Savannah State University Behavior Analysis Discussion

As discussed in this week’s activities, punishment is not just those contrived consequences that are set up to decrease behavior but also something that naturally occurs. For example, when walking across a wet slippery floor, one may fall and hurt oneself. The behavior of walking across a wet slippery floor is punished by the added, aversive consequence of falling and hurting oneself.

• Provide three examples of positive punishment in ABC (three-term contingency) format. Explain why they are positive punishment.
• Provide three examples of negative punishment in ABC (three-term contingency) format. Explain why they are negative punishment.
• Discuss whether the behaviors you identified in your examples were necessary for the subject’s overall well-being. In other words, if these behaviors continued to occur, would that put survival or overall well-being at risk?
• Discuss your previous understanding of punishment before you took this course, and explain whether it is the same or different from how punishment is defined in the science of behavior analysis.

Response Guidelines

Read the posts of your peers and respond to two. Your response should be substantive and demonstrate your understanding of the material. What aspects of the post do you like or agree with, and why? Are there areas that are not clear? Did the post spark questions that you would like to ask your peer? In this, and in all of your courseroom posts, be sure to keep your tone scholarly, respectful, and professional.