8 - Punishment Flashcards
Punishment
a practice used to decrease the strength of a behavior through consequences
Characteristics of Punishments
- A behavior must have a consequence
- The behavior must have a decrease in strength (occur less often)
- The reduction in strength of behavior must occur as a result of the consequence
Punishers
aversive stimuli that organisms will seek to escape or avoid
Types of Punishments
Positive Punishment
Negative Punishment
Positive Punishment
Adding an aversive stimulus to decrease the strength of a behavior
Example of Positive Punishment
-Speeding ticket
-Spanking
-Fine
-Detention
Negative Punishment
removing a pleasant stimulus to decrease the strength of a behavior
Examples of Negative Punishment
-Time-out
-Loss of allowance
-Suspension of license
Contingency
the degree to which punishment is dependent upon the occurrence of behavior
Contiguity
the interval between a behavior and a punishing consequence
(cause and effect)
T/F. The longer the delay, the faster the learning
False. The longer the delay, the slower the learning
Intensity
the strength of the aversive stimuli
T/F. The stronger the intensity a punishment yields, the more effective the behavior will change
True
Introductory Level of Punishment
-Beginning intensity is important
-If you begin with an easy punishment and slowly make it harder, organisms will keep going even when they might have stopped if you used strong punishment from the beginning.
How do you evaluate the reinforcement of the punished behavior?
-Frequency
-Amount
-Quality
T/F. If a behavior is highly enforcing, it may persist despite the presence of a punishment
True
Alternative Sources of Reinforcement
-If reinforcement that the behavior produces can be obtained elsewhere, punishment is likely to be effective
-If a specific behavior can only get reinforcement one way & is highly reinforcing, then the behavior may persist
Deprivation Level
-If an individual has not received reinforcement in a while–& it is highly reinforcing (e.g. food)—then the behavior is likely to persist
-If a individual is sated on reinforcer, then punishment will likely stop the behavior
Two Process Theory
The view that avoidance and punishment involve two procedure—Pavlovian & Operant learning
One Process Theory
the view that avoidance and punishment involve only one procedure—Operant learning
Disruption Theory
Skinner believed that punishment worked because it was disruptive to the behavior (that it created responses that were incompatible with the original behavior)
Advantages of Punishment
-Effective
-Fast
-Can yield permanent suppression of unwanted behavior
-Potential for beneficial side effects
Problems With Punishment: Abuse
Often results from punishment–typically physical/corporeal punishment–that has gone too far
Problems With Punishment: Escape
-Individual struggles to get away from or avoids the situation in which punishment is received “tuning out”
-May foster a range of inappropriate escape tactics (suicide)
