Question

1. which of the following correctly differentiates between reinforcement and punishment?

a. a professor scolds a student for talking in class (negative reinforcement) and gives candy to students who complete their homework (negative reinforcement).
b. a parent gives a child extra playtime for completing homework (positive reinforcement) and takes away their tablet for misbehaving (negative punishment).
c. a manager deducts money from a workers paycheck for being late (positive punishment) and gives a bonus to employees who meet their sales goals (negative reinforcement).
d. a coach cancels practice after a bad game (positive reinforcement) and forces players to run extra laps for poor performance (positive punishment).

Explanation:

• Positive punishment: Adding an aversive stimulus (deducting money) to decrease a behavior (being late).
• Negative reinforcement: Removing an aversive stimulus (e.g., the pressure of not meeting goals, implied by giving a bonus which could remove some negative consequence related to not meeting sales goals) to increase a behavior (meeting sales goals).
• In option A: Scolding is positive punishment (adding an aversive - scolding), giving candy is positive reinforcement (adding a pleasant - candy), not negative reinforcement.
• In option B: Extra playtime is positive reinforcement (adding a pleasant - playtime), not negative reinforcement. Taking away a tablet is negative punishment (removing a pleasant - tablet), not positive reinforcement.
• In option D: Canceling practice is negative punishment (removing a pleasant - practice), not positive reinforcement. Forcing to run extra laps is positive punishment (adding an aversive - running extra laps).

Answer:

C. A manager deducts money from a worker's paycheck for being late (positive punishment) and gives a bonus to employees who meet their sales goals (negative reinforcement).