What has occurred when there is a decrease in the likelihood or rate of a target response?
A) punishment
B) positive reinforcement
C) negative reinforcement
D) positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement

Question

What has occurred when there is a decrease in the likelihood or rate of a target response?
A) punishment 
B) positive reinforcement
C) negative reinforcement 
D) positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

When there is a decrease in the likelihood or rate of a target response, it means that some aversive consequence was applied, decreasing the probability of that behavior occurring again in the future. This is the definition of punishment in operant conditioning.

What Has Occurred When There Is a Decrease in the Likelihood