Punishment

• punishments
  • intrinsic - the behavior itself (pushups, starting a fight)
  • extrinsic - the punishment is applied (someone makes fun of you)
  • primary - innately punishing. biological (hunger, extreme temps)
  • secondary - learned punishment (feeling bad when you get a bad grade)
  • generalized - associated with multiple punishments (silent treatment)
• problems with punishments
  • punishment of maladaptive behavior doesn’t directly strengthen occurrence of adaptive behavior
  • have to differentially reinforce adaptive behavior
  • punishing one behavior can result in generalized suppression of other behaviors
  • the person delivering the punishment may become the discriminative stimulus for punishment
  • may only suppress unwanted behavior only when person is present
  • punishment may teach the person to avoid the person who delivered the punishment
  • punishment is likely to elicit strong emotional response (aggression)
  • punishment through modeling could teach person that punishment is acceptable means of controlling behavior (corporal punishment)
  • punishment often has immediate effect stopping unwanted behavior
  • use of punishment is strongly reinforced
• benefits and effective use of punishment
  • benefits
  • can lead to increase in social behavior
  • sometimes results in mood improvement
    • removes guilt
  • can increase attention to environment - being more careful in order to avoid punishment
  • effective use
  • must be immediate 
  • must be consistent
  • should be intense enough that it works
    • proportional response
  • negative punishment is generally preferable to positive punishment
  • should be accompanied by explanation
  • should be combined w positive reinforcement for appropriate behavior
  • noncontingent punishment: punishment not tied to a behavior. uncontrollable / unpredictable
  • causes learned helplessness, anxiety, depression
    • cure for learned helplessness - forced to escape aversive stimulus prior exposure
    • prevention - give people experience with minor adversities in order to build up resilience against more serious difficulties

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