Tina has a heavy class load and is spending a lot of time studying, to the dismay of her beloved dog, Bobo. When Bobo walks over and puts his chin on Tina's leg, she pets him and gives him a treat from the bag she keeps in her desk drawer. As a consequence, he continues walking over and putting his chin on Tina's leg. Tina has used ____.
A) positive reinforcement
B) negative reinforcement
C) positive punishment
D) negative punishment

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tina is using positive reinforcement by petting Bobo and giving him a treat for putting his chin on her leg, which increases the likelihood of him repeating the behavior in the future. Negative reinforcement would involve removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase a behavior, which is not present in this scenario. Positive punishment would involve adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior, which is also not present. Negative punishment would involve removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior, which is also not present.

Tina Has a Heavy Class Load and Is Spending a Lot