FTCE Professional Education Practice Exam

What is defined as giving an undesirable consequence to deter undesirable behavior?

1. Negative punishment

2. Extrinsic motivation

3. Positive punishment

4. Constructivism

The correct answer is: Positive punishment

The correct answer is positive punishment, which refers to the practice of adding an undesirable consequence or stimulus in response to a specific behavior in order to decrease the likelihood of that behavior occurring again in the future. This technique is commonly used in behavior management and can involve various forms of discipline, such as providing extra chores to a student who misbehaves in class. The aim is to make that student associate the negative consequence with the undesirable behavior, thereby discouraging it. In behavior modification and theories associated with operant conditioning, positive punishment is distinct from negative punishment, which involves removing a desirable stimulus as a consequence for the behavior. Additionally, unlike extrinsic motivation—which refers to external factors that encourage or discourage behavior without directly imposing a consequence—positive punishment specifically focuses on the addition of an undesirable element to alter behavior. Constructivism, on the other hand, is an educational philosophy that centers on how learners construct knowledge, rather than involving principles of behavior modification.