Johnny loves M&Ms; the school counselor instructs the mother to give the child a bag of M&Ms every night after homework. This is an example of which concept?

• A. Positive reinforcement
• B. Negative reinforcement
• C. Punishment
• D. Extinction

Answer: (A)

This uses positive reinforcement. Adding the M&Ms after Johnny completes homework provides a pleasant consequence that increases the likelihood he’ll do homework again in the future. It’s not punishment, because the aim isn’t to reduce a behavior by applying something unfavorable. It’s not extinction, since the reward is still being given to reinforce the behavior rather than withholding it. It’s not negative reinforcement, which would involve removing something aversive to boost the behavior. Here, a tasty treat is added as a reward to strengthen homework completion.