ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the people need to look at the dark side of life—decreasing behavior with the positive punishment contingency. Like the principle of reinforcement, the punishment principle is a fundamental principle of behavior constantly governing the people daily lives. Sometimes it’s escape from an aversive event, or negative reinforcement; other times it is an automatic, positive reinforcement contingency (e.g., sensory stimulation). And sometimes the well-intentioned contingent presentation of attention reinforces and maintains self-injury. People often have a hard time distinguishing between negative reinforcement (reinforcement by the removal of negative reinforcer) and positive punishment (punishment by the presentation of a punisher). The punishment procedure was so successful in suppressing Peter’s aggression that it actually provided little opportunity for physical exercise. Even among behavior analysts, there is a common, and the author think erroneous, notion that punishment isn’t effective.
