Define negative punishment.

Negative punishment refers to the removal of a rewarding stimulus after an undesired behavior occurs, which serves to decrease the likelihood of that behavior being repeated in the future. This is rooted in the principle that when a pleasant or valued object or privilege is taken away as a consequence of a specific behavior, the individual is less likely to engage in that behavior in the future.

For example, if a child misbehaves and their favorite toy is taken away, the loss of the toy is meant to serve as a deterrent to that misbehavior. It effectively discourages the child from repeating the behavior, reinforcing the idea that certain actions have consequences.

This concept is different from positive punishment, where an aversive stimulus is added to reduce a behavior, or reinforcement strategies that aim to encourage positive behavior instead. Negative punishment focuses specifically on removing something desirable as a consequence of undesirable behavior.