Behavior Analysis for

Effective Teaching

EDU 422 – Week 12 Lecture 1 & 2

Aaishay Haque
Decreasing Unesirable Behaviors
with Punishment
 On Terms: Positive Punishment
◼ Positive Punishment is the presentation of a stimulus following a
response that decreases the future probability of that behavior (or response
class) under similar stimulus conditions.

Antecedent Behavior Consequence

Out with friends Makes Joke Reprimand

 On Terms: Negative Punishment
◼ Negative Punishment is the removal of a stimulus following a response
that decreases the future probability of that behavior (or response class)
under similar stimulus conditions.

Antecedent Behavior Consequence

Late for a date! Speeding Fine

 Everyday Punishment
◼ An Organic Contingency. Punishment is a naturally
occurring event, meaning it does not need to be contrived
or programmed, that most experience daily…

Antecedent Behavior Consequence

All you can eat Wing Eat copious Feel ill

Wednesday amounts of wings
 Everyday Punishment
◼ Source of Punishment. Some punishers are delivered by other individuals
(i.e., socially mediated), some are a direct result of the behavior-
environmental interaction (i.e., direct access/escape).

“Social disapproval” in the form

of reprimands, gestures, and
facial expressions often
function as generalized
punishers.

Touching a hot stove or

stubbing your toe produces
physical pain, which can
function as a punisher
 Everyday Punishment

Antecedents Behavior Consequence

Practice Form
2+2=
2+2=
2+2=
In the presence of a Error due to Student guided
teacher; works sheet “poor work” through correction

Decreased occurrence of errors

under stimulus condition
 Everyday Punishment

Antecedents Behavior Consequence

In the presence of Tell a really, really Social Disapproval

friends; social situation dirty joke.

Decreased occurrence of jokes

under stimulus condition
 Everyday Punishment
◼ Concept Application. In the context of the
Three-Term Contingency, develop an examples
illustrates the everyday (or common)
occurrence of punishment and an example of a
contrived (or socially created) punishment.
 Some Words About Our Words
◼ The Elephant in the Room. The term punishment has a variety of
established meanings and connotations in the everyday vernacular of
society; an act of retribution.
 On Concepts: Punishment Effectiveness
◼ Variables that influence the effectiveness of a
punisher:
▪ Immediacy. The punisher should be delivered
immediately after response.

▪ Schedule of Punishment. A CRF (or FR1)

schedule is the most effective at eliminating
response.

▪ Intensity. The punisher should be used at its full

strength; habituation to mild or progressive
intensity.
B. F. Skinner On Punishment
 Your Position on the Use of Punishment

Should professionals use the principles of operant punishment for the explicit
purpose of decreasing target challenging behaviors?
 Reinforcement and Punishment
◼ Putting It Together. Punishment happens
after a behavior; thus, the behavior must have
some reason to occur in the first place.
▪ A History of Reinforcement. Most
behaviors that are punished have also been
reinforced.
 Reinforcement and Punishment
◼ Behavioral Leakage. All behavior has
a function (or purpose); punishing a
response may decrease the behavior but
the function still exists, behavior will “try
to find a reinforcer”.

Without teaching an adaptive way to

access the reinforcer, a new problem
will likely develop.
 Side-Effects of Punishment
◼ Escape and Avoidance Behavior. The presence of a stimulus that
previously functions as a punisher (antecedent) can set the occasion for
behavior to produce escape or avoidance (consequence).
▪ If you are thinking, “Gee, that sounds like negative reinforcement.” You’re
correct!

If a behavior produces a punisher, the continued

presence of that stimulus condition will evoke behavior
to escape, terminate, or avoid that stimulus condition.
What happens when certain conditions (e.g., school) are
associated with a high likelihood of intense punishers?
Use of punishers could also set the occasion for
counter-control behavior.
 Side-Effects of Punishment
SD Bx SR+

Formation of escape/avoidance behaviors

Presence of a class Talking to friends Attention from
environment during class friend

SDP Bx SP+
Presence of a class Talking to friends Harsh reprimand
environment during class from teacher

SD Bx SR-
Presence of teacher Avoidance of
Bunking class
who reprimands reprimand from
New avoidance behavior
class teacher
forms!
 Side-Effects of Punishment
SD Bx SR+

Formation of counter-control behaviors

Presence of a class Talking to friends Attention from
environment during class friend

SDP Bx SP+
Presence of a class Talking to friends Harsh reprimand
environment during class from teacher

SD Bx SR-
Harsh reprimand Student threatens to Teacher withdraws
from teacher report reprimand
New counter-control
behavior forms!
 Side-Effects of Punishment
◼ Behavioral Suppression. The application of a punisher, especially an
intense punisher, can have broad suppressive effects on the repertoire; this is
a form of avoidance, by not engaging in “any” behavior, there is no response
to punish – this effect is temporary and context specific.
 Side-Effects of Punishment
◼ Negative Model. The application of the punishment contingency can act as
a model to be imitated by the individual who experiences the punisher, under
similar stimulus conditions.
▪ More on social learning and imitation in a later class session...

If an individual observed the use of a punisher that produced

beneficial effect, the individual make imitate the response
under similar stimulus conditions.

The stimulus event of a parent who is abusive to his or her

partner, may set the occasion for similar behavior of a child
who observes the interaction.
 If not Punishment then…?

Remember our discussion on Differential Reinforcement!

Non-contingent reinforcement can also be used to prevent undesirable behaviors from

occurring in the first place
 Recap: Punishment
◼ Punishment can never build behavior, but it can produce respondent
reactions
 Escape & Avoidance
◼ Escape refers to behavior that ends or reduces an aversive situation already present
◼ Avoidance postpones an aversive situation or prevents it from happening

Once escaping from a situation where someone threatens you, you may avoid the location where the
incident occurred, even if the person threatening you is never there again
 Side Effects of Punishment
◼ Counter Aggression is not the same as Counter Control

Counter control = Behaviors that a person engages in to resist or escape from attempts to
control their behavior by others. In other words, it's a way of opposing the behavior control
strategies that are being used on them. Often includes some form of aggression.

SD Bx SR-
Harsh reprimand Student threatens to Teacher withdraws
from teacher report reprimand
 Side Effects of Punishment
◼ Counter Aggression is not the same as Counter Control

Counter aggression = The tendency to

act aggressively when punished towards
another individual or under different
stimulus conditions (i.e. in a different
context)