Suppose you are the mayor of a suburban town and you want to institute some new policies to decrease the number of drivers who speed on residential streets. How might you use punishment to decrease the behaviour you dislike (speeding)? How might you use reinforcement to increase the behaviour you desire (safe driving)? Based on the principles of operant conditioning you read about in this section, which approach do you think might be most fruitful?

PHILLIPPE RENAULT/HEMIS/ALAMY