In psychology, aversives are unpleasant stimuli that induce changes in behavior via negative reinforcement or positive punishment.Examples include extreme heat or cold, bitter flavors, electric shocks, loud noises and pain.Aversives can be applied naturally (such as touching a hot stove) or in a contrived manner (such as during torture or behavior modification).In early years, the use of aversives was represented as a less restrictive alternative to the methods used in mental institutions such as shock treatment, hydrotherapy, straitjacketing and frontal lobotomies."[8] The Behavior Analyst Certification Board has stated their support the use of aversives on children with consent by a parent or guardian.
A patent drawing of the
GED
, an aversive conditioning device