An unpleasant consequence that stops or decreases the frequency of a behavior is

Consequences of behavior in operant conditioning that result in strengthening (reinforcement) or weakening (punishment) the frequency of that behavior.

Introduction

During the operant conditioning process, the consequences of behavior affect the probability of future demonstrations of that behavior. Thorndike (1898, 1911) and Skinner (1938) have shown that reinforcement (also known as reward) strengthens a behavior, i.e., increases its frequency, whereas punishment weakens a behavior, i.e., decreases its frequency. Reinforcement can also be distinguished as primary/secondary and intrinsic/extrinsic.

Positive and Negative Reinforcement

Reinforcement is an environmental stimulus whose presentation results in the strengthening (increase of the frequency) of an exhibited behavior. An organism, after a number of contiguous presentations of behavior-reward, associates a specific...

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Ioulia Papageorgi

Authors

  1. Ioulia Papageorgi

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Correspondence to Ioulia Papageorgi .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Dr. Todd K. Shackelford

  2. Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford

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  1. University of Nicosia, Nicosia, Cyprus

    Menelaos Apostolou

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Papageorgi, I. (2018). Positive and Negative Reinforcement and Punishment. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1048-1

What is known as an unpleasant consequence that decreases frequency?

punisher. in operant conditioning, an unpleasant consequence that decreases the frequency of the behavior it follows. operant conditioning. type of learning in which a behavior is influenced by the favorable or unfavorable consequences that follow it. reinforcer.

What leads to a decrease in the frequency of a behavior?

Negative reinforcement always decreases the frequency of behavior, whereas punishment often increases it. d. Negative reinforcement is essentially the same as punishment but without the negative connotations that punishment has.

When a behavior increases after removal of an unpleasant consequence this is known as?

This is known as negative reinforcement because it is the removal of an adverse stimulus which is 'rewarding' to the animal or person. Negative reinforcement strengthens behavior because it stops or removes an unpleasant experience. For example, if you do not complete your homework, you give your teacher £5.

When the frequency of a behavior is decreased by learning this is called?

Operant Conditioning. Thorndike and Skinner. Type of learning in which CONSEQUENCES increase or decrease the frequency of a behavior: (Law of effect, operant, reinforcer, punisher)