1) The procedure of providing consequences for a behavior that decrease the frequency of that behavior.

2) A procedure in which a punisher or aversive stimulus is presented immediately following a response, resulting in a reduction in the rate of the response.

3) Punishment describes a procedure in which an operant performance is followed by an aversive stimulus. Punishment, therefore, is usually an interaction between a performance maintained by positive or negative reinforcement and an aversive stimulus.

4) A class of procedures involving the occurrence of a stimulus immediately following responding that results in an decrease in some aspect of the response class over baseline levels.

5) A decrease in operant behavior when it is followed by an aversive stimulus or when reinforcement is withdrawn contingent on responding.

6) An operation in which an aversive or conditioned aversive stimulus is made contingent upon a response.

7) Any event that decreases the probability of the response it follows; the application of aversive stimuli or the removal of stimuli which are reinforcing. If we punish for something that occurs often, that behavior then has two consequences. whatever is reinforcing the behavior and our punishment.