DRO Contingency Worksheet PSY/420 Version 1

DRO Contingency Worksheet
PSY/420 Version 1

1

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 in 2–3 sentences 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, Avoidance Contingency has been applied.

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.
(1. Punishment by Loss of Reinforcer, 2. Avoidance of Loss)

3. In the weeks that follow being pulled from the track team, Sally listens to her coach’s
direction and works hard to qualify for the next meet. Running her fastest time ever, Sally
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DRO Contingency Worksheet
PSY/420 Version 1

2

is excited when she qualifies to run the relay for the third track meet. Now that she has
earned her spot on the team, she continues to work hard every week to keep her place.
(1.Punishment by Prevention, 2. Differential Reinforcement of other Behavior)

4. Chad is a 45-year-old man going back to school while working full time. A selfproclaimed procrastinator, his job as a computer programmer can handle his laid back
style and ever-changing deadlines. In school, however, he is having difficulty turning his
homework in on time. The teacher has told him that success is impossible if he does not
turn his papers in on time, yet he fails to do so week after week.
In this scenario, the ( 1.Concept of Avoidance, 2.Punishment by Loss of Reinforcer)

5. Chad continues to stay in school and is a B-minus student due to the procrastination
aspect of his work ethic. He has been complaining lately about school and thinking about
withdrawing. His comments about the teacher, the class, the work and his grades are
starting to get annoying so his mom decides to only reinforce his verbal behavior every 5
minutes he talks to her without making a negative comment about school.
In this scenario, after Chad’s constant complains about his teacher, work, school and
grades, Chad’s mother applies (1.Differential Reinforcement of Other Behavior, 2. Punishment by
Prevention of Reinforcer).

Copyright © 2014 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.