Punishment by Response-Contingent Withdrawal of an Imprinted Stimulus

Abstract

Newly hatched ducklinigs were exposed to a moving, imprinted stiulullls; if they followed it, the stimnulus was withdrawn briefly. The tendency to follow gradually declined durinig punishment periods, but it returned to prepunishment amounts whlen punishmnent terminated. This finding attests to the efficacy of withdrawal of reinforcement as a techniquie for behavioral control.