Which term describes rewards that support rule-following behavior in a classroom?

• A. Positive Consequences
• B. Negative Consequences
• C. Neutral Consequences
• D. Unknown Consequences

Answer: (A)

Rewards that reinforce rule-following in the classroom are a form of positive reinforcement. Positive consequences are rewards given after a student follows a rule, which makes that desirable behavior more likely to happen again. In practice, this means praise, a sticker, a token, or extra free-choice time—anything the student values that follows the compliant behavior. The idea is to add something good to strengthen the behavior, so following rules becomes more attractive to students.

Negative consequences, by contrast, involve punishment or losing something when misbehavior occurs, so they’re about reducing unwanted behavior rather than rewarding the desired one. Neutral consequences don’t change behavior because they neither reward nor punish. Unknown consequences isn’t a standard term in this context. So the term that fits rewards that support rule-following is positive consequences.