PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGY

WEEKDAY CLASS
ASSIGNMENT 6

The following assignment carries a total of 5 marks. Attempt all parts.

State which type of operant conditioning has been used in the following and give reason
for your answer: (5)

a. Ahmed has been helping his mother out the whole day. When it was time for him to
wash the dishes, his mother decided to wash them instead since Ahmed had been
really helpful to her.

This is negative reinforcement because Ahmed’s mother wanted a helping behavior from

him and when he began to help his mother out in doing the work, she removed the

unpleasant stimulus of washing the dishes.

b. Daania had been constantly talking in the class with her friend. To make her stop
talking, her teacher changes her friend’s seat.

This is negative punishment. The teacher wanted Daania not to talk for which she

changed her friend’s seat which is a removal of pleasant stimulus.

c. Sulaiman studied and worked really hard this semester and as a result got straight
A’s, making him get a 4.0 CGPA. As promised, his father buys him an X-box along
with 5 of his favourite games.
This is positive reinforcement. Sulaiman’s father wants him to do well at university for
which he added a pleasant stimulus in the form of X-box for Suleiman which is an
incentive for him. To get the X-box, he worked hard for the grades and got what he
wanted. His father also succeeded in making his son achieve the desired grades.

d. Lamia pushed her friend to the ground when they were having a fight. As a result
Lamia’s teacher made her stand in the corner for the rest of the class.
 Positive punishment. After the fight Lamia stood at the corner which made her shameful
and she might not fight again because she would face the shame again, which would make
her uncomfortable also. Maing her stand in the corner is the addition of an unpleasant
stimuli.

e. Sulaiman did not do his routinely chores. His father as a result takes away his X-
box.

Negative punishment. Suleiman’s father wants him to do his chores routinely which he

did not do. Suleiman finds it pleasant to play with X-box. His father removes the pleasant

stimulus of X-box as a punishment for not doing the chores

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WALI MUHAMMAD