Question

154. Punishment can best be defined as:

(A) Th e reinforcement of a behavior every time it occurs
(B) Taking away something unpleasant when the subject performs the
correct behavior
(C) An attempt to weaken a response by following it with something
unpleasant
(D) Adding something unwanted when the subject is not doing the
correct behavior and then stopping it when he or she displays the
correct behavior
(E) Anything that comes to represent a primary reinforcer

Answer 1

Punishment in operant conditioning is used to decrease a behavior by either adding an unpleasant stimulus (positive punishment) or removing a pleasant one (negative punishment). The correct definition is an attempt to weaken a response with something unpleasant.

Step-by-step explanation:

In operant conditioning, punishment refers to the implementation of a consequence in order to decrease a behavior. This can take two forms: positive punishment and negative punishment. Positive punishment involves adding an unpleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior (e.g., scolding a student for texting in class). On the other hand, negative punishment involves removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease a behavior (e.g., taking away a child's favorite toy for misbehavior).

In the context of your question, the correct definition of punishment would be option (C): An attempt to weaken a response by following it with something unpleasant. This is because punishment, whether positive or negative, always aims to reduce the likelihood of a behavior's occurrence. Punishment is different from reinforcement, as all forms of reinforcement seek to increase a behavior rather than decrease it.