Question

meg likes to watch television. she has noticed that when a show is interrupted by a commercial, most of the time the sound level of the commercial is much higher than the sound level during regular programming. now when the commercial starts, she immediately grabs her tv remote and lowers the sound. her response of lowering the sound level during commercials is being controlled by which operant process? select an answer and submit. for keyboard navigation, use the up/down arrow keys to select an answer. a escape b avoidance your answer c higher-order conditioning d extinction\

Answer 1

Meg's response of immediately grabbing her TV remote and lowering the sound level during commercials is being controlled by the operant process of avoidance.
Avoidance is a type of operant conditioning in which a behaviour is reinforced by the removal or avoidance of an unpleasant stimulus. In this case, Meg is avoiding the unpleasant stimulus of the loud sound level during commercials by lowering the volume. Her action of lowering the sound serves as a way to escape or avoid the discomfort caused by the sudden increase in volume during commercials.
To further illustrate this, let's break down the operant process of avoidance:
1. Antecedent: The antecedent in this situation is the start of a commercial during the TV show that Meg is watching.
2. Behavior: Meg's behaviour is grabbing her TV remote and lowering the sound level as soon as the commercial starts. This behaviour allows her to avoid the unpleasant stimulus of the loud sound level during the commercial.
3. Consequence: The consequence of Meg's behaviour is the immediate reduction in the sound level, which results in her avoiding the discomfort caused by the loud commercial.
By engaging in this avoidance behaviour, Meg is able to control her environment and make it more comfortable for herself.