Hi guys I'm still confused why a speeding fine can't be positive punishment? You are giving them something undesirable to reduce the likelihood of them speeding again. I get why it could also be response cost, but to me positive punishment sounds more reasonable?
And also, can't you have these two aspects to any situation then? like take for example giving someone a detention. the obvious answer to me is positive punishment, but by the logic above you could argue it is response cost because you are taking away their free time from them?
I'm not sure if I'm being really stupid but I legit don't get this
Okay when someone does something bad, they usually have to pay for it.
When someone speeds, they are doing with something bad, I get how you are confused with positive punishment. Because you think that the speeding fine is the addition to the environment that will weaken the behavior. Makes sense, but let me explain it to you this way.
this is how you can differentiate between positive and negative punishment. [using the speeding example]
Individual speeds and they get fined. NOW something undesirable is being removed from them {$$$}. So they will not do it again because they don't want their money taken from them. [anything that involve negative punishment involves something pleasant being taken away from the individual]
IF the speeding example was positive punishment, then it will NOT involve the removal of something pleasant [money] from the individual. If the individual speeds and hypothetically, the police officer YELLS at them [addition of an undesirable stimulus] That is an example of positive punishment. because they ARE NOT taking anything away from the individual.
Basically, if you ADD something to the environment [speeding fine] and it requires the individual to GIVE you something, then it negative punishment
If you ADD something to the environment [speeding fine] and it DOES not require the individual to give you something {money] then it is POSITIVE punishment.
Do you understand that?

I know it was a very horrible explanation, but let me know and I will happily explain it to you again.
Now look at the detention example?
DOES it involves you taking something valuable from the individual [their lunch time]- if so, then it is response cost.
if it does not involve you taking something valuable [lunchtime] then it is positive punishment. [if the scenario said that the teacher ells at the student in class, and this is the only thing he did, then it will certainly be POSITIVE PUNISHMENT because the teacher id ADDING something UNDESIRABLE [yell] in the environment so that the students bad behavior is weakened.]
Please let me know if you STILL don't get it okay? You're not weird and these concepts aren't logical [it took me such a long time to get the hang of these], they just take time to get your head around!