Question

The more often Matthew is scolded following a temper tantrum the more frequently he loses his temper. In this case, the scolding serves as a ________ for Matthew's temper tantrums.



a. punishment

b. conditioned stimulus

c. negative reinforcer

d. positive reinforcer

@OpenStudy Feedbac…

Answer 1

D.
You are GIVING punishment. Anytime you give something, it is positive. Even if what you are giving is negative. And you are reinforcing his tantrum. Make sense?

Answer 2

Perhaps you didn't read the question properly. Matthew loses his temper more frequently if he is scolded. And that is negative isn't it?

Answer 3

Think of it like this. A spanking, for example, is considered positive punnishment because you are GIVING the spanking. So, the scolding in the example is causing more bad behavior, therefore it is positive (because you are giving the scolding) reinforcement (because the scolding is inforcing the bad bahavior).