Reinforcement and Punishment of Behavior by the Same Consequent Event

Abstract

In daily sessions, lever-pressing by each of two squirrel monkeys was maintained under two different conditions. During one condition responding that had been maintained initially under a 5-min. fixed-interval schedule of food presentation was suppressed when every 30th response produced an electric shock. In the presence of a different discriminative stimulus responding that initially postponed electric shock (avoidance) was ultimately maintained when responding instead produced shock under a 5-min. fixed-interval schedule. Thus responding was suppressed by shock presentation during one condition (punishment) and was maintained by the presentation of an identical shock during a second condition (reinforcement). Whether an environmental stimulus exerts reinforcing or punishing effects on behavior can depend on characteristics other than the nature of the event.