If a response is followed by a reward, that response will be strengthened; if followed by no reward or punishment, it will be weakened. What principle explains this?

• A. Reinforcement
• B. Law of effect
• C. Flooding/exposure
• D. Systematic desensitization

Answer: (B)

This question tests how consequences shape behavior. The principle at work is the Law of Effect, proposed by Thorndike. It states that behaviors followed by satisfying outcomes become more likely to recur, while those followed by unpleasant outcomes or the absence of reinforcement become less likely. So when a response is rewarded, it’s strengthened and more likely to happen again; when there is no reward or punishment, the response tends to weaken or fade away. This captures why a rewarded action sticks and a non-rewarded (or punished) action fades, linking consequences directly to future behavior.

Reinforcement is the process that makes a behavior more likely, but the law describes the broader pattern of how consequences influence behavior frequency in general. The other options refer to anxiety therapies that involve exposure to feared stimuli rather than explaining how consequences shape responses over time.