Which term describes unpleasant events that follow a behavior and reduce the likelihood that the behavior will occur again?

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Multiple Choice

Which term describes unpleasant events that follow a behavior and reduce the likelihood that the behavior will occur again?

Unpleasant events after a behavior reduce the chance that the behavior will occur again. This is known as punishment in operant conditioning. When a consequence is aversive and follows an action, the learner learns to avoid that action in the future. Punishment can take two forms: positive punishment adds something unpleasant, while negative punishment removes something desirable. This differs from reinforcement, which would make the behavior more likely, and from extinction, where the behavior decreases because reinforcement stops, or desensitization, which is a gradual exposure process rather than a consequence following a behavior.

Unpleasant events after a behavior reduce the chance that the behavior will occur again. This is known as punishment in operant conditioning. When a consequence is aversive and follows an action, the learner learns to avoid that action in the future. Punishment can take two forms: positive punishment adds something unpleasant, while negative punishment removes something desirable. This differs from reinforcement, which would make the behavior more likely, and from extinction, where the behavior decreases because reinforcement stops, or desensitization, which is a gradual exposure process rather than a consequence following a behavior.

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