Positive punishment can make dogs less likely to interact with unfamiliar people. Which option best reflects this effect?

Positive punishment can make dogs less likely to interact with unfamiliar people. Which option best reflects this effect?

• A. Increased willingness to explore
• B. Increased aggression toward strangers
• C. Decreased willingness to interact with strangers
• D. No effect

Answer: (C)

Positive punishment teaches the dog to avoid the situation that produced the aversive consequence. When an unpleasant outcome is tied to encounters with unfamiliar people, the dog learns to expect that those encounters are aversive and therefore pulls back from approaching or interacting with strangers. This creates a pattern of withdrawal or reduced willingness to engage with unfamiliar people. Other options don’t fit as neatly. Increased exploration would imply seeking out new experiences despite the aversive feedback, which is unlikely after punishment. Increased aggression toward strangers is a possible result in some cases, but the scenario described focuses on a general avoidance/withdrawal behavior rather than a specific aggressive response. No effect would ignore the learned association that the dog has formed.

Positive punishment teaches the dog to avoid the situation that produced the aversive consequence. When an unpleasant outcome is tied to encounters with unfamiliar people, the dog learns to expect that those encounters are aversive and therefore pulls back from approaching or interacting with strangers. This creates a pattern of withdrawal or reduced willingness to engage with unfamiliar people.

Other options don’t fit as neatly. Increased exploration would imply seeking out new experiences despite the aversive feedback, which is unlikely after punishment. Increased aggression toward strangers is a possible result in some cases, but the scenario described focuses on a general avoidance/withdrawal behavior rather than a specific aggressive response. No effect would ignore the learned association that the dog has formed.