Punishment

According to Miltenberger (2015, p. 104), a punishment is among the processes for behavioral modification. Miltenberger defines behavioral modification as the procedure through which a person’s behavior changes (2015, p. 5). Notably, a punishment may be positive or negative.

Regarding positive punishment, something is introduced into one’s behavioral patterns, such that they stop committing to a lousy behavior. Often, the new stimulus or activity introduced into someone’s behavior is unpleasant (Miltenberger, 2015). For instance, spanking a child after they have littered is positive punishment. That is, it will discourage the child from littering in the future, rest they are spanked again. Miltenberger (2015) reports that positive punishment is a highly effective process for behavioral change. According to Shrestha (2017) and Miltenberger (2015), positive punishment is effective if given immediately after the manifestation of behavior, and should be consistent every time the behavior recurs. Hence, the effectiveness of positive punishment depends on immediacy and contingency.

Negative punishment entails the removal of a stimulus or an activity that is pleasing to someone in a bid to reduce the occurrence of bad behavior. For instance, when a child is denied a PlayStation so that they may study, the punishment is regarded as negative (Miltenberger, 2015). The removal serves as a reinforcer that the doer of action should shun their behavior. Similar to positive punishment, negative punishment is effective if one is punished immediately, they show a behavior, and it should be consistent every time the behavior reoccurs (Shrestha 2017; Miltenberger, 2015). Hence, the effectiveness of negative punishment depends on immediacy and contingency.

I have experienced both positive and negative punishments. My parents spanked me as a child every time I forgot about completing tasks in the house. It is a positive punishment that enhanced the timely completion of tasks. Also, every time I disrupted their conversation, they would ignore me, denying their attention until it was my turn to talk – a negative punishment.

References

Miltenberger, R. (2015). Behavior Modification (6th ed.). Mason, OH: Cengage.

Shrestha, P. (2017). Negative Punishment – Psychestudy. Retrieved 19 January 2020, from https://www.psychestudy.com/behavioral/learning-memory/operant-conditioning/reinforcement-punishment/negative-punishment Shrestha, P. (2017). Positive Punishment – Psychestudy. Retrieved 19 January 2020, from https://www.psychestudy.com/behavioral/learning-memory/operant-conditioning/reinforcement-p