Which of the following are examples of punishment?

• A. Two days in a row, Mr. Farlow gives Bito a demerit for being tardy for class. Bito reduces his rate of tardiness.
• B. A student is given a sticker for reading three library books.
• C. Two days in a row, Mr. Farlow gives Bito a demerit for being tardy for class. Bito reduces tardiness.
• D. A student is grounded for a week for misbehavior.

Answer: (C)

Punishment is a consequence that follows a behavior and decreases the chance that the behavior will happen again. In this scenario, receiving a demerit after being tardy acts as an aversive consequence tied to the undesired behavior. The result—fewer tardies—shows the punishment working to reduce the behavior. The sticker example illustrates reinforcement, not punishment, because it adds a reward to increase a desired behavior. Grounding is also a punitive consequence, but it doesn’t explicitly show the resulting change in behavior within the scenario, whereas this option clearly links the punishment to a reduction in tardiness. Therefore, this example best demonstrates punishment.