An example of positive punishment is a teacher scolding a student for texting during class. The reprimand serves as an added, undesirable stimulus intended to decrease the behavior of texting.

Example of Positive Punishment: Scolding a Student

An instance of positive punishment is requiring a child to write a sentence repeatedly, such as 'I will not run into the street,' as a consequence for unsafe behavior. This strategy adds an undesirable task (writing lines) to discourage the child from repeating the action in the future.

Example of Positive Punishment: Writing Lines

A dog has a habit of jumping on guests. To stop this, the owner starts using a spray bottle to squirt the dog with water every time it jumps on someone. After a few times, the dog stops jumping on guests. Which statement best analyzes this behavioral modification technique?

In positive punishment, an undesirable or aversive stimulus is introduced following a behavior to reduce the likelihood of that behavior recurring. The key aspect is the addition of a negative consequence to discourage the action.

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Ohio State University, Columbus

- People act in response to the feedback from their environment, rewards and punishment dictate ther response.
- 4 types of Rewards and Punishments
   - Positive Rewards
   - Negative Rewards
   - Positive Punishment
   - Negative Punsihment

Behavior Theory (Stimulus-Response Theory)

In the framework of operant conditioning, several common words carry specific, technical meanings that differ from their everyday usage. The terms 'positive' and 'negative' do not denote 'good' or 'bad'; instead, 'positive' signifies the addition of a stimulus, while 'negative' refers to the removal of a stimulus. Likewise, 'reinforcement' is any consequence that functions to increase a behavior, whereas 'punishment' is any consequence that serves to decrease a behavior.

Specialized Terminology in Operant Conditioning

Spielman, R. M., Jenkins, W. J., & Lovett, M. D. (2020, April 22). Psychology (2nd ed.). OpenStax. https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/1-introduction

OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook

- Increase a behavior by adding something desirable
- Ex. Giving a kid a piece of candy if they clean their room

Positive Rewards

- Take away something undesirable to increase a behavior
- Ex. If Gregg takes out the trash he won't have to vacuum, his least favorite chore,  this week

Negative Rewards

Positive Punishment

Negative punishment involves the removal of a desirable or pleasant stimulus following a behavior to reduce the likelihood of that behavior happening again. The core principle is taking away something positive to discourage the action.

Negative Punishment

In the context of operant conditioning, reinforcement and punishment serve opposite functions in modifying behavior. The primary goal of reinforcement is to increase the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated, either by adding a desirable stimulus (positive reinforcement) or removing an undesirable one (negative reinforcement). Conversely, the goal of punishment is to decrease the likelihood of a behavior, either by adding an aversive stimulus (positive punishment) or removing a desirable one (negative punishment).

Reinforcement vs. Punishment

Positive reinforcement refers to when a favorable stimulus is added to increase the chance of a desired behavior occurring. 

Positive Reinforcement

In operant conditioning, negative reinforcement is a method used to increase the likelihood of a behavior by removing an undesirable or aversive stimulus after the desired behavior is performed. The removal of the negative stimulus serves as a reward, strengthening the behavior that led to its removal.

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