Johnny's action of putting a quarter into the vending machine and receiving candy represents positive reinforcement, as it illustrates how adding a rewarded stimulus increases the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Furthermore, it emphasizes the role of rewards in learning and motivation within behavioral psychology. This reinforces the understanding of how behavior can be shaped by consequences.
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The situation described belongs to the field of Psychology and involves the concept of reinforcement and punishment, which are basic principles of operant conditioning developed by B.F. Skinner.
When Johnny puts his quarter in the vending machine and gets a piece of candy, this is an example of Positive Reinforcement (PR) .
Here's why:
What is Positive Reinforcement?
Positive reinforcement involves presenting a motivating/rewarding stimulus to the person after the desired behavior is exhibited, making the behavior more likely to occur in the future.
Application in Johnny's Situation:
Johnny performs the action of putting a quarter into the vending machine, which is the desired behavior in this context.
As a result of this action, he receives a piece of candy, which is a rewarding stimulus.
The arrival of the candy as a result of his action encourages Johnny to repeat the behavior (putting in more quarters) in the future to receive more candy.
By receiving a positive outcome (candy) for his action, Johnny is more likely to repeat the action, which clearly illustrates positive reinforcement in operant conditioning.