Final answer:
The suspension of TV viewing privileges as a consequence of fighting is an example of negative punishment in operant conditioning, where a pleasant stimulus is taken away to decrease an undesirable behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the scenario where a child is suspended from watching TV as a consequence of fighting with his brother, the suspension of the TV-viewing privileges is a negative punishment. This is because negative punishment involves taking away a pleasant stimulus to decrease or stop a behavior. In operant conditioning terms, when the child is prevented from engaging in an enjoyable activity, like watching TV, because of the undesirable behavior (fighting), the likelihood of that behavior occurring again is reduced as a result of the negative punishment.
It's important to distinguish negative punishment from positive punishment and negative reinforcement. Positive punishment would involve adding an undesirable stimulus to decrease a behavior, such as by scolding or assigning extra chores. On the other hand, negative reinforcement involves removing an adverse stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior. An example of negative reinforcement might be alleviating a chore when the child demonstrates cooperative behavior. Conversely, in this instance, since a privilege (TV viewing) is removed to reduce the unwanted fighting behavior, it qualifies as a negative punishment.
The principles of operant conditioning, such as negative punishment, play a vital role in behavior modification strategies. Time-out is a classic example of negative punishment commonly used by caregivers to decrease undesired actions in children. This strategy is based on the removal of the opportunity to participate in preferred activities as a means to lessen negative behaviors. It seeks to provide a learning experience that associates specific actions with the loss of privileges.