Problem Behavior,Reinforcing Consequence,Type of Reinforcement,Socially Mediated?

QUESTION

For each of the following examples of problem behaviors AND their reinforcers, IDENTIFY whether the behavior is maintained by POSITIVE or NEGATIVE reinforcement AND WHETHER THE REINFORCER IS SOCIALLY MEDIATED. ******EXPLAIN the ANSWERS.

1. Problem Behavior:  A child complains of being sick when told to do chores.

Reinforcing Consequence:  A parent does the household tasks for the child.

Type of Reinforcement: Negative

Socially Mediated? They are able to escape from the chores by complaining they are sick. The child gets involved in negative reinforcement that is socially mediated.

Explain:

1. Problem behavior:  A person with an intellectual disability runs into the street and refuses to leave the street.

Reinforcing Consequence: A staff member offers a can of soda if the person leaves the street.

Type of Reinforcement:

Socially Mediated?

Explain:

1. Problem behavior:  A child with autism flicks his fingers in front of his eyes.

Reinforcing Consequence:  The behavior produces visual stimulation.

Type of Reinforcement:

Socially Mediated?

Explain:

1. Problem behavior:  A person runs away from a dog while walking down the street.

Reinforcing Consequence:  The person gets away from the dog, and the fear diminishes.

Type of Reinforcement:

Socially Mediated?

Explain:

1. Problem behavior:  A child refuses to comply with parent’s request to do task.

Reinforcing Consequence:  The child avoids the task and continues to watch television.

Type of Reinforcement:

Socially Mediated?

Explain:

1. Problem behavior:  A spouse has a temper outburst during disagreement.

Reinforcing Consequence: The other spouse stops arguing and agrees to the spouse’s demand.

Type of Reinforcement:

Socially Mediated?

Explain:

1. Problem behavior:  A hospital patient calls the nurses’ station several times a day.

Reinforcing Consequence:  A nurse comes to the room each time to check on the patient but finds no problem.

Type of Reinforcement:

Socially Mediated?

Explain:

1. Problem behavior:  A patient with a brain injury strips naked each time the nurse enters the room for the morning routine.

Reinforcing Consequence:  The nurse reacts with surprise and indignation and orders the patient to get dressed.

Type of Reinforcement:

Socially Mediated?

Explain:

1. Problem behavior:  A factory worker on an assembly line sabotages the line so that it stops.

Reinforcing Consequence:  The factory worker sits down and has cigarette and cup of coffee each time the line is down.

Type of Reinforcement:

Socially Mediated?

Explain: 

ANSWER

Problem Behavior: A child complains of being sick when told to do chores.
Reinforcing Consequence: A parent does the household tasks for the child.
Type of Reinforcement: Negative
Socially Mediated? Yes, the child’s complaint of being sick leads to the parent doing the chores instead. The reinforcement is socially mediated because the parent’s response is contingent on the child’s complaint.

Explanation: In this scenario, the problem behavior of complaining of being sick is maintained through negative reinforcement. The child engages in this behavior as a means to escape or avoid the aversive task of doing chores. When the child complains of being sick, the parent takes over the household tasks, removing the demand to do chores. This serves as a negative reinforcer as it reduces the unpleasant experience of having to perform the chores. Furthermore, the reinforcement is socially mediated because the parent’s response is contingent on the child’s complaint. The parent’s behavior of doing the household tasks is influenced by the child’s complaint, creating a socially mediated negative reinforcement contingency.

Problem behavior: A person with an intellectual disability runs into the street and refuses to leave the street.
Reinforcing Consequence: A staff member offers a can of soda if the person leaves the street.
Type of Reinforcement: Positive
Socially Mediated? Yes, the staff member’s offer of a can of soda is a socially mediated positive reinforcement.
Explanation: In this example, the problem behavior of running into the street and refusing to leave is maintained through positive reinforcement. The staff member offers a can of soda as a consequence for leaving the street, which serves as a reward or reinforcement for complying with the desired behavior. This reinforcement is positive because the addition of the soda is intended to increase the likelihood of the person leaving the street in the future. Additionally, the reinforcement is socially mediated as it involves the interaction between the staff member and the person with an intellectual disability.

Problem behavior: A child with autism flicks his fingers in front of his eyes.
Reinforcing Consequence: The behavior produces visual stimulation.
Type of Reinforcement: Automatic
Socially Mediated? No, the reinforcement is not socially mediated.
Explanation: In this case, the problem behavior of flicking fingers in front of the eyes is maintained through automatic reinforcement. The behavior itself produces visual stimulation, which serves as the reinforcing consequence. The individual engages in this behavior because it is inherently rewarding and provides sensory stimulation or satisfaction. Unlike socially mediated reinforcement, where the behavior is reinforced by the actions or responses of others, the reinforcement in this situation is not dependent on social interactions.

Problem behavior: A person runs away from a dog while walking down the street.
Reinforcing Consequence: The person gets away from the dog, and the fear diminishes.
Type of Reinforcement: Negative
Socially Mediated? No, the reinforcement is not socially mediated.
Explanation: In this instance, the problem behavior of running away from the dog is maintained through negative reinforcement. The person engages in this behavior as a means to escape or avoid the feared stimulus (the dog). By running away, the person successfully removes themselves from the aversive situation, leading to a reduction in fear. The reinforcement is negative because it involves the removal of the aversive stimulus (the dog) and the subsequent reduction of fear. However, the reinforcement is not socially mediated as it does not involve the actions or responses of others.

Problem behavior: A child refuses to comply with a parent’s request to do a task.
Reinforcing Consequence: The child avoids the task and continues to watch television.
Type of Reinforcement: Negative
Socially Mediated? No, the reinforcement is not socially mediated.
Explanation: In this scenario, the problem behavior of refusing to comply with the parent’s request is maintained through negative reinforcement. By refusing to do the task, the child successfully avoids the aversive activity and continues to engage in preferred behavior (watching television). The reinforcement is negative because it involves the removal of the aversive demand and allows the child to escape from the task. However, the reinforcement is not socially mediated as it does not involve the actions or responses of others.

Problem behavior: A spouse has a temper outburst during a disagreement.
Reinforcing Consequence: The other spouse stops arguing and agrees to the spouse’s demand.
Type of Reinforcement: Positive
Socially Mediated? Yes, the reinforcement is socially mediated.
Explanation: In this case, the problem behavior of having a temper outburst is maintained through positive reinforcement. The spouse’s outburst leads to the other spouse stopping the argument and complying with the tempering spouse’s demand. The reinforcement is positive because the other spouse’s agreement serves as a rewarding consequence that increases the likelihood of the tempering spouse engaging in similar outbursts in the future. Additionally, the reinforcement is socially mediated as it involves the response of the other spouse to the tempering spouse’s behavior.

Problem behavior: A hospital patient calls the nurses’ station several times a day.
Reinforcing Consequence: A nurse comes to the room each time to check on the patient but finds no problem.
Type of Reinforcement: Positive
Socially Mediated? Yes, the reinforcement is socially mediated.
Explanation: In this scenario, the problem behavior of calling the nurses’ station is maintained through positive reinforcement. Each time the patient calls, a nurse responds by coming to the room, even though no problem is found. The patient’s behavior is reinforced because it results in the attention and presence of a nurse, which may be rewarding or satisfying for the patient. The reinforcement is positive because it involves the addition of a desirable consequence (nurse’s attention). Furthermore, the reinforcement is socially mediated as it relies on the interaction between the patient and the nurse.

Problem behavior: A patient with a brain injury strips naked each time the nurse enters the room for the morning routine.
Reinforcing Consequence: The nurse reacts with surprise and indignation and orders the patient to get dressed.
Type of Reinforcement: Positive
Socially Mediated? Yes, the reinforcement is socially mediated.
Explanation: In this example, the problem behavior of stripping naked is maintained through positive reinforcement. The patient’s behavior elicits a reaction from the nurse, who responds with surprise, indignation

, and orders the patient to get dressed. The patient’s behavior is reinforced because it generates attention and a significant reaction from the nurse. The reinforcement is positive because it involves the addition of a consequence (nurse’s attention and reaction) that may be rewarding or reinforcing for the patient. Moreover, the reinforcement is socially mediated as it depends on the response of the nurse to the patient’s behavior.

Problem behavior: A factory worker on an assembly line sabotages the line so that it stops.
Reinforcing Consequence: The factory worker sits down, has a cigarette, and drinks a cup of coffee each time the line is down.
Type of Reinforcement: Positive
Socially Mediated? No, the reinforcement is not socially mediated.
Explanation: In this case, the problem behavior of sabotaging the assembly line is maintained through positive reinforcement. When the line stops, the factory worker engages in preferred activities such as sitting down, having a cigarette, and drinking a cup of coffee. These activities serve as positive consequences that increase the likelihood of the worker engaging in the line sabotage behavior in the future. The reinforcement is positive because it involves the addition of desirable consequences (preferred activities). However, the reinforcement is not socially mediated as it does not involve the actions or responses of others.