A student who is irregular in attendance and does not complete and submit assignments timely is rewarded whenever s/he comes to school on time and continues with the behaviour. S/he is also applauded for completion and timely submission of assignment. Name the behavioural technique being used.
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 1
The correct answer is Option (1) → Positive Reinforcement
Option (1) Positive Reinforcement — Correct. If an adaptive behaviour occurs rarely, positive reinforcement is given to increase it: a pleasant consequence follows the wanted behaviour, as a mother prepares the child’s favourite dish whenever homework is done at the appointed time. The student is rewarded each time she or he comes on time and applauded for submitting assignments on time, so these behaviours grow.
Option (2) Negative Reinforcement — Incorrect. Negative reinforcement comes from getting rid of, avoiding or escaping an unpleasant stimulus, as one learns to put on woollen clothes to avoid the cold. The student is given something pleasant; nothing unpleasant is removed.
Option (3) Aversive Conditioning — Incorrect. Aversive conditioning is the repeated pairing of an unwanted behaviour with an unpleasant consequence, such as a mild electric shock with the smell of alcohol, so that the behaviour is given up. Here a wanted behaviour is rewarded, not an unwanted one punished.
Option (4) Token Economy — Incorrect. In a token economy the person gets a token every time a wanted behaviour occurs, and the tokens are later exchanged for a reward such as an outing. The student receives the reward and the applause directly; no tokens are collected.
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.” |