Negative punishment occurs when the removal or prevention of delivery of a stimulus, termed a negative punisher, weakens the behavior that produced this consequence. In contrast to positive punishment that occurs when the presentation of a stimulus, termed a positive punisher, weakens the behavior that caused this consequence to occur.


As an everyday example of negative punishment, envision two friends who are sitting together having a friendly conversation when one makes a highly critical comment about a presidential candidate. The other person likes the candidate and is angered by the comment and abruptly gets up and walks away upon hearing it. If this results in fewer negative comments about the politician in the future, then negative punishment has occurred. In this hypothetical example, and in most cases, the response-weakening effect of punishment involves a decrease in the frequency of responding.

* * *

Sources:
Encyclopedia of Psychotherapy_Michel Hersen, William Sledge