When a child cries and tantrums because their mother says no to candy in a store, the behavior can be inferred as being driven by the desire for a tangible item, in this case, candy. The child is expressing their frustration because they are being denied a specific item that they want. This response highlights the concept of tangible reinforcement, where a child engages in a behavior—such as crying or throwing a tantrum—in the hopes of obtaining something they desire.
While attention-seeking behaviors may also involve crying and tantrums, this specific situation indicates a response to a denied request for a physical object. Escape behaviors typically involve a child trying to avoid a demand or task, which is not the situation here since the child is not attempting to escape a situation but rather attempting to gain a physical item. Automatic reinforcement refers to behaviors that are self-stimulatory in nature, where the child derives pleasure or relief from the behavior itself without external influence, which also doesn’t apply in this context.
Therefore, the inference about the child’s behavior aligns with the desire for a tangible reward, making the correct response about the motivation stemming from a desire for tangible items.