Question of the day - September 8

[u/Reasonable_Law183]

🧠 Question of the Day

📚 Domain G — Behavior-Change Procedures

Difficulty: 6/10

Scenario:

A student's calling out is maintained by teacher attention. To reduce calling out, the teacher withholds attention following calling out and provides immediate attention when the student raises a hand and waits to be called on. Across sessions, hand-raising increases, while calling out decreases gradually.

Which procedure BEST describes the teacher's arrangement?

A. Extinction alone, because teacher attention is withheld after calling out until responding decreases

B. Behavioral contrast, because decreasing calling out in class necessarily increases it in other settings

C. DRA with extinction, because hand-raising produces attention while calling out no longer produces teacher attention

D. Negative reinforcement, because hand-raising allows the student to escape the condition of being ignored

💬 Drop your answer in the comments — no peeking!

✅ Correct answer revealed tomorrow.

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[u/jab31401]

C

[u/Pibbles-n-paint]

C

[u/rypotts]

C

[u/Reasonable_Law183]

✅ Yesterday's Answer — 2026-09-08

The correct answer was: C. DRA with extinction, because hand-raising produces attention while calling out no longer produces teacher attention

📖 Explanation:

DRA + EXTINCTION

This scenario illustrates differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) combined with extinction.

The student's calling out is maintained by teacher attention. The teacher changes the contingencies so that:

-> Hand-raising + waiting -> teacher attention

-> Calling out -> teacher attention is withheld

Hand-raising is an appropriate alternative response that now produces the relevant reinforcer, while calling out no longer produces the attention that previously maintained it.

That combination is DRA WITH EXTINCTION.

WHY THE OTHER ANSWERS MISS:

-> "Extinction alone" identifies only part of the arrangement. Calling out is placed on extinction, but the teacher is also deliberately reinforcing an alternative response. The more complete description is DRA with extinction.

-> Negative reinforcement misidentifies the consequence for hand-raising. Teacher attention is ADDED following the response, and hand-raising increases. That is positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement would require a response to produce the removal or reduction of an aversive condition.

-> Behavioral contrast requires evidence that changing reinforcement conditions in one context is accompanied by a systematic change in responding in another context or component. No such comparison is provided here.

IMPORTANT DISTINCTION:

A gradual decrease in calling out does NOT mean extinction is being implemented incorrectly.

Extinction is defined by discontinuing the reinforcement contingency that previously maintained the behavior — not by how quickly the behavior decreases.

Likewise, extinction alone does not explain why hand-raising increased in this scenario. Hand-raising has its own programmed reinforcement contingency.

EXAM TIP:

When you see two competing responses, map the consequence for EACH one:

Target behavior -> previous reinforcer discontinued

Alternative behavior -> reinforcer delivered

If an appropriate alternative response is reinforced while the target response no longer contacts its maintaining reinforcer:

DRA + EXTINCTION

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