1.7 Definition of Punishment

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The next term is punishment, which is sort of the opposite of reinforcement. Punishment refers to a process or operation in which a response produces a consequence and the probability of that response occurring again in similar conditions decreases because of the consequence.

Term	Definition
Stimulus	A physical energy change capable of affecting an organism through one of its receptors: photoreceptors, phonoreceptors, chemoreceptors (gustatory and olfactory), mechanoreceptors (touch), thermoreceptors, and free nerve endings.
Discriminative Stimulus	A stimulus in the presence of which a given response has a history of being reinforced.
Reinforcement	A stimulus following a response that increases or strengthens the likelihood of that response occurring in the future, under similar conditions.
Punishment	A stimulus following a response that decreases or weakens the likelihood of that response occurring in the future, under similar conditions.

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Yatta Pewa June 4, 2025 at 7:39 pm

A method that decreases a future response

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1.7 Definition of Punishment

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