After she realized that the mosquito had bitten her and her hand was starting to itch, Akai rubbed some cortisone cream on the swollen spot, and the itching stopped. The next time a mosquito bit her, she applied cortisone cream immediately to relieve the itching. Using operant conditioning terms, this is an example of:
A)negative reinforcement by escape.
B)positive reinforcement.
C)negative reinforcement by avoidance.
D)negative punishment.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Negative reinforcement by escape occurs when an unpleasant stimulus is removed after a desired behavior is performed. In this case, the itching was the unpleasant stimulus, and the application of cortisone cream was the desired behavior. By applying the cream, Akai was able to escape the itching, which reinforced the behavior of applying the cream.

After She Realized That the Mosquito Had Bitten Her and Her