What is a negative punishment?

What is a negative punishment?

• A. The strengthening of behavior by providing a desirable reward.
• B. The strengthening of behavior by applying a punishment.
• C. The weakening or discouragement of behavior by withholding pleasant events like praise.
• D. The training method that uses only commands.

Answer: (C)

Negative punishment means decreasing a behavior by taking away something pleasant or desirable after the action occurs. It’s about removing a reward or attention to discourage the behavior, not adding anything unpleasant. In training a working dog, this might be withholding praise, play, or access to a treat or toy when the undesired behavior happens, so the dog learns that the action no longer brings a positive outcome. The key is that the removal is immediate, helping the dog connect the behavior with the loss of the reward.

Negative punishment means decreasing a behavior by taking away something pleasant or desirable after the action occurs. It’s about removing a reward or attention to discourage the behavior, not adding anything unpleasant. In training a working dog, this might be withholding praise, play, or access to a treat or toy when the undesired behavior happens, so the dog learns that the action no longer brings a positive outcome. The key is that the removal is immediate, helping the dog connect the behavior with the loss of the reward.