleasant sensation of being hot, which increases the likelihood of her turning on the AC in the future when she is feeling hot. Positive reinforcement involves providing a pleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Punishment involves providing an unpleasant consequence to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. A penalty is a consequence for breaking a rule or law, which is not applicable in this situation.

It's a Very Hot Summer Day and Ai Is Sweating