Which of these situations reinforces undesirable behavior?
A. Promising a whining five-year-old a treat if he will stop whining and come alongb B. Holding a competition to see who has the most organized cubby C. Saving up stars to trade in for stuffed animals D. Giving a child a star for cleaning up the game area promptly when asked
A.
Nope.
I'm sorry, but I guess I wasn't thinking straight last night. A. is the right answer.
It's ok :)
Thank you
The situation that reinforces undesirable behavior is:
A. Promising a whining five-year-old a treat if he will stop whining and come along.
Explanation:
To determine which situation reinforces undesirable behavior, we should carefully evaluate each option. In this case, option A involves promising a whining five-year-old a treat if he stops whining and comes along.
The action of promising a treat teaches the child that whining is an effective way to get what they want. By incentivizing the cessation of whining, they learn that this behavior is acceptable, leading to an increased likelihood of repeated whining in the future. This reinforcement may perpetuate the whining behavior rather than encouraging the child to find alternative, more desirable ways to communicate their needs.
In contrast, options B, C, and D do not inherently reinforce undesirable behavior:
B. Holding a competition to see who has the most organized cubby encourages organization and can be seen as a positive reinforcement.
C. Saving up stars to trade in for stuffed animals promotes responsibility and delayed gratification.
D. Giving a child a star for cleaning up the game area promptly encourages promptness and responsibility.
By analyzing the different options, we can conclude that option A, promising a treat to a whining child, reinforces undesirable behavior.