Running head: DRO CONTINGENCY 1
WORKSHEET
DRO Contingency
Worksheet Student Name
PSY 420
May 15th,
xxx
, DRO CONTINGENCY WORKSHEET 2
University of Phoenix Material
DRO Contingency Worksheet
Decide which of the following concepts are most applicable to each scenario: differential
reinforcement of other behavior, avoidance contingency, punishment by prevention of
reinforcer, punishment by loss of reinforcer, or avoidance of loss.
Defend your answer 175 words each, using citations as needed.
1 Sally, a 13-year-old teenager, is tired of having her mom nag her about her
bedroom. Her mom nags about the clothes on the floor, the bed being unmade, and
the trashcan spilling over in her bathroom. Sally comes home from school in a bad
mood and the last thing she wants to hear is her mom’s nagging voice. To get
around the expected response from her mom, she cleans her room, makes her bed,
and empties her trashcan.
In this scenario, Sally has experienced her mother nagging in the
past as Sally has left her clothes on the floor, doesn’t make her bed and
doesn’t empty the bathroom trash can causing garbage to spill over onto the
floor. Because of this previous experience of nagging from her mom, Sally
wants to avoid hearing her mother nag at her as Sally is already in a poor
mood herself. To avoid the nagging response from her mom, Sally chooses to
clean her room, make her bed and empty the bathroom garbage can thus
avoiding the nagging. According to the definition in Malott and Shane (2014),
this is an example of Avoidance Contingency as Sally learned that she could
prevent the presentation of the aversive stimulus simply by cleaning her
room, making her bed, picking up the clothes and emptying the trash can. All
before her mother has the chance even to ask Sally to complete these
chores. Once Sally learns that she can avoid the stimulus by changing her
behaviors, this reinforces her to change the unwanted behavior by her
mother to prevent aversive stimuli, which is her mother’s nagging. According
to Malott and Shane (2014), “the more immediate the aversive condition, the
more effective is the avoidance contingency” (p.251).
2 Sally makes the 7th-grade track team by finishing before another girl by less than
0.05 seconds in her event—the 400 meter relay. Sally is proud of making the team
but needs to work harder in the practices that follow. The first track meet does not
go well. Out of the four girls on the relay team, she has the slowest time, so her track
coach removes her from the team, and makes her sit as an alternate.
In this scenario, Sally makes the track team when she completes a
relay time that beat another girl, ultimately earning Sally, her position on the
team for competition. Because Sally earned this spot, she is proud of herself
but fully understands she must work hard to keep this place. Unfortunately,
Sally failed to perform at a higher standard during the first track meet, and
she receives the lowest time causing her to lose her starting position on the
team and can only sit on the sidelines as an alternate and watch. According to
Malott and Shane (2014), “This is a form of punishment-punishment by the
loss of reinforcer (negative punishment)” (p.80). Punishment by Loss of
Reinforcer explains that the penalty removes something that the individual
previously had. Sally already had earned the starting position on the relay
team, and when, she did not perform well enough, she lost this position. This
punishment is meant to reinforce Sally to work harder and push herself to
earn her starting position back and reinforce her behaviors to promote
WORKSHEET
DRO Contingency
Worksheet Student Name
PSY 420
May 15th,
xxx
, DRO CONTINGENCY WORKSHEET 2
University of Phoenix Material
DRO Contingency Worksheet
Decide which of the following concepts are most applicable to each scenario: differential
reinforcement of other behavior, avoidance contingency, punishment by prevention of
reinforcer, punishment by loss of reinforcer, or avoidance of loss.
Defend your answer 175 words each, using citations as needed.
1 Sally, a 13-year-old teenager, is tired of having her mom nag her about her
bedroom. Her mom nags about the clothes on the floor, the bed being unmade, and
the trashcan spilling over in her bathroom. Sally comes home from school in a bad
mood and the last thing she wants to hear is her mom’s nagging voice. To get
around the expected response from her mom, she cleans her room, makes her bed,
and empties her trashcan.
In this scenario, Sally has experienced her mother nagging in the
past as Sally has left her clothes on the floor, doesn’t make her bed and
doesn’t empty the bathroom trash can causing garbage to spill over onto the
floor. Because of this previous experience of nagging from her mom, Sally
wants to avoid hearing her mother nag at her as Sally is already in a poor
mood herself. To avoid the nagging response from her mom, Sally chooses to
clean her room, make her bed and empty the bathroom garbage can thus
avoiding the nagging. According to the definition in Malott and Shane (2014),
this is an example of Avoidance Contingency as Sally learned that she could
prevent the presentation of the aversive stimulus simply by cleaning her
room, making her bed, picking up the clothes and emptying the trash can. All
before her mother has the chance even to ask Sally to complete these
chores. Once Sally learns that she can avoid the stimulus by changing her
behaviors, this reinforces her to change the unwanted behavior by her
mother to prevent aversive stimuli, which is her mother’s nagging. According
to Malott and Shane (2014), “the more immediate the aversive condition, the
more effective is the avoidance contingency” (p.251).
2 Sally makes the 7th-grade track team by finishing before another girl by less than
0.05 seconds in her event—the 400 meter relay. Sally is proud of making the team
but needs to work harder in the practices that follow. The first track meet does not
go well. Out of the four girls on the relay team, she has the slowest time, so her track
coach removes her from the team, and makes her sit as an alternate.
In this scenario, Sally makes the track team when she completes a
relay time that beat another girl, ultimately earning Sally, her position on the
team for competition. Because Sally earned this spot, she is proud of herself
but fully understands she must work hard to keep this place. Unfortunately,
Sally failed to perform at a higher standard during the first track meet, and
she receives the lowest time causing her to lose her starting position on the
team and can only sit on the sidelines as an alternate and watch. According to
Malott and Shane (2014), “This is a form of punishment-punishment by the
loss of reinforcer (negative punishment)” (p.80). Punishment by Loss of
Reinforcer explains that the penalty removes something that the individual
previously had. Sally already had earned the starting position on the relay
team, and when, she did not perform well enough, she lost this position. This
punishment is meant to reinforce Sally to work harder and push herself to
earn her starting position back and reinforce her behaviors to promote
