what are some of the potential side effects of using punishment as a treatment intervention?

If not used properly, it can have some serious side effects. For example, clients who are inclined to respond aggressively to interventions could experience higher rates of aggression. This is also why punishment should not be used without other supporting interventions.

Full Answer

Why is punishment not effective in changing behavior?

Because the behavior is inconsistently punished. Punishment also has some notable drawbacks. First, any behavior changes that result from punishment are often temporary. "Punished behavior is likely to reappear after the punitive consequences are withdrawn," Skinner explained in his book, "About Behaviorism.".

What is the purpose of punishment in psychology?

Punishment is a term used in operant conditioning psychology to refer to any change that occurs after a behavior that reduces the likelihood that that behavior will occur again in the future. While positive and negative reinforcements are used to increase behaviors, punishment is focused on reducing or eliminating unwanted behaviors.

What is punishment and reinforcement?

Basically, punishment is something intended to make a behavior decrease. We use reinforcement for behaviors we want to see go UP, and we use punishment for behaviors we want to see go DOWN. Something is labeled a punisher only if it made the behavior go down in the future.

What are the disadvantages of punishment according to Skinner?

"Punished behavior is likely to reappear after the punitive consequences are withdrawn," Skinner explained in his book "Beyond Freedom and Dignity." Perhaps the greatest drawback is the fact that punishment does not actually offer any information about more appropriate or desired behaviors.

Which of the following is a potential side effect of punishment?

Potential side effects of using punishment include: emotional reactions, aggressive reactions, escape, avoidance, and the overuse of punishment due to to it being negative reinforcing to the punishment agent.

What are the unwanted effects of punishment?

Unwanted effects of punishment can include legal problems, ethical violations, aggression, avoidance, learned helplessness, and more (SupervisorABA, 2016). For a quick refresher on punishment as well as more information about drawbacks and consequences, click over to Punishment in Psychology.

What are the effects of punishment on behavior?

Punishment involves learning about the relationship between behavior and its adverse consequences. Punishment is fundamental to reinforcement learning, decision-making and choice, and is disrupted in psychiatric disorders such as addiction, depression, and psychopathy.

What are three problems with punishment?

Physical punishment is associated with increased child aggression, antisocial behaviour, lower intellectual achievement, poorer quality of parent–child relationships, mental health problems (such as depression), and diminished moral internalisation.

What are the negative impacts of punishment on children's development?

Many studies have shown that physical punishment — including spanking, hitting and other means of causing pain — can lead to increased aggression, antisocial behavior, physical injury and mental health problems for children.

What are the negative effects of punishment ABA?

Aggression increases, defiance increases, and the learner may exhibit as very angry or manipulative. Escape/Damaged Relationship/Harm to Rapport Building Process- A large risk to punishment techniques is that they can destroy the purpose of rapport building: to establish a nurturing, caring relationship.

Which of the following is a disadvantage of punishment?

Which of the following is a disadvantage of punishment? It does not teach correct behavior. Only positive reinforcement will teach correct behavior.

What are examples of negative punishment?

Losing access to a toy, being grounded, and losing reward tokens are all examples of negative punishment. In each case, something good is being taken away as a result of the individual's undesirable behavior.

How does punishment affect behavior quizlet?

Punishment can have undesirable side effects, such as suppressing rather than changing unwanted behaviors; teaching aggression; creating fear; encouraging discrimination (so that the undesirable behavior appears when the punisher is not present); and fostering depression and feelings of helplessness.

What are the two types of punishment?

There are many kinds of punishment, that can be divided into 2 groups: Positive or Negative . These groups are easy to distinguish if you think of math. Positive means you added something, and negative means you took something away. Here is a helpful chart (I just love visuals)-. Positive Reinforcement-.

What is the most common sign that a learner is used to a punishment-heavy environment?

Aggression/Anger/Retaliation (Emotional Response)- This is probably the most common sign that a learner is used to a punishment-heavy environment. Aggression increases, defiance increases, and the learner may exhibit as very angry or manipulative.

What is punishment in ABA?

Simplified definition: Punishment is part of learning. Every behavior has a consequence to that behavior. Something good happens, something bad happens, or nothing happens (in ABA speak, even if "nothing" happens after the behavior that is still a consequence). Punishment is a necessary tool so that we can learn to avoid things, ...

What is behavioral contrast in ABA?

Behavioral Contrast- This is an ABA term, that basically means creating a situation where X doesn't occur here , but X occurs over there and may even occur more frequently.

Can you teach a client to not kick?

The lesson the client has learned is not "Don't kick", but "Don't kick during therapy sessions". Please remember: punishment on its own does not teach anything. Yes, you may reduce or eliminate challenging behavior but you need to also teach what to do instead of the inappropriate behavior.

Is punishment a dirty word?

Unfortunately much of what is said or understood is incorrect, outdated, or just wrong. Punishment may be viewed as a dirty word, when in reality our behavior is "punished" daily by variables or events outside of our control and it is how we learn.

Can punishment bring about change?

When implemented ethically and effectively , punishment can bring about swift change in behavior. However, decades of research and empirical studies have clearly shown that it is always best to rely primarily on reinforcement to bring about a change in behavior, rather than move straight to punishment.

Why is punishment more effective?

First, punishment is more effective if is applied quickly. 2 Prison sentences often occur long after the crime has been committed, which may help explain one reason why sending people to jail does not always lead to a reduction in criminal behavior.

What is punishment in psychology?

Punishment is a term used in operant conditioning psychology to refer to any change that occurs after a behavior that reduces the likelihood that that behavior will occur again in the future.

What is the difference between punishment and reinforcement?

The difference: Reinforcement increases the chances that a behavior will occur and punishment decreases the chances that a behavior will occur.

What is negative punishment?

Negative punishment involves taking away a desirable stimulus after a behavior has occurred. For example, when the student from the previous example talks out of turn again, the teacher promptly tells the child that they will have to miss recess because of their behavior.

What are the drawbacks of punishment?

Perhaps the greatest drawback is the fact that punishment does not actually offer any information about more appropriate or desired behaviors. While subjects might be learning to not perform certain actions, they are not really learning anything about what they should be doing. 2.

Which psychologist first described operant conditioning?

Behaviorist B. F. Skinner, the psychologist who first described operant conditioning, identified two different kinds of aversive stimuli that can be used as punishment: Positive punishment: This type of punishment is also known as "punishment by application.". Positive punishment involves presenting an aversive stimulus after a behavior has ...

Can punishment reduce unwanted behavior?

While punishment can be effective in some cases, you can probably think of a few examples of when a punishment does not consistently reduce unwanted behavior. Prison is one example. After being sent to jail for a crime, people often continue committing crimes once they are released from prison. 1

Choosing Effective Consequence Interventions

As we mentioned in the beginning, almost everything we do has a consequence. Consequences can be unintentional or planned. For the purpose of the rest of this article we will focus on planned consequences that are intended to change the behavior of a child.

Effectively Reinforcing Target Behaviors

In order for reinforcement to be effective, there are several factors to keep in mind:

Ethical Considerations of Reinforcement and Punishment

Positive reinforcement is often seen as the epitome of ethical practice in ABA. Similarly, punishment carries with it a stigma associated with control and abuse of power. In reality, these conditions occur naturally and neither are inherently good or bad. The distinction lies in the way these contingencies are applied by professionals.

Using Consequences to Change Behavior

Carefully planning consequences leads to positive behavior change. Use reinforcement alone whenever possible and use punishment with extreme caution and supervision. Carefully consider the risks and benefits of using any punishment procedure.

References and Related Reading

Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2014). Professional and ethical compliance code for behavior analysts. Littleton, CO: Author.