Psych Chapter 6: Book

What do positive and negative reinforcement, extinction and punishment do to behavior?

Postitive and negative reinforcement= strengthen operant behavior

Extinction and punishment= weaken operant behavior

Punishment

Any consequence that follows a behavior and reduces the likelihood of that behavior happening again

What are the 3 parts to the definition of punishment?

Punishment is defined as:

1. A particular behavior occurs

2. A consequence immediately follows the behavior

3. As a result, the behavior is less likely to occur again in the future (the behavior is weakened)

Punisher (aversive stimulus)

A consequence that makes a particular behavior less likely to occur in the future

• Ex. Dog bite, burning of hand

• Punishers need to result in a decrease in the behavior

Can you define punishment by whether the consequence is unfavorable?

You cannot define punishment by whether the consequence appears unfavorable, unpleasant, or aversive

• You can only conclude that a consequence is punishing if the behavior decreases in the future

What are the correct terms and ways to speak about punishment?

The terms are:

• Correct to say you punish a behavior or a response

• Incorrect to say that you punished a person, you don’t weaken a person, you weaken a person’s behavior

What are the two types of punishment and what is the difference?

The two types of punishment are:

• Positive punishment

• Negative punishment

Difference between punishmen is determined by the consequence of the behavior

Positive Punishment

Behavioral technique that decreases the likelihood of a specific behavior by adding an aversive stimulus right after that behavior occurs

Negative Punishment

Behavioral psychology concept that decreases an unwanted action by taking away a desirable stimulus

How is positive punishment defined?

Positive punishment is:

1. The occurence of a behavior

2. is followed by an aversive stimulus

3. As a result, the behavior is less likely to occur in the future

Negative Punishment

Negative punishment is:

1. The occurence of a behavior

2. Is followed by the removal of a reinforcing stimulus

3. As a result, the behavior is less likely to occur in the future

How does punishment affect the target behavior?

Punishment results in an immediate decrease in the target behavior

• Extinction results in a decrease in the target behavior, but often takes longer for the behavior to decrease

• With punishment, the decrease in the behavior is immediate and there is no extinction burst

What are the two common examples of negative punishment?

The two common examples of negative punishment are:

• Time out from positive reinforcement

• Response cost

Both involve the loss of a reinforcing stimulus or acticity after a problem behavior occurs

How do extinction and negative punishment differ and are similar?

Negative punishment and extinction both weaken behavior

• Extinction: involves withholding the reinforcer that was maintaining the behavior

• Negative punishment: involves removing a positive reinforcer after the behavior

Time- out from positive reinforcement

The person is temporarily removed from a reinforcing situation for a brief period after the problem behavior occurs

Response Cost (Negative punishment)

A type of negative punishment where you take away a valued item, token, or privilege immediately after an unwanted behavior occurs to make that behavior happen less often

Unconditioned punishers

A natural, aversive stimulus that decreases the future frequency of a behavior without any prior learning or conditioning history

• Ex. Heat/cold, or anything painful naturally weakens the behavior that produces it

Conditioned punisher

A neutral stimulus that becomes aversive and decreases a behavior after being paired with an unconditioned or other conditioned punisher

• Ex. the word “no”

Generalized conditioned punisher

A learned stimulus that decreases a behavior because it has been paired with many other punishers over time

What are the factors that influence the effectiveness of punishment?

The factors that infleunce the effectiveness of punishment are similar to the factors that influence reinforcement

• Ex. Immediacy, contingency, motivating operations, individual differences, and magnitude

What happens when a punishing stimulus immediately follows a behavior?

When a punishing stimulus follows a behavior, the behavior is more likely to be weakened

• For punishment to be the most effective, consequence has to follow the behavior immediately

For punishment to be the most effective, what is should be true about the occurence of the punishing stimulus?

For punishment to be the most effective, the punishing stimulus should occur every time the behavior occurs

• Punishing consequence is continigent on the behavior when the punisher follows the behavior each time the behavior occurs and punishment doesn’t occur when the behavior doesn’t occur

• Punishment needs to be applied consistently to be effective

Establishing Operations (EO)

An event or condition that makes a consequence more effective as a punisher

• or a reinforcer with reinforcement

• Ex. deprivation

Abolishing Operations (AO)

An event or condition that makes a consequence less effective as a punisher

• Ex. satiation

What makes a more effective punisher in positive punishment?

Any event or condition that enhances the aversiveness of a stimulus makes a more effective punisher (EO)

• Events that minimize the aversiveness of a stimulus make it less effective as a punisher (AO)

How is the effectiveness of a punishment influenced by individual differences and magnitude?

Punishers vary from person to person

• A more intense aversive stimulus is a more effective punisher

What are the issues that must be considered with the use of punishment?

• Especially positive punishment with painful or aversive stimuli

Issues with punishment is that:

• Punishment might evoke aggression or other emotional side effects

• The use of punishment might result in escape or avoidance behaviors by the person whose behavior is being punished

• Use of punishment may be negatively reinforcing for the person using punishment and may lead to overuse of the punishment

• When punishment is used, it is modeled and observers or people who are punished are more likely to use punishment themselves in the future

• Associated with ethical issues

What may occur with emotional reactions to punishment?

When aggressive behaviors result in the termination of the painful or aversive stimulus, they are negatively reinforced

• Strengthening a target behavior by removing or stopping an unpleasant stimulus immediately after that behavior occurs

Why is escape and avoidance a problem with punishment?

When an aversive stimulus is used in punishment, an opportunity for escape and avoidance behavior is created

• Althoutgh an aversive stimulus may be presented after a behavior to decrease the target behavior, any behavior that the person engages in to end or avoid the aversive stimulus is reinforced

• Ex. A child might run away or hide from a parent who is about to spank them

How is punishment negatively reinforcing for the person implementing it?

Punishment can be negatively reinforcing for the person using it:

• When punishment is used, it leads to an immediate decrease in the problematic behavior

• If the behavior decreased by punishment is aversive to the person using punishment, punishment is negatively reinforced by the termination of the aversive behavior

• Person will be more likely to use punishment in the future for similar situations

How can punishment be modeled?

People who observe others making frequent use of punishment may themselves be more likely to use punishment when they are in similar situations

• Children may model aggressive behavior if they experience or observe it

What are the ethical issues/debates regarding punishment?

There is some debate about whether it’s ethical to use punishment, especially painful or aversive stimuli to change the behavior of others

• Some argue that punishment can’t be justified

• Some argue that the use of punishment can be justified if the behavior is harmful or serious

• Ethical issues must be considered before punishment is used to modify behavior

What do the ethical guidelines that Board Certified Behavior Analysts follow state about punishment?

They follow the ethical guidelines that:

1. Reinforcement should be used before punishment is considered

2. If punishment is necessary it should be used with reinforcement for alternative behavior

What is a common misconception about punishment?

A common misconception about punishment is that it means doing harm to another person or getting revenge on another person for their misbehavior

• Punishment is actually a label for behavioral principle, free of legal or moral connotations