Question

Consider the statement: "Lorelei is receiving positive punishment when she is not allowed to play during recess." What change, if any, should be made?

Answer 1

Answer:

"Positive punishment" should be changed to "negative punishment"

Explanation:

Positive and negative punishment are terms from Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).

Basically, ABA says that punishment is an action, a consequence of a behavior, whose purpose is to decrease the frequency of that behaviour occurring in the future.

Positive punishment presents an aversive stimulus after an undesired behavior. This aversive consequence should make that behaviour less frequent in the future. For example, if a child plays with a knife (undesired behavior) it will cut itself (aversive consequence) and will avoid this behavior in the future.

On the other hand, negative punishment presents a removal of positive stimulus after an undesired behavior. In this case Lorelei is not allowed to play during recess (positive stimulus renoved) in order to prevent undesired behavior that led to that from repeating in the future.