POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE PUNISHMENT
Capella University
PSY 7708
The three-term contingency ABC (Antecedent- Behavior-Consequence) in behavioral
psychology is used to understand the relationship between environmental events and behavior
(Fulton, 2020). The outcomes of behavior increase the chances of it being repeated in the future.
, Positive and negative punishments are two types of consequences which entail removing or
adding a stimulant to decrease the likelihood of a behavior repeating itself. Positive punishment
entails the addition of an aversive stimulant, while negative punishment involves the removal of
a desirable stimulus. Understanding the ABC positive and negative punishment helps us know
how behaviors are shaped by environmental events and provides insights into effective behavior
modification strategies.
Negative punishment removes a desired reward or stimulus to prevent and decrease the
likelihood of a behavior being repeated (Fulton, 2020). An example of a negative punishment is
when a child misbehaves, and the parent forbids him to watch TV. The child may refrain from
such misbehaviors in the future since they know they will lose the privilege of watching TV. On
the other hand, positive punishment is the addition of an unpleasant stimulus which also
decreases the likelihood of a behavior repeating itself. For instance, if a child misbehaves and is
given a timeout or physical punishment is a perfect example of positive punishment. The child's
behavior might not be repeated in the future because they associate it with aversive punishment.
A critical difference between negative and positive punishment is the stimulus used to rectify the
behavior. Negative punishment removes a desirable stimulus, while positive punishment includes
the addition of an unpleasant or aversive stimulus. This fundamental difference has significant
implications on how effective each type of punishment is and the emotional and psychological
effects that punishment has on the individual under punishment.
A real-world example of a positive punishment is the issuing of speeding tickets to
reduce the incidences of speeding. Many people engage in speeding, which is a behavior that is
dangerous and can cause fatal accidents. To reduce the incidences of speeding, traffic police
officers can pull someone over and issue them with a speeding ticket. The ticket serves as a fine
03:35:25 GMT -05:00
Capella University
PSY 7708
The three-term contingency ABC (Antecedent- Behavior-Consequence) in behavioral
psychology is used to understand the relationship between environmental events and behavior
(Fulton, 2020). The outcomes of behavior increase the chances of it being repeated in the future.
, Positive and negative punishments are two types of consequences which entail removing or
adding a stimulant to decrease the likelihood of a behavior repeating itself. Positive punishment
entails the addition of an aversive stimulant, while negative punishment involves the removal of
a desirable stimulus. Understanding the ABC positive and negative punishment helps us know
how behaviors are shaped by environmental events and provides insights into effective behavior
modification strategies.
Negative punishment removes a desired reward or stimulus to prevent and decrease the
likelihood of a behavior being repeated (Fulton, 2020). An example of a negative punishment is
when a child misbehaves, and the parent forbids him to watch TV. The child may refrain from
such misbehaviors in the future since they know they will lose the privilege of watching TV. On
the other hand, positive punishment is the addition of an unpleasant stimulus which also
decreases the likelihood of a behavior repeating itself. For instance, if a child misbehaves and is
given a timeout or physical punishment is a perfect example of positive punishment. The child's
behavior might not be repeated in the future because they associate it with aversive punishment.
A critical difference between negative and positive punishment is the stimulus used to rectify the
behavior. Negative punishment removes a desirable stimulus, while positive punishment includes
the addition of an unpleasant or aversive stimulus. This fundamental difference has significant
implications on how effective each type of punishment is and the emotional and psychological
effects that punishment has on the individual under punishment.
A real-world example of a positive punishment is the issuing of speeding tickets to
reduce the incidences of speeding. Many people engage in speeding, which is a behavior that is
dangerous and can cause fatal accidents. To reduce the incidences of speeding, traffic police
officers can pull someone over and issue them with a speeding ticket. The ticket serves as a fine
03:35:25 GMT -05:00
