What technique is a team coach using when he benches a player for poor performance?

The scenario describes the coach benching a player as a form of punishment. Punishment in behavioral psychology refers to the application of an aversive consequence or the removal of a pleasant stimulus in response to a behavior, with the goal of decreasing that behavior in the future. By benching the player, the coach is applying a consequence to discourage poor performance, which aligns directly with the definition of punishment.

In contrast, negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase a desired behavior, while extinction is focused on the reduction of behavior by withholding reinforcement. Positive reinforcement, on the other hand, involves providing a reward to encourage desired behavior. Therefore, the action of benching a player for poor performance fits the paradigm of punishment, as it is intended to correct the player's actions by introducing a consequence.