jimmc@sci.UUCP (Jim McBeath) (01/06/86)
Punishment *does* work to change behavior, it's just that it usually does not accomplish quite the desired result. Positive reinforcement directs behavior towards a particular pattern, whereas punishment directs behavior away from a particular pattern. It is extremely difficult to control ALL of the factors in a behavior pattern. If a child is punished for something, he will look for ANY change of the behavior which will remove it from that pattern. Not telling mommy and daddy, or not doing things when mommy or daddy are around, is one possible change which typically accomplishes this. If positive reinforcement is being used, it is typically possible to have sufficient control over the situation to guarantee that the only way for the child to receive the reward is to perform the desired behavior, since the parent only rewards the child when he sees that behavior. Note that punishment will work as desired if there is sufficient control of the situation, as in the case of giving the animal a shock when it is in a box. Real life is typically a bit more complex than this. Punishing a child for running into the street might make him stop running into the street, or it might make him stop running into the street only when mommy and daddy are around. Many people feel that the chance that the child will choose the first avoidance path makes it worthwhile in this particular situation. One of the hardest things for many people to do is to reward people (including kids) for things they "should" be doing anyway, or for not doing things they shouldn't be doing! This may sound funny, but rewarding your child for NOT running into the street will probably be more effective than punishing him for doing so. Note that you as a parent are subject to behavior modification as well. When your child acts the way you want, you are rewarded for your efforts, and are more likely to use that approach again, whether the approach you used was punishment or reinforcement. When you are intermittently rewarded by your childs intermittent good behavior, the effect can be even stronger. There is a positive feedback cycle between your behaivor (i.e. how you treat your child) and his behavior. For a good layman's discussion of the principals of positive reinforcement and behavior modification, and how to use them in real life, I heartily (and admittedly with some bias) recommend a book called "Little Changes Mean a Lot", by Marcia McBeath, child psychologist, educator, and my mother.