Originally Posted by
copterdoc
Reinforcement has nothing to do with pleasure.
Punishment has nothing to do with pain.
If the application of a stimuli, results in an increase of a behavior, it reinforced it.
If the application of a stimuli, results in the decrease of a behavior, it punished it.
Rewards are stimuli.
Aversives are stimuli.
It is a lot easier to reinforce with a reward, than it is to punish with it. But, depending on the association that we have classically conditioned with that reward, it is possible to use it as positive punishment.
It is a lot easier to punish with an aversive, than it is to reinforce with it. But, depending on the association that we have classically conditioned with that aversive, it is possible to use it as positive reinforcement.
What allows us to "flip" that, is first establishing a classically conditioned response to that specific stimuli.