Final answer:
Punishment is effective at reducing behaviors quickly but reinforcement is often recommended due to the potential negative side effects of punishment, such as fear and increased aggression.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most accurate description of an impact of punishment is that punishment can be effective at stopping specific behaviors quickly. Punishment, when immediate and appropriate, is a tool used in operant conditioning to decrease undesirable behavior. For example, a child might be given a task such as writing a sentence multiple times to avoid the future occurrence of the behavior that led to the punishment. This is known as positive punishment where an undesirable stimulus is added to decrease a behavior.
However, while punishment can reduce the frequency of a behavior, it also has potential drawbacks. It may teach fear or cause children to become more aggressive, often mirroring the punishment behavior they receive, like hitting others if they themselves are spanked. Positive reinforcement, by contrast, is considered more effective as it encourages desirable behavior by adding a pleasant stimulus. In summary, punishment's primary effect is behavior reduction, but the side effects must be carefully considered. Therefore, in modern psychological practices and parenting strategies, reinforcement is recommended over punishment.