Punishment

Punishment is used to help decrease the probability that a specific undesired behavior will occur with
the delivery of a consequence immediately after the undesired response/behavior is exhibited. When
people hear that punishment procedures are being used, they typically think that something wrong or
harmful is being done, but that is not necessarily the case. punishment

The use of these procedures have been used with both typical and atypical developing children,
teenagers, elderly persons, animals, and people exhibiting different psychological disorders. There are
two types of punishment: positive and negative, and it can be difficult to tell the difference between the
two. Below are some examples to help clear up the confusion.

Positive Punishment:

This works by presenting a negative consequence after an undesired behavior is exhibited, making the
behavior less likely to happen in the future. The following are some examples of positive punishment:

A child picks his nose during class and the teacher reprimands him in front of his classmates.

A child wears his favorite hat to church or at dinner, his parents scold him for wearing it and make him
remove the hat.

During a meeting or while in class, your cell phone starts ringing, you are lectured on why it is not okay
to have your phone on.

Negative Punishment:

This happens when a certain desired stimulus/item is removed after a particular undesired behavior is
exhibited, resulting in the behavior happening less often in the future. The following are some examples
of negative punishment:

For a child that really enjoys a specific class, such as gym or music classes at school, negative
punishment can be removal from that class and sent to the principal’s office because they were acting
out/misbehaving.

If a child does not follow directions or acts inappropriately, he loses a token for good behavior that can
later be cashed in for a prize.

Siblings get in a fight over who gets to go first in a game or who gets to play with a new toy, the parent
takes the game/toy away.

When thinking about punishment, always remember that the end result is to try to decrease the
undesired behavior. For positive punishment, try to think of it as adding a negative consequence after an
undesired behavior is emitted to decrease future responses. As for negative punishment, try to think of
it as taking away a certain desired item after the undesired behavior happens in order to decrease
future responses.

Other notes

Punishment is a fundamental concept of Operant Conditioning, whose major objective is to decrease the
rate of certain undesired behavior from occurring again. Punishment can be further classified into two
major parts

Positive punishment

Negative punishment

These two different types of punishment have got both similarities and differences, as the major
purpose of both these punishment types is to decrease the rate of certain undesired behavior.

By introducing the concept of punishment to an individual, the individual gets the idea that what he/she
is doing, is wrong. Positive and negative punishment, generally speaking, is the concept of adding certain
unfavorable consequence or depriving the individual of certain favored item or advantage, in order to
decrease the behavior.

Positive Punishment Negative Punishment

It’s the type of operant conditioning that deals with

decreasing the rate of undesired behavior by adding a It’s the type of operant conditioning that deals with
certain negative consequence to the individual after the decreasing the rate of undesired behavior by removing
behavior has been exhibited. certain favorite or desired item from the individual’s life

Addition of the term “Positive” gives completely Similarly, the term “Negative” gives opposite meaning to
contradictory meaning to “Negative” Punishment. “Positive” Punishment.

Scenario: Classroom Scenario: Classroom

 Consider a scenario where a student receives a
phone call in front of the whole class, causing the
lecture to abrupt. The teacher then reprimands
him in front of the whole class and adds his
homework to be twice more than the rest of the
students. The consequence or punishment of
receiving a phone call discourages him from
repeating the action again.
 Consider a scenario where a student receives a
phone call in the classroom, and he picks up the
call and starts talking in front of the whole class
causing the lecture to abrupt. The teacher then
seizes his cell phone, and after knowing about h
indiscipline in class, his parents take away his
Xbox privileges. This is a serious consequence in
the mind of a teenage student, and she is then
 Positive Punishment Negative Punishment

discouraged to from repeating the action again.

 An employee, who’s been lazing around at work

 An employee who’s been lazing around at work
gets criticized by his boss in front of the whole
office.
It is highly likely that after the criticism, the
employee starts being more attentive at work, to
save himself from any future embarrassment.
and failing to meet the deadline, gets his salary
cut in half, with a condition that he would only
get full pay if he showed more dedication and
managed to meet deadlines from then on.
This severe consequence would definitely
encourage the employee to be more attentive a
work, to save himself from any future
embarrassment.

The effectiveness of the positive depends on the

individual and the scenario. It could prove more effective Depriving an individual of certain favored items could
than negative punishments in certain conditions. For also prove more effective than positive punishment. For
example, young children are more likely to be lured by example, Taking away certain privileges could prove
the prospect of receiving candy than spanking. more effective to a teenager who lacks discipline.

Differences Between Positive and Negative Punishment

These examples are of the same scenario; however, the punishment executed to the individual
is different. In the set of examples that fall under positive punishment, consequence has been added; on
the other hand, a favored item has been taken away.

Similarities Between Positive and Negative Punishment

Despite the differences, positive and negative punishment has plenty of similarities. The major similarity
between the two is that both of them are types of the same concept of Operant
Conditioning, Punishment.

Also, both of these types work to decrease any undesired behavior from the individual. Another major
similarity is the factors that come into play when it comes to effectiveness of these punishments. The
most important factors are:

 It should be immediately followed by a response.

 Punishments, both positive and negative, need to be applied consistently, for the undesired
behavior to be eradicated completely with the procedure.

Another similarity between Positive and Negative is seen its ineffectiveness. Punishment, as effective as
they are, does not always work. Criminals seen every day are the live examples of how punishments
might not have worked for them as children. Additionally, convicts who have been sent away often
resume their past dealings once they are set free.