Punishment contras during free-operant avoidance.

Winett et al. (1972) tested pigeons in a two-part avoidance schedule. One part gave mild electric shock for every peck. The other part gave no shock.

Birds could peck a key to delay bigger shocks. Researchers watched rates in both parts before, during, and after the punishment.

Shock for pecking cut responses in the punished part. At the same time, birds pecked faster in the safe part.

When punishment ended, the pattern flipped. The punished part bounced back above baseline while the safe part slowed.

Kruper (1968) showed that punishment drops responses by the same percent no matter how rich the reward. A et al. add the idea that the lost responses pop up somewhere else.

Ginsburg et al. (1971) saw a similar rebound after long extinction. Their rebound came from missing reward; A et al. show it can also come from added punishment.

Grant (1989) found contrast in visual search with rewards. A et al. prove the same push-pull happens when punishment is the trigger.

If you punish one behavior, watch for a jump in untreated behaviors. The client may chew sleeves more when you suppress face-slapping. Track both topographies and be ready to reinforce safe alternatives across settings.