Punishment in operant conditioning is intended to decrease behaviors and can be effective but may also have negative side effects such as fear or aggression.
The impact of punishment in behavior modification, according to operant conditioning principles, is to decrease the likelihood of a behavior occurring in the future. In contrast to negative reinforcement, which increases a behavior by removing an adverse stimulus, punishment, whether positive or negative, aims to reduce a behavior. Positive punishment involves adding an undesirable stimulus to decrease a behavior, such as scolding, while negative punishment involves removing a pleasant stimulus, like taking away a toy. The most accurate answer to the question about punishment's impact is that punishment can be effective at stopping specific behaviors quickly, but it may also have potential negative side effects such as teaching fear or increasing aggression.