Erica tries to avoid her boss when he's in a bad mood. To keep out of his way, she spends more time doing dreaded but important paperwork, which she usually puts off as long as she can. Her employer's bad moods have the effect of __________ her attention to the dreaded paperwork
A)negatively reinforcing
B)positively reinforcing
C)positively punishing
D)negatively punishing
I think its D but I need a second opinion.
The employer is not punishing her for doing necessary paperwork.
I think I get it.Is it A?
I agree.
To determine the correct answer, let's break down the terms and concepts involved:
1. Reinforcement: This refers to the consequences of a behavior that increase the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future.
2. Positive reinforcement: This involves adding a pleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.
3. Negative reinforcement: This involves removing an aversive stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.
4. Punishment: This refers to the consequences of a behavior that decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future.
5. Positive punishment: This involves adding an aversive stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.
6. Negative punishment: This involves removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behavior being repeated.
Now, let's apply these concepts to the situation described:
- Erica tries to avoid her boss when he's in a bad mood.
- To keep out of his way, she spends more time doing dreaded but important paperwork, which she usually puts off as long as she can.
In this scenario, her boss's bad moods are acting as an aversive stimulus, motivating her to engage in the dreaded paperwork to avoid encountering her boss and lessen the negative experience.
Possible options:
A) Negatively reinforcing: Negatively reinforcing means removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior. In this case, Erica is not removing an aversive stimulus. The boss's bad moods are the aversive stimulus she is trying to avoid.
B) Positively reinforcing: Positively reinforcing means adding a pleasant stimulus to increase a behavior. The boss's bad moods are not a pleasant stimulus. In fact, she is actively trying to avoid them.
C) Positively punishing: Positively punishing means adding an aversive stimulus to decrease a behavior. This option does not seem to be appropriate in this scenario because Erica is not encountering additional aversive stimuli by doing the paperwork. Instead, she is trying to avoid an aversive stimulus (her boss's bad moods).
D) Negatively punishing: Negatively punishing means removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior. In this case, Erica is removing the aversive stimulus of interacting with her boss by spending more time on the paperwork. Therefore, it is likely that the employer's bad moods have the effect of negatively punishing her attention to the dreaded paperwork.
So the correct answer is D) negatively punishing.
Please note that since we don't have complete information about Erica's internal thoughts and feelings, this is an analysis based on the given scenario.