What term refers to a situation in which a child learns a behavior has negative consequences by watching it being punished?

The concept being described is best characterized by vicarious punishment, which occurs when an individual observes another person being punished for a particular behavior and subsequently learns that this behavior leads to negative consequences. In this scenario, a child witnesses the punishment and internalizes the understanding that engaging in that behavior could also result in punishment for themselves, leading them to refrain from that behavior in the future.

This form of learning emphasizes the role of observation in behavior modification, highlighting that individuals can learn not only through direct experience but also by watching the experiences of others. This stands in contrast to terms like vicarious learning, which is a broader term that encompasses any learning that occurs through observation, and operant conditioning, which focuses specifically on learning through direct reinforcement or punishment of one's own behaviors rather than indirect observation.