Final answer:
Punishment in operant conditioning results in a decreased likelihood of the behavior being repeated, thereby fitting the description of the consequence that decreases the chance that the previous behavior will happen again.
Step-by-step explanation:
The consequence that has the effect of decreasing the chance that the behavior before it will happen again is known as punishment. In operant conditioning, which is based on the work of B.F. Skinner, punishment always serves to decrease behavior. There are two types of punishment in this context: positive punishment, which involves adding an undesirable stimulus to decrease a behavior, and negative punishment, which involves removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior. This is distinct from negative reinforcement, which, contrary to some misconceptions, increases the likelihood of a behavior by removing an undesirable stimulus. Therefore, the correct answer to the student's question is C. Punishment.