Eliminating Inappropriate Behavior Through

Punishment

Chapter 12

Definitions

• Punisher– Event that when presented immediately

after behavior, caused that behavior to decrease in frequency

– Aversive stimuli– Aversives

• Principle of Punishment– If in a certain situation a person is

punished for a behavior, then the person is less likely to do the same thing again in a similar situation

Behavior Modification View of Punishment

• Behavior Modification View:– Punishment should be immediate– Technical word – application of immediate

consequences to decrease behavior

• Layperson View– More inclusive – ex: prison; death penalty– Should involve retribution

• More serious offenses deserve more punishment

– Used as a deterrent for potential wrong-doers.

Specific Types of Punishers

• Pain-inducing punishers– Physical punishers– Activate pain receptors– Unconditioned punishers

• Reprimands– Verbal reprimands– Fixed stare– Firm grasp– Conditioned punishers

Specific Types of Punishers

• Time-outs– Moving a person to a less reinforcing

situation– Exclusionary time-out

• Removing person for a short time from situation • Time-out room

– Nonexclusionary time-out• Using a stimulus associated with less

reinforcement

• Response Cost– Removal of specified amount of reinforcer – May involve indirect-acting effects (delayed

punishment)

Influencing the Effectiveness of Punishment

• Increase stimuli for positive, alternative behaviors• Minimize the cause of undesirable behaviors• Select an appropriate punisher

– the more intense the better, however intensity that is needed is dependent upon causes of undesirable behavior

• Adding an antecedent to punishment– SDp - stimulus in the presence of which a response will be

punished• Delivering the Punisher

– Most effective when delivered immediately after the behavior

– Occasional punishment is less effective than punishment that follows every instance of the undesirable behavior.

– Delivery of punishment should not be paired with positive reinforcement – this weakens the punisher.

Should Punishment Be Used?

• Can have harmful effects:1. Elicits aggressive behavior2. Can produce undersirable emotional side effects

(i.e. crying, fearfulness)3. Escape and avoidance behavior

• Can cause the situation and people associated with the aversive stimulus to become conditioned punishers

4. No new behavior is taught5. Modeling of punishment

• Children may learn to apply aversive stimuli on others6. Continued use of punishment

• Punishment results in quick suppression of undesirable behavior

• This can lead to over use and not enough use of reinforcement of desirable behavior

Behavior Modifiers and Punishment Programs

• Recommendation to use punishment as a last resort because:– Easy to abuse– Application can have harmful side effects

• Consider designing punishment programs only when:– Clear steps are taken to maximize the conditions for a

desirable alternative response and to minimize the causes of the response to be punished

– The behavior is very maladaptive and it is in the client’s best interest to bring about rapid behavior change

– The client (or parent or guardian) provides informed consent

– The intervention meets ethical standards– Punishment is applied according to clear guidelines– The program includes safeguards to protect the client

Pitfall of Punishment

• Criticism may discourage close approximations of behavior from developing into target behavior

Guidelines for the Effective Application of Punishment

• Select a response– Punishment is more effective with a specific behavior

• Maximize the conditions for a desirable alternative response– Select alternative behavior– Provide strong prompts– Reinforce

• Minimize the causes of the response to be punished• Select an effective punisher• Present clear SDps• Deliver the punisher

– Present immediately after every instance of response to be decreased

– Administer in a calm, matter-of-fact manner– Do not pair with reinforcement

• Take data