Final answer:
The punishment refers to the small electrical shock, which is meant to decrease the likelihood of the rats walking to a specific corner of their cage, illustrating operant conditioning.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct option is B:
The punishment in the example given is b) The small electrical shock. Punishment, in learning psychology, refers to a consequence that reduces the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. In the context of operant conditioning, a negative outcome follows the undesired behavior, discouraging the organism from performing that behavior in the future. In this case, the laboratory rats receive a small shock when they walk to a certain corner, which teaches them to avoid that area. Over time, this conditioning leads to a change in behavior.
An example contrasting operant conditioning is cognitive learning as demonstrated in E.C. Tolman's experiments, where rats developed a cognitive map of a maze without immediate rewards. This shows how cognitive processes are involved in learning beyond simple stimulus-response relationships. In the case of the student's question, the operant conditioning at play is a more direct form of learning that relies on the association between the behavior and its immediate consequences - the electrical shock acting as a form of behavior modification.