AP PSYCHOLOGY

LEARNING

OPERANT CONDITIONING

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
To decrease a behavior, we add a ____
A
Reinforcement
B
Punishment
C
Either A or B
D
None of the above
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -In positive punishment, you add an undesirable stimulus to decrease a behavior. An example of positive punishment is scolding a student to get the student to stop texting in class. In this case, a stimulus (the reprimand) is added in order to decrease the behavior (texting in class).

Detailed explanation-2: -In psychology, punishment is always effective in changing behavior, even when children don’t feel punished. Not only is it possible for children’s behavior to be punished without punishing children, it is possible for their behavior to be punished while at the same time being nice to them.

Detailed explanation-3: -Punishment involves learning about the relationship between behavior and its adverse consequences. Punishment is fundamental to reinforcement learning, decision-making and choice, and is disrupted in psychiatric disorders such as addiction, depression, and psychopathy.

Detailed explanation-4: -Behavior modification is a type of behavior therapy. B. F. Skinner demonstrated that behavior could be shaped through reinforcement and/or punishment. Skinner noted that a reinforcer is a consequence that increases the likelihood of behavior to recur, while punishment is a consequence that decreases the chance.

There is 1 question to complete.