Ursula is always getting out of her seat at inappropriate times. You scold her every time she does this, but her behavior seems to be getting worse rather than better

Question

a. From a behaviorist perspective, why is Ursula's getting-out-of-seat behavior increasing rather than decreasing? Identify at least two possible reasons for the increase.
b. How might you decrease her behavior by reinforcing an incompatible behavior? Describe your procedure in detail, specifying the reinforcer and the behavior you will reinforce.

Answer 1

Answers to the separate parts of the question are as follows:
a. Something appears to be reinforcing the getting-out-of-seat behavior, because the behavior is increasing rather than decreasing. A teacher's scolding may be reinforcing rather than punishing for Ursula. Alternatively, something else in the classroom may be reinforcing the behavior; for instance, perhaps she gains the attention of one or more classmates when she gets out of her seat. A third possibility is that getting up releases pent-up energy; in this case, intrinsic reinforcement is involved. (The response needs to identify only two of these explanations or reasonable facsimiles.)
b. Ursula should be reinforced for sitting in her seat (an incompatible behavior). The response should describe a reasonable reinforcer for Ursula