learning psych ch 10&11

Two Types of Punishment

• Positive Punishment:

  • Involves adding an aversive stimulus to decrease undesired behavior.

  • Examples:

  • Spanking a child

  • Getting a speeding fine for parking illegally

  • Shock in animal studies

• Negative Punishment:

  • Involves removing a desirable stimulus to decrease undesired behavior.

  • Examples:

  • Losing cell phone privileges

  • Revocation of computer time

Effectiveness of Punishment

• Debate exists on whether punishment effectively reduces undesirable behavior.

• Thorndike and Skinner: Argued punishment is not effective; it only temporarily reduces behavior.

  • Example: After getting a speeding ticket, people often return to speeding soon after.

• Example of Effective Punishment: Getting bitten by an alligator while trying to retrieve a golf ball leads to a strong aversion to that behavior.

Factors Impacting Punishment Effectiveness

1. Intensity of Punishment:

   • Higher intensity leads to greater suppression of behavior.

   • Example: A severe punishment (e.g., taser) leads to stronger avoidance compared to a mild reprimand.

2. Experience of Past Intensity:

   • Low intensity punishment can lead to desensitization and consequently a disregard for future punishments.

3. Initial Exposure Level:

   • High initial punishment leads to a more effective long-term impact compared to starting with low-level punishments which become tolerable over time.

4. Contingency of Punishment:

   • Direct correlation between the behavior and punishment increases effectiveness.

   • If the subjects do not know the reason for punishment, effectiveness decreases.

5. Timing of Punishment:

   • Immediate punishment after the undesired behavior is more effective than delayed punishment.

   • In the animal context, timing is crucial, as animals may not connect the punishment with past behaviors when there’s a delay.

6. Schedule of Punishment:

   • Continuous punishment (every instance is punished) is more effective than intermittent punishment (sometimes punished).

   • Example: Speeding may be habitual due to infrequent consequences.

7. Strength of Positive Reinforcement for Undesirable Behavior:

   • Greater rewards for undesirable behavior weaken the effectiveness of the punishment.

   • Example: High rewards for robbing a bank overshadow the fear of getting caught.

8. Availability of Alternative Reinforcers:

   • If alternative positive behaviors are available, individuals may choose those over the punished behaviors.

   • Example: If there are alternate social activities that do not involve sneaking out, individuals may stop sneaking out.

9. Discriminative Stimuli for Punishment:

   • Awareness of the potential for punishment (such as visual cues for police) suppresses undesirable behavior.

Real-world Implications of Punishment

• Corporal Punishment Debate:

  • Some argue against corporal punishment due to negative outcomes in children linked to such punishments.

  • Correlation with aggression, mental health issues, and poor relationships with parents has been observed.

  • Challenges in determining whether negative outcomes stem directly from corporal punishment or from parenting styles that lead to the use of corporal punishment.