Question

Olivia is punished for spilling her cereal. Her parents give her a spanking and send her to her room where she cries. Later, her puppy makes a mess on the floor. Olivia kicks her puppy and puts it out in the yard where it whines sadly. Which of the following statements explains her behavior toward the puppy?a.Olivia is correctly applying Skinnerian principles of negative reinforcement to change her dog's behavior.b.Olivia is using negative punishment on her dog and it will change the dog's behavior.c.Olivia is modeling the aggressive behavior her parents demonstrated to her.d.Olivia's parents probably think that the best way to raise kids is "spare the rod, spoil the child."

Answer 1

Answer:

C.

Explanation:

In the given case, Olivia's behavior towards her puppy was modeled based on the behavior of her parents towards her.

The behavioral theory, or the operant theory, suggests that rewards or punishment for a person is based on his/her behavior. In the above mentioned case, Olivia is punished for spilling her cereal by her parents. Being a child, Olivia, through this scenario learned that a wrong act should be punished. And this behavior of her parents, she applied on her puppy who made a mess on the floor by kicking the puppy and putting it in the yard.

So, the correct answer is option C.

Answer 2

The correct answer is C) Olivia is modeling the aggressive behavior her parents demonstrated to her.

The statement that explains her behavior toward the puppy is Olivia is modeling the aggressive behavior her parents demonstrated to her.

The problem with Olivia is that she is learning and modeling the aggression shown by her parents and is doing the same with her puppy. That is why so important that parents reflect on the kind of conduct they are showing and teaching to their children because kids learn very fast. If parents set a good example, the child is going to follow through. But if parents show an aggressive of bad conduct, the child is going to "absorb it" as well.