Aversive conditioning is a treatment approach that uses unpleasant stimuli to decrease a behavior such as smoking. Which option best describes this approach?

• A. Token economy
• B. Observational learning
• C. Positive reinforcement
• D. Aversive conditioning

Answer: (D)

Aversive conditioning uses an unpleasant stimulus paired with the target behavior to reduce that behavior. For smoking, the idea is that the unpleasant consequence makes the act less appealing, so the urge to smoke decreases over time. This approach is different from a token economy, which uses tokens as rewards to reinforce desired behaviors (an example of positive reinforcement with rewards). It also differs from observational learning, which relies on learning by watching others, and from positive reinforcement, which adds something pleasant to increase a behavior rather than decrease it. So the best description is aversive conditioning because its defining feature is using an unpleasant stimulus to discourage the undesired behavior.