Title: Usmle Step 1 MCQ's # 16
Subject: Behavioral Science
Subject: Behavioral Science
Q NO 16: In a restaurant, a 3-year-old child screams shrilly as loudly as she can. The mother gives the child a piece of cookie each time she screams. Which of the following types of reinforcement does the mother receive when the child stops screaming?
A. Aversive
B. Fixed interval
C. Negative
D. Positive
E. Variable Ratio
B. Fixed interval
C. Negative
D. Positive
E. Variable Ratio
Explanation:
The correct answer is C. When the child takes away the shrill screaming (which was aversive to the mother) it is reinforcing to the mother and guarantees that the mother will continue the behavior (giving a piece of cookie) which will guarantee that the child will continue to scream. Since the reinforcing event is the removal of an aversive stimulus this is called negative reinforcement.
Aversive reinforcement (choice A) involves doing something that the child would not like e.g. giving a spanking.
Fixed interval reinforcement (choice B) implies that a given amount of time goes by before reinforcement is available.
There is no positive reinforcement (choice D) for the mother because nothing that she wants is being given. What is reinforcing to her is the fact that something she does not want is being taken away.
A variable ratio (choice E) reinforcement schedule means that the child would only stop screaming sometimes when given a cookie (on a schedule that the mother could not predict).
The correct answer is C. When the child takes away the shrill screaming (which was aversive to the mother) it is reinforcing to the mother and guarantees that the mother will continue the behavior (giving a piece of cookie) which will guarantee that the child will continue to scream. Since the reinforcing event is the removal of an aversive stimulus this is called negative reinforcement.
Aversive reinforcement (choice A) involves doing something that the child would not like e.g. giving a spanking.
Fixed interval reinforcement (choice B) implies that a given amount of time goes by before reinforcement is available.
There is no positive reinforcement (choice D) for the mother because nothing that she wants is being given. What is reinforcing to her is the fact that something she does not want is being taken away.
A variable ratio (choice E) reinforcement schedule means that the child would only stop screaming sometimes when given a cookie (on a schedule that the mother could not predict).
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