A young child who is spanked after running into the street learns not to repeat this behavior.In this case,the spanking is a
A) positive reinforcer.
B) negative reinforcer.
C) positive punishment.
D) negative punishment.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The spanking is a positive punishment because it involves adding an aversive stimulus (the spanking) to decrease the likelihood of the behavior (running into the street) happening again. Positive reinforcement would involve adding a pleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior, negative reinforcement would involve removing an aversive stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior, and negative punishment would involve removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease the likelihood of a behavior.

A Young Child Who Is Spanked After Running into the Street