Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Verified for the 2026 exam
Verified for the 2026 exam•Written by the Fiveable Content Team • Last updated September 2025
Definition
Positive punishment involves adding an undesirable outcome or consequence after a behavior has occurred to reduce the likelihood of that behavior happening again.
This occurs when a favorable event or outcome is removed after a behavior occurs. For example, taking away your teen's cell phone for missing curfew.
Discriminative Stimulus: A discriminative stimulus is a type of stimulus that is used consistently to gain a specific response and that increases the possibility that the desired response will occur.
A conditioned response is an automatic response established by training to an ordinarily neutral stimulus. Like salivating at the sound of bell because it was previously associated with food.