An alcoholic is given a mild electric shock and asked to smell the alcohol. Repeatedly pairing the smell of alcohol with the pain of the shock leads to giving up of alcohol by the person. Identify the behavioural technique being used here.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Aversive conditioning
Option (1) Negative reinforcement — Incorrect. In negative reinforcement a response is learnt because it lets a person get rid of or escape a painful stimulus, as one puts on woollen clothes to avoid the cold. The shock here is not something the person escapes by a response; it is paired with the smell of alcohol.
Option (2) Token economy — Incorrect. In a token economy a person is given a token as a reward every time a wanted behaviour occurs; the tokens are later exchanged for a reward. No tokens or rewards are used on the alcoholic.
Option (3) Aversive conditioning — Correct. Aversive conditioning is the repeated association of an undesired response with an aversive consequence. The shock is paired with the smell of alcohol again and again, so the smell itself becomes unpleasant and the person gives up alcohol.
Option (4) Modeling — Incorrect. In modelling the client learns to behave in a certain way by observing a role model or the therapist, and small changes towards the model’s behaviour are rewarded. Nobody is being observed or copied here.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2024 on 19-07-2024 (Slot 1), and in CUET (UG) 2026 on 31-05-2026 (Slot 1).
NCERT (2025-26): “Behaviour Therapy … Negative reinforcement and aversive conditioning are the two major techniques of behaviour modification. As you have already studied in Class XI, responses that lead organisms to get rid of painful stimuli or avoid and escape from them provide negative reinforcement. For example, one learns to put on woollen clothes, burn firewood or use electric heaters to avoid the unpleasant cold weather. One learns to move away from dangerous stimuli because they provide negative reinforcement. Aversive conditioning refers to repeated association of undesired response with an aversive consequence. For example, an alcoholic is given a mild electric shock and asked to smell the alcohol. With repeated pairings the smell of alcohol is aversive as the pain of the shock is associated with it and the person will give up alcohol. If an adaptive behaviour occurs rarely, positive reinforcement is given to increase the deficit. For example, if a child does not do homework regularly, positive reinforcement may be used by the child’s mother by preparing the child’s favourite dish whenever s/he does homework at the appointed time. The positive reinforcement of food will increase the behaviour of doing homework at the appointed time. Persons with behavioural problems can be given a token as a reward every time a wanted behaviour occurs. The tokens are collected and exchanged for a reward such as an outing for the patient or a treat for the child. This is known as token economy.” “…Modelling is the procedure wherein the client learns to behave in a certain way by observing the behaviour of a role model or the therapist who initially acts as the role model. Vicarious learning, i.e. learning by observing others, is used and through a process of rewarding small changes in the behaviour, the client gradually learns to acquire the behaviour of the model.…” |