The contingent loss of reinforcers (e.g., a fine), producing a decrease of the frequency of behavior; a form of negative punishment.

• A. Response Cost
• B. Repertoire
• C. Respondent Conditioning
• D. Replication

Answer: (A)

Negative punishment is at work here: it reduces the future frequency of a behavior by removing a reinforcing stimulus after the behavior occurs. When a contingent loss of reinforcers happens, such as imposing a fine or taking away tokens or privileges, the person experiences a decreased likelihood of repeating that behavior because the cost makes the behavior less valuable to them. This specific procedure is called response cost.

To connect the others briefly: repertoire refers to the set of behaviors a person can perform, not a consequence strategy; respondent conditioning involves reflexive, involuntary responses learned through pairing stimuli (not the operant punishment of a behavior); replication means repeating a study, which has nothing to do with altering behavior through consequences.