Arizona State University (ASU) PSY101 Introduction to Psychology Exam 2 Practice

Positive punishment involves the addition of an unpleasant stimulus following a behavior in order to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring in the future. This concept is rooted in operant conditioning, where behaviors are influenced by their consequences.

In this context, "giving something unpleasant" means introducing a negative consequence that a person wants to avoid. For instance, if a child touches a hot stove and feels pain, the pain serves as a positive punishment that discourages the child from touching the stove again.

The other options relate to different forms of behavioral modification. For example, taking away something pleasant refers to negative punishment, which aims to reduce a behavior by removing a desirable stimulus. Adding something pleasant would be positive reinforcement, used to encourage a behavior by providing a rewarding stimulus. Finally, removing an unpleasant stimulus also describes negative reinforcement, which reinforces a behavior by eliminating an adverse condition. Each of these alternative concepts serves a different purpose in understanding how behaviors can be modified.