NAME:
ANSWER KEY
HOUR:
POWERFUL CONSEQUENCES
Knowing the Difference between Positive & Negative Reinforcement & Punishment
In Operant Conditioning, an animal does a voluntary behavior which then results in a good or
bad consequence. Those consequences fall into two basic categories: Reinforcement &
Punishment
The Effects of Reinforcement and Punishment
Reinforcement
Punishment
(Increases or strengthens a behavior)
(Decreases or suppresses a behavior)
Positive reinforcement (Adding a Something Positive Punishment/Punishment by
Good)
Application (Adding Something Bad)
Presenting food, money, praise, attention, or Delivering a pain-producing or otherwise
other rewards
aversive stimulus, such as a spanking or an
electric shock.
Negative Reinforcement (Subtracting
Negative Punishment/Punishment by
Something Bad)
Removal (Subtracting Something Good)
Removing some pain-producing or otherwise Removing some pleasant stimulus or taking
aversive stimulus, such as an electric shock
away privileges such as TV watching or use of
By Escape – Something that is currently bad
automobile. Ex. Grounding or Time Outs.
is taken away
By Avoidance – Something that could be bad
in the future is avoided
Directions: The following scenarios describe a behavior and its consequence. Your task is to
apply the principles of operant conditioning to each of these examples. For each underlined
behavior do the following:
 Write whether the consequence was good (G) or Bad (B).
 Write if the underlined behavior will be more likely (↑) or less likely (↓)
 Write what kind of Reinforcement or Punishment was used (+) or (-)
o If Negative Reinforcement is the answer, also say whether it was by escape or
avoidance
o Extinction – When a behavior results in no meaningful consequence (0) then the
behavior will decrease (↓) in the future.
1. A student volunteers to answer a tough question
in class, and the teacher comments favorably on the
quality of the student’s contribution.
2. A wife brings home flowers to her husband
because of the special dinner he had cooked for her.
3. A child is sent to his room with no supper after
presenting a bad report card.
4. Dad and tot enter the check-out lane of the
supermarket. When the child screams for candy, dad
pops a sucker in her mouth to quiet her down.
5. A child spills milk all over the supper table, and
Mom (having had a very bad day) swoops the child up
from the high chair and spanks him.
6. A student has a terrible muscle soreness after an
intense workouts has found Advil will relieve his pain.
The next time he goes to work out he takes two Advil
before working out to prevent pain later.
7. Two children, who usually spend most of their time
fighting, finally play peaceably over a coloring book.
Dad peeks in and sighs, “At last, they are getting
along.” He returns to work without saying anything to
them.
8. As a spoiled child is being driven by a fast-food
restaurant, she begins screaming that she must have
french fries or she won’t survive. The parents
surrender and drive in for a large supply.
9. A teenager whines about having nothing to do. Dad
gives him an hour long lecture about all the stuff in
his room and the good old days when he, the father,
didn’t have all that stuff but still managed to be
happy.
10. A terrorist applies an electric current to the feet of
a spy to make her confess. She tells him everything
she knows.
G or B
or 0
↑ or ↓
G
↑
Reinforcement,
Punishment or
Extinction?
+ Reinforcement
G
↑
+ Reinforcement
B
↓
- Punishment
G
↑
+ Reinforcement
B
↓
+ Punishment
G
↑
- Reinforcement
Avoidance
0
↓
Extinction
G
↑
- Reinforcement
Escape
B
↓
+ Punishment
G
↑
- Reinforcement
Escape