Which statement defines positive punishment?

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Multiple Choice

Which statement defines positive punishment?

Positive punishment means adding something unfavorable after a behavior to reduce how often that behavior occurs in the future. The description here matches that idea: a stimulus is presented after the behavior with the aim of decreasing its future frequency. The important piece is that something is added (not removed) and the goal is a decrease in the behavior, which is exactly what positive punishment describes. This differs from positive reinforcement (adding a pleasant stimulus to increase a behavior) and from negative reinforcement (removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior). The other option about reporting data isn’t about changing behavior through a consequence, so it isn’t relevant to the concept.

Positive punishment means adding something unfavorable after a behavior to reduce how often that behavior occurs in the future. The description here matches that idea: a stimulus is presented after the behavior with the aim of decreasing its future frequency. The important piece is that something is added (not removed) and the goal is a decrease in the behavior, which is exactly what positive punishment describes. This differs from positive reinforcement (adding a pleasant stimulus to increase a behavior) and from negative reinforcement (removing an aversive stimulus to increase a behavior). The other option about reporting data isn’t about changing behavior through a consequence, so it isn’t relevant to the concept.

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