Mark and Kathy Take Their 2-Year-Old Son to the Supermarket

question 98

Multiple Choice

Mark and Kathy take their 2-year-old son to the supermarket every Saturday.Each week, the same sequence of events unfolds: Their son screams, demanding that they buy him treats.Although they refuse to give in to his demands, he continues to scream.Finally, either Mark or Kathy gets in their son's face and yells at the top of their lungs "Shut up!" He stops screaming instantly.What operant conditioning concepts are illustrated in this story?

• A)The parents are using negative reinforcement to increase their son's screaming.
• B)The parents are in a very dysfunctional marriage; their child's screaming is his way of trying to get his parents to remain married.
• C)The parents are using punishment to suppress the screaming.
• D)Their son probably learned how to scream by observing his parents at home, and now he is reinforced on a variable-interval schedule of reinforcement.

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Definitions:

Active Listening

A method of communication where the listener fully focuses on the speaker, comprehends their message, offers responses, and remembers what was conveyed.

One-Way Communication

One-way communication describes a process where information is sent from a sender to a receiver without expecting or receiving any feedback or response.

Listener Involvement

The engagement and active participation of an audience member in the communication process.

Communication

The process of exchanging information, ideas, feelings, or instructions between individuals or groups, often involving a shared understanding.