Asked by Kendrra White on Jul 25, 2024
Verified
Fred is afraid of spiders. He won't even watch a nature show on TV about them. When he sees a picture of a spider, he has a panic attack, but when he avoids looking at the image, his panic goes away. Fred's avoidance of spiders is being __________
A) extinguished, because he feels anxious after doing so.
B) recovered spontaneously, because he will never get better.
C) positively reinforced, because he is rewarded by his anxiety going down.
D) negatively reinforced, because he is rewarded by his anxiety going down.
Negatively Reinforced
refers to the process of increasing a behavior's occurrence by removing or avoiding a negative consequence or stimulus.
Positively Reinforced
Involves the addition of a stimulus following a behavior that increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated.
Extinct
A species, family, or larger group having no living members; no longer in existence.
- Comprehend the variance between positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement and how they influence behavior.
- Analyze the role of reinforcement in avoiding or reducing undesired behaviors.
Verified Answer
JC
Jordan CarterJul 27, 2024
Final Answer :
D
Explanation :
Fred's avoidance of spiders is being negatively reinforced because his anxiety decreases when he avoids looking at spider images. Negative reinforcement occurs when a behavior is strengthened by the removal or avoidance of a negative outcome, in this case, Fred's anxiety.
Learning Objectives
- Comprehend the variance between positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement and how they influence behavior.
- Analyze the role of reinforcement in avoiding or reducing undesired behaviors.