Which term describes adding an aversive stimulus after a behavior to reduce its occurrence?

• A. Positive punishment
• B. Positive reinforcement
• C. Negative punishment
• D. Extinction

Answer: (A)

Positive punishment is adding an aversive stimulus after a behavior to decrease its occurrence. In operant conditioning, the outcome you want is to reduce how often the behavior happens, and doing something unpleasant immediately after the behavior accomplishes that. For example, scolding after a misstep or a timeout after a rule violation are standard illustrations: the learner is less likely to repeat the behavior because the added consequence is aversive.

This differs from positive reinforcement, which adds something desirable to increase a behavior. Negative punishment removes something desirable to decrease a behavior, and extinction involves withholding reinforcement to reduce a behavior over time rather than adding something aversive.