Which of the following describes the effect of punishment?

The concept of punishment in the context of behavioral psychology refers to the process of weakening or decreasing the likelihood of a behavior by introducing a consequence following that behavior. In this context, extinction can be associated with punishment in that it results in a decrease of the behavior due to the removal of reinforcement, but extinction specifically relates to the cessation of reinforcement.

In contrast, reinforcement, whether positive or negative, serves to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated. Positive reinforcement involves adding a stimulus to strengthen a behavior, while negative reinforcement involves removing an unpleasant stimulus to promote the behavior. Therefore, these concepts do not align with the definition of punishment, which aims instead to reduce or eliminate undesired behaviors.

Understanding punishment involves recognizing its role in shaping behavior through consequences that are meant to discourage certain actions, differing fundamentally from the concepts of reinforcement and extinction, which are geared toward behavior maintenance or cessation due to lack of reinforcement, respectively.