SCENARIO: A 9-year-old boy is taking piano lessons. Each day, his mother urges him to practice, but each day he delays the start of practice, thus shortening the total practice time.
QUESTION: In spite of arguments with his mother about the length of time he must practice the piano, the boy becomes steadily more proficient on the instrument, each day learning a few more pages of the score assigned to him by his piano teacher. The boy's behavior is an example of:
a) Procrastination
b) Positive reinforcement
c) Negative reinforcement
d) Cognitive dissonance