Conditioned Punisher refers to a stimulus that decreases the likelihood of a behavior occurring in the future because it has been paired with another punisher in the past. Unlike unconditioned punishers (like pain or loud noises, which are inherently punishing), conditioned punishers acquire their punishing effects through an individual’s learning history and associations with other aversive stimuli.
Example
A teacher repeatedly frowns and says “No!” whenever a student engages in disruptive behavior. Over time, the frown alone may become a conditioned punisher for the student because it has been paired with the verbal reprimandReprimand is a form of verbal correction in which the t... “No!”, which the student finds aversive. As a result, the student may stop the disruptive behavior when they see the teacher frown, even in the absence of the verbal reprimand.