Which of the following is an example of negative punishment?

Which of the following is an example of negative punishment?

• A. Yelling at a child for misbehavior.
• B. Giving a timeout for bad behavior.
• C. Spanking a child.
• D. Applying a fine for a late payment.

Answer: (B)

Negative punishment involves the removal of a desired stimulus to decrease a behavior. In the case of giving a timeout for bad behavior, the child loses access to enjoyable activities or social interaction, which serves to reduce the likelihood of that bad behavior occurring in the future. This aligns perfectly with the concept of negative punishment, where something positive (like playtime or socializing) is taken away as a consequence for inappropriate actions. In contrast, other options involve different methods of behavior modification. Yelling at a child for misbehavior, for instance, is a form of verbal reprimand but doesn't remove a stimulus that the child desires. Spanking, while it is considered punishment, is an example of positive punishment because it adds an aversive stimulus to discourage behavior. Finally, applying a fine for a late payment can also be viewed as positive punishment since it imposes a financial cost to dissuade the undesirable behavior of being late. Thus, the example of timeout correctly exemplifies negative punishment by removing positive reinforcement.

Negative punishment involves the removal of a desired stimulus to decrease a behavior. In the case of giving a timeout for bad behavior, the child loses access to enjoyable activities or social interaction, which serves to reduce the likelihood of that bad behavior occurring in the future. This aligns perfectly with the concept of negative punishment, where something positive (like playtime or socializing) is taken away as a consequence for inappropriate actions.

In contrast, other options involve different methods of behavior modification. Yelling at a child for misbehavior, for instance, is a form of verbal reprimand but doesn't remove a stimulus that the child desires. Spanking, while it is considered punishment, is an example of positive punishment because it adds an aversive stimulus to discourage behavior. Finally, applying a fine for a late payment can also be viewed as positive punishment since it imposes a financial cost to dissuade the undesirable behavior of being late. Thus, the example of timeout correctly exemplifies negative punishment by removing positive reinforcement.