Question

ians mother melissa tells ian to stop watching tv and do homework. ian then begins to whine about wanting to watch more tv, so melissa gives in and lets ian watch more tv as long as the whining stops. over time, ians whining behavior increases in frequency. this sequence is best described as___________. punishment. counter imitation. direct instruction. a negative reinforcement trap.

Explanation:

1. Analyze "punishment": Punishment aims to decrease behavior, but Ian's whining increases, so this is incorrect.
2. Analyze "counter imitation": Counter imitation involves imitating opposite behavior, which is not relevant here.
3. Analyze "direct instruction": Direct instruction is about teaching via explicit directions, not about behavior increase from consequences, so incorrect.
4. Analyze "a negative reinforcement trap": In a negative reinforcement trap, a parent gives in to a child's aversive behavior (whining) to remove the aversive stimulus (whining), which reinforces the child's whining (behavior increases). This matches Ian's situation as Melissa gives in to stop whining, reinforcing Ian's whining over time.

Answer:

D. a negative reinforcement trap