Theories Behavioral Psychology How Negative Punishment Works By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book." Learn about our editorial process Updated on October 30, 2023 Fact checked Verywell Mind content is rigorously reviewed by a team of qualified and experienced fact checkers. Fact checkers review articles for factual accuracy, relevance, and timeliness. We rely on the most current and reputable sources, which are cited in the text and listed at the bottom of each article. Content is fact checked after it has been edited and before publication. Learn more. by Shereen Lehman, MS Fact checked by Shereen Lehman, MS Shereen Lehman, MS, is a healthcare journalist and fact checker. She has co-authored two books for the popular Dummies Series (as Shereen Jegtvig). Learn about our editorial process Print Jekaterina Nikitina/Getty Images Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Negative Punishment Examples Negative vs. Positive Punishment Effects Potential Pitfalls Trending Videos Close this video player Negative punishment is one form of punishment that can be used to modify behavior. It involves removing a reinforcer to decrease the likelihood of a behavior. An example of this would be taking away a child's favorite toy after they throw a tantrum. Negative punishment is an important concept in B. F. Skinner's theory of operant conditioning. In behavioral psychology, the goal of punishment is to decrease unwanted behavior. In the case of negative punishment, it involves taking something good or desirable away to reduce the occurrence of a particular behavior. At a Glance One of the easiest ways to remember the concept of negative punishment is to note that in behavioral terms, positive means adding something, while negative means taking something away. For this reason, negative punishment is often referred to as "punishment by removal."It can be effective but should be used with caution to avoid potential unwanted effects, including feelings of anger, anxiety, and helplessness Negative Punishment Examples Can you identify examples of negative punishment? Losing access to a toy, being grounded, and losing reward tokens are all examples of negative punishment. In each case, something good is being taken away as a result of the individual's undesirable behavior. There are a few different types of negative punishment. These include: Response Cost: This involves taking away a reinforcer or privilege that the person already earned. After two children get into a fight over who gets to play with a new toy, the mother simply takes the toy away from both childrenA teenage girl stays out for an hour past her curfew, so her parents ground her for a weekA third-grade boy yells at another student during class, so his teacher takes away his "good behavior" tokens that can be redeemed for prizes Time Out: This involves removing a favorite reinforcer for a period of time following an undesirable behavior. A child gets in trouble for acting out in class and has to stay inside for recessA pre-schooler is not allowed to play with their favorite blocks for the rest of the day after they hit another student Ignoring: This involves withholding attention after an undesirable behavior. A teacher does not call on a student after they repeatedly interruptA parent does not respond to a child's whining to get something that they want Negative Punishment vs. Positive Punishment Negative punishment should also be distinguished from positive punishment. Positive punishment is when something undesirable is added after an unwanted behavior has occurred. For instance, when a child throws a temper tantrum, they are given extra chores. Negative Punishment Takes away a desired stimulus Serves to decrease a behavior Positive Punishment Adds an aversive stimulus Serves to decrease a behavior Both types of punishment have the same end goal: to decrease a behavior. The difference lies in whether something is added or removed. It can be helpful to remember what negative and positive mean in this context: negative means to take away, and positive means to add. The Effects of Negative Punishment While negative punishment can be highly effective, Skinner and other researchers have suggested that a number of different factors can influence its success. Negative punishment is most effective when:It immediately follows a responseIt is applied consistentlyIts use is contingent on the behavior Immediacy Negative punishment is more effective when it occurs immediately after the behavior. If a child throws a tantrum and the parent takes away a privilege later than day, the punishment will be less likely to have the desired effect. Consistency If negative punishment only happens occasionally, it's likely to be effective. For example, if a child realizes that most of the time, they won't lose a favorite item after a behavior, they will probably keep engaging in the behavior. Driving over the speed limit is another common example. Because you don't get a ticket every time you speed, you're more likely to do it (especially if you think you won't get caught.) Contingency The use of negative punishment must be contingent on the behavior. If the desired stimulus is removed regardless of whether a person engages in the behavior, the punishment will not be effective. Potential Challenges With Negative Punishment Consider this example: a teenage girl has a driver's license, but it does not allow her to drive at night. However, she drives at night several times a week without facing consequences. One evening while driving a friend home, she is pulled over and issued a ticket. As a result, she received a notice in the mail a week later informing her that her driving privileges had been revoked for 30 days. Once she regains her license, she goes back to driving at night even though she has six more months before legally driving during the evening and nighttime hours. As you might have guessed, losing her license is a negative punishment in this example. So why would she continue to engage in the behavior even though it led to punishment? Because the punishment was inconsistently applied (she drove at night many times without facing punishment) and because the punishment was not applied immediately (her driving privileges were not revoked until a week after she was caught), the negative punishment was ineffective at curtailing her behavior. Negative Punishment Doesn't Inform Behavior Another major problem with negative punishment is that while it might reduce unwanted behavior, it does not provide any information or instruction on more appropriate reactions. B.F. Skinner also noted that once the punishment is withdrawn, the behavior is very likely to return. Use Negative Punishment With Caution Negative punishment can have its uses, but many experts believe it should be used infrequently and with caution. When used too often, negative punishment can have unwanted effects. While much of the research focuses on the effects of positive punishment, researchers have found that punishment can be demoralizing and may contribute to feelings of anger, anxiety, and increased aggression. It might also contribute to learned helplessness. If a person feels that nothing they can do will change a situation, they may simply stop trying to change. Because negative punishment doesn't actually help people understand what they should be doing instead, it can often be an ineffective learning tool. Rather than use negative punishment on its own, it can be more effective to pair it with positive reinforcement. This allows the individual to be rewarded for making desired changes in behavior. 6 Sources Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Rea C, Hockenbury DH. Study Guide to Accompany Discovering Psychology, Sixth Edition. New York, NY: Worth Publishers; 2013. Holden GW, Gower T, Wee SE, Gaspar R, Ashraf R. Is it time for "time-in"?: A pilot test of the child-rearing technique. Pediatr Rep. 2022;14(2):244-253. doi:10.3390/pediatric14020032 Kavan MG, Saxena SK, Rafiq N. General parenting strategies: Practical suggestions for common child behavior issues. Am Fam Physician. 2018;97(10):642-648. Slocum SK, Vollmer TR, Donaldson JM. Effects of delayed time-out on problem behavior of preschool children. J Appl Behav Anal. 2019;52(4):994-1004. doi:10.1002/jaba.640 Durrant J, Ensom R. Physical punishment of children: lessons from 20 years of research. CMAJ. 2012;184(12):1373-1377. doi:10.1503/cmaj.101314 Maier SF, Seligman ME. Learned helplessness at fifty: Insights from neuroscience. Psychol Rev. 2016;123(4):349-367. doi:10.1037/rev0000033 By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book." See Our Editorial Process Meet Our Review Board Share Feedback Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! What is your feedback? Helpful Report an Error Other Submit