Sean is a high school student who is angry much of the time. He often vents his anger by swearing at his teacher. One day his teacher decides to extinguish Sean's swearing by ignoring him whenever he swears. Yet over the next few weeks, Sean continues to swear as frequently as he always has. Three of the following are possible explanations as to why, from a behaviorist perspective, the teacher's

"extinction" strategy is not working. Which alternative is the least likely explanation?

a. Other students are reinforcing Sean's swearing.
b. Sean's swearing has previously been reinforced on an intermittent basis.
c. Swearing allows Sean to release pent-up anger, so he is being negatively reinforced.
d. Sean is being reinforced for swearing by means of the Premack Principle.


d

Education

You might also like to view...

Serving pumpkin bread, sweet potato fries, and broccoli will improve a child's vitamin C intake

a. True b. False Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Education

School sponsored prayer may be permitted if:

a. Students are not required to participate b. Students are allowed to enter the building after prayer is offered c. The community strongly support it d. None of the above

Education

A child tax credit allows taxpayers to claim a tax credit of up to how much per qualifying child under the age of 17?

a. $1,000 b. $500 c. $1,500 d. $2,000

Education

An indication you have done a reasonably good job of reviewing literature on your topic includes ______.

A. having 5–10 resources B. when you no longer see the same articles and the same authors cited across all the literature you are reviewing C. when you begin to recognize the major contributors in the field D. when you have searched the ERIC database

Education