The two types of reinforcing consequences are _______ and _______ reinforcement. Options: 1. positive; negative 2. classical; aversive 3. associative; observational 4. operant; instrumental
Answer (1)
The correct answer to the question about the two types of reinforcing consequences is option 1: positive and negative reinforcement.
In psychology, particularly in the study of behaviorism, reinforcement is any consequence that strengthens or increases the likelihood of a behavior. There are two primary types of reinforcement:
Positive Reinforcement : This occurs when a behavior is followed by the presentation of a stimulus that increases the future frequency of that behavior in similar conditions. For example, giving a child praise or a treat for completing their homework on time encourages them to repeat the behavior in the future.
Negative Reinforcement : This happens when a behavior is followed by the removal of an unpleasant stimulus, which also increases the likelihood of the behavior being repeated. An example would be turning off a loud alarm when someone gets out of bed, reinforcing the action of getting out of bed promptly.
Both forms of reinforcement aim to increase the occurrence of a particular behavior, but they do so through different mechanisms—positive reinforcement adds a desirable stimulus, whereas negative reinforcement removes an aversive one.
