Punishing a child's misbehavior only occasionally when it occurs may mean that the behavior is actually being reinforced on a partial schedule because the child is able to "get away" with doing the behavior some of the time. This program of punishment would then have the result of making the ____.
A) misbehavior more resistant to extinction
B) misbehavior less resistant to extinction
C) person doing the punishing do it less often
D) person doing the punishing do it more often

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Punishing a child's misbehavior only occasionally creates a partial reinforcement schedule, which actually strengthens the behavior and makes it more resistant to extinction. This happens because the child learns that the behavior is sometimes rewarded (by not being punished), which makes them more likely to repeat it in the future. Therefore, the misbehavior becomes more resistant to extinction, which means it is harder to eliminate even when the punishment is applied consistently.

Punishing a Child's Misbehavior Only Occasionally When It Occurs May