8. Lynn is tired of the nasty remarks she receives from a female coworker. She has tried to the women, returning nasty remarks, and doing nice little things for her. Nothing as worked. Finally, Lynn decides to ignore the remarks to see if that will extinguish her coworker’s rude behavior. To Lynn’s surprise, the nasty remarks:
A. Stop at once
B. Increase in intensity
C. Have been positively reinforced
D. Keep coming at the same rate
I don't agree with any choice. Ignoring will gradually lead to extinction, may temporarily lead to an increase in intensity before going to extinction, does not positively reinforce, and will not keep coming at the same rate.
To answer this question, we need to analyze the scenario presented. Lynn, the protagonist, has been dealing with nasty remarks from a female coworker. Lynn has already attempted different strategies to address the issue, such as responding with nasty remarks and performing kind gestures towards her coworker, but none of these approaches have been effective.
Finally, Lynn decides to ignore the remarks in order to see if her coworker's rude behavior would stop. The question asks what happens to the nasty remarks after Lynn starts ignoring them.
Based on the information provided, we can eliminate options A and B. If the nasty remarks stopped at once (option A), it would indicate that Lynn's decision to ignore them was successful. If the remarks increased in intensity (option B), it would suggest that the coworker's behavior escalated after Lynn ignored them.
Now we are left with options C and D:
C. Have been positively reinforced
D. Keep coming at the same rate
Option C suggests that the coworker's behavior of making nasty remarks has been reinforced positively by Lynn's response. This means that the coworker's actions are encouraged either by Lynn's own reactions or by some other external factors.
Option D implies that the coworker's nasty remarks continue at the same rate, regardless of Lynn's decision to ignore them.
To determine the correct answer between options C and D, we have to consider the concept of positive reinforcement. Positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened by the addition of a desirable consequence or the removal of an aversive stimulus.
In this case, if Lynn's coworker received some form of reward or benefit for making these remarks, such as attention or a feeling of power over Lynn, then her behavior could be positively reinforced. Therefore, the correct answer is option C: the nasty remarks have been positively reinforced.