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1.7 Definition of Punishment

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The next term is punishment, which is sort of the opposite of reinforcement. Punishment refers to a process or operation in which a response produces a consequence and the probability of that response occurring again in similar conditions decreases because of the consequence.

TermDefinition
StimulusA physical energy change capable of affecting an organism through one of its receptors: photoreceptors, phonoreceptors, chemoreceptors (gustatory and olfactory), mechanoreceptors (touch), thermoreceptors, and free nerve endings. 
Discriminative StimulusA stimulus in the presence of which a given response has a history of being reinforced.      
ReinforcementA stimulus following a response that increases or strengthens the likelihood of that response occurring in the future, under similar conditions.
PunishmentA stimulus following a response that decreases or weakens the likelihood of that response occurring in the future, under similar conditions.
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