Which concept involves removing a privilege to reduce a behavior?

• A. Positive Punishment
• B. Negative Punishment
• C. Reinforcement
• D. Extinction

Answer: (B)

Removing a privilege after a behavior occurs reduces the likelihood that the behavior will happen again. This approach is called negative punishment. It works by taking away something desirable—like screen time, a favorite activity, or access to a privilege—as a consequence of the undesired behavior, so the behavior is less likely to be repeated because it leads to a loss the individual values.

Think of it as using the removal of a reward to discourage the action. This contrasts with adding something unpleasant after the behavior (positive punishment), trying to increase a behavior (reinforcement), or letting a behavior fade away by not providing reinforcement in the future (extinction).