What is an example of positive punishment?

Positive punishment involves the addition of an unpleasant stimulus following a behavior to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring in the future. In this case, scolding a child for arriving late is considered positive punishment because it introduces an aversive consequence (the scolding) to discourage the behavior of being late. The goal is to reduce the frequency of the undesired behavior by adding something unpleasant.

Other options pertain to different concepts. For example, taking away privileges for misbehavior and removing a toy for fighting are examples of negative punishment, where something desirable is removed in response to an unwanted behavior. Offering a reward for improved grades represents positive reinforcement, where a desirable stimulus is added to increase the likelihood of a behavior. Each of these options operates under different principles of operant conditioning, illustrating the distinctions between reinforcement and punishment, as well as positive and negative implications.