The Psychiatric Technician is displaying the use of a negative reinforcer when working with a class of ADD students. Which of the following situations illustrates this?

The Psychiatric Technician is displaying the use of a negative reinforcer when working with a class of ADD students. Which of the following situations illustrates this?

• A. The Psychiatric Technician moves the child who is talking to another desk.
• B. The Psychiatric Technician gently reprimands the child for not working on the assignment.
• C. The Psychiatric Technician changes his frown to a smile when the student resumes working.
• D. The Psychiatric Technician gives the student a lollypop for quieting down.

Answer: (C)

Negative reinforcement is when an unpleasant trigger is removed as a result of the desired behavior, increasing the likelihood that behavior will happen again. Here, the teacher’s frown is an aversive cue. When the student resumes working, the frown is removed and replaced with a smile. The removal of that unpleasant stimulus reinforces the act of starting or continuing to work, making it more likely the student will resume work in the future to avoid the frown. Giving a lollypop is positive reinforcement, adding a reward for the desired behavior. Reprimanding for not working is adding an aversive stimulus to discourage the undesired behavior (punishment). Moving the child to another desk is more about removing the child from the current setting rather than contingent removal of an aversive stimulus tied to the specific behavior.

Negative reinforcement is when an unpleasant trigger is removed as a result of the desired behavior, increasing the likelihood that behavior will happen again. Here, the teacher’s frown is an aversive cue. When the student resumes working, the frown is removed and replaced with a smile. The removal of that unpleasant stimulus reinforces the act of starting or continuing to work, making it more likely the student will resume work in the future to avoid the frown.

Giving a lollypop is positive reinforcement, adding a reward for the desired behavior. Reprimanding for not working is adding an aversive stimulus to discourage the undesired behavior (punishment). Moving the child to another desk is more about removing the child from the current setting rather than contingent removal of an aversive stimulus tied to the specific behavior.