6.02 - Punishment

Overview of Aversive Conditioning and Punishment

• Definition of Punishment:

  • Punishment is a process that suppresses or decreases behavior.

• Types of Punishment:

  • Positive Punishment:

  • Involves adding an aversive stimulus to decrease behavior.

  • Example: Someone yells at you (addition of an aversive stimulus) leading to a decrease in your talking.

  • Negative Punishment:

  • Involves removing an aversive stimulus to decrease behavior.

  • Example: A teacher takes away your phone for using it in class, leading to a decrease in phone usage.

Important Concepts to Remember

• A stimulus is NOT considered punishment unless it decreases behavior.

  • Key Point:
  • If yelling at someone leads them to talk back instead of decreasing their talking, it is not punishment.

• Punishments must be evaluated based on their effect on behavior:

  • If behavior is suppressed, it's a punisher.
  • If behavior is enhanced, it's reinforcement.

Dynamics of Punishment and Reinforcement

• Punishment cannot occur without prior reinforcement.
  • A response must be established at a reasonably high rate before punishment is effective.
  • The punisher must override the effectiveness of the existing reinforcement schedule.

Contextual Examples of Punishment

• Example in Classroom Setting:

  • Students interacting with phones have access to various reinforcements (social media, games, messaging).

  • A teacher must provide a punisher that competes effectively against the reinforcement gained from phone usage.

  • Strategies for Teachers:

    • Remove the phone (simple effective punisher)
    • Combine removal with embarrassing verbal reprimands (more potent punisher)

  • Teachers face challenges in this dynamic due to multiple embedded reinforcement schedules in smartphones.