Sal the salary man goes to his job every day, getting a paycheck every 2 weeks. … What might be the function of the GOING TO WORK behavior?

• A. Attention from others, or socially mediated reinforcement
• B. Escape or avoidance
• C. Automatic Reinforcement a.k.a. 'Sensory'
• D. Tangibles, a.k.a. stuff, like toys or snacks or even money

Answer: (D)

The main idea is that the going-to-work behavior is reinforced by a tangible outcome: money. In this scenario, the payoff for work is a paycheck, which represents a valuable, exchangeable reward. Money functions as a conditioned reinforcer because its value comes from being able to trade it for goods and services. Because the paycheck is the clear, tangible consequence that follows going to work and supports continuing the behavior, this behavior is best explained as being maintained by tangible reinforcement.

If you think about the other options, attention from others could reinforce behavior in some contexts, but the key outcome here is the money earned, not social attention. Escape or avoidance would imply the person is going to work to avoid something, which doesn’t fit the description as the primary payoff. Automatic reinforcement would involve sensory feedback from the behavior itself, which isn’t indicated by earning a paycheck. So the most accurate function is access to money, a tangible reinforcer.