Read the passage and answer the following questions:
Mrs. Sharma is a mother of two children aged 7 and 9 years. Both of them are very notorious and do not listen to her instructions. With every passing day, it is becoming difficult for her to regulate their behaviour. She is not able to discipline them, which she considers an important part of a successful life. One day, she comes across an article in which it is mentioned that if a mother observes behavioural issues in her child, she can apply a technique to modify the undesirable behavior of the child. According to this technique, Mrs. Sharma can give coupons to her children whenever they exhibit desirable behaviours. The coupons could later be exchanged by them for some tangible things such as candy, toys etc. Surprisingly, this technique worked very effectively with her children. In another article she came to know about another technique to modify behavior in which undesirable behavior can be reduced, and desirable behavior can be increased simultaneously.
The technique applied by Mrs. Sharma to reinforce desirable behaviour of her children is known as:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Token economy
Option (1) Unconditional positive regard — Incorrect. In humanistic therapy the therapist shows the client the same warm, positive feelings whatever the client says or does. This acceptance is the opposite of a reward given only when a wanted behaviour occurs.
Option (2) Negative reinforcement — Incorrect. Negative reinforcement comes from responses that let a person get rid of or escape a painful stimulus. Mrs. Sharma does not remove anything unpleasant; she adds coupons.
Option (3) Token economy — Correct. Persons with behavioural problems are 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 or a treat. Mrs. Sharma’s coupons, later exchanged for candy and toys, are such tokens.
Option (4) Biofeedback — Incorrect. Biofeedback is a stress management procedure that monitors and reduces physiological aspects of stress, such as heart rate, by giving feedback about the body’s current activity. It has nothing to do with rewarding a child’s behaviour.
NCERT (2025-26): “Therapeutic Relationship … The therapist conveys by her/his words and behaviours that s/he is not judging the client and will continue to show the same positive feelings towards the client even if the client is rude or confides all the ‘wrong’ things that s/he may have done or thought about. This is the unconditional positive regard which the therapist has for the client.…” “Behavioural Techniques … 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.…” “Behavioural Techniques … 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.” “Stress Management Techniques … Biofeedback : It is a procedure to monitor and reduce the physiological aspects of stress by providing feedback about current physiological activity and is often accompanied by relaxation training.” |