This article will provide the behavioral definition of punishment and give examples of positive and negative punishments in different types of contexts. Guidelines for the effective use of punishment, as well as legal and ethical issues that should be considered by the behavior analyst when designing a behavioral intervention plan, are identified. The term punishment as used in operant conditioning refers to any change that occurs after a behavior. occurs, reducing the likelihood that the behavior will recur in the future. Punishment occurs when a response is immediately followed by a stimulus change that decreases the future frequency of similar responses. Behaviorist B.F. Skinner was the first psychologist to identify two different types of aversive stimuli that could be used as punishment (Cooper, 2007). Positive punishment occurs when the presentation of a stimulus or an increase in the intensity of an already present stimulus immediately following a behavior results in a decrease in the frequency of the behavior. Negative punishment involves the termination of an already present stimulus or a decrease in the intensity of an already present stimulus immediately following a behavior that results in a decrease in the future frequency of the behavior (Cooper, 2007). Punishment can be used to produce rapid behavior. , lasting suppression of problematic behaviors. Punishment may be a treatment choice when a problem behavior causes serious harm and needs to be addressed promptly, reinforcement-based treatment has not reduced the target behavior, or reinforcers that maintain the behavior cannot be identified or retained (Cooper, 2007). Once we have chosen punishment as a means of intervention, we must select an effective middle of paper ......operant-conditioning.htmlOwen, DJ, Slep, AS and Heyman, RE (2012) . The effect of praise, positive nonverbal response, reprimand, and negative nonverbal response on children's compliance: a systematic review. Clinical Journal of Child and Family Psychology, 15(4), 364-385.Skinner, B.F. (1974). About behaviorism. New York: Knopf. Swain-Bradway, J.R. (2013). Voices from the Field: Stakeholder Perspectives on Implementing PBIS in Alternative Educational Contexts. Child Education and Treatment (West Virginia University Press), 36(3),31.Ward, BryceGersten, Russell. 2013. “A Randomized Evaluation of the Safe and Civil Schools Model for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports in Elementary Schools in a Large Urban School District.” Journal of School Psychology 42, No. 3: 317-333. Professional Development Collection, EBSCOhost (reviewed February 8, 2014).