Punishment occurs every day in families, schools, and workplaces. But often the intended results fail to occur. When punishment must be used, what are five guidelines that should be followed?
What will be an ideal response?
Answer: A good answer will include the following key points.
? To maximize the intended effects of punishment and to minimize the negative side effects, the following guidelines should be followed:
? Severity—Should be proportional to offense. A small fine is suitable for parking illegally or littering, but inappropriate for someone who commits assault.
? Initial punishment level—The initial level of punishment needs to be sufficiently strong to reduce the likelihood of the offense occurring again.
? Contiguity—Punishment is most effective when it occurs immediately after the behavior.
Long delays in punishment are known to reduce its effectiveness.
? Consistency—Punishment should be administered consistently. A parent who only occasionally punishes a teenager for breaking her curfew will probably have less success in curbing the behavior than a parent who uses punishment consistently.
? Show alternatives—Punishment is more successful, and side effects are reduced, if the individual is clear on how reinforcement can be obtained by engaging in appropriate behaviors.
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Saying a child "has a mind of his own" means
a. the child behaves and is obedient. b. the child is stubborn. c. the parents are unhappy with their child's independence. d. the child may have a developmental problem.
Efforts to combine medical and psychological treatments for psychophysiological disorders have proved to be ____
a. unsuccessful without psychoanalysis b. successful c. a temporary fad d. largely unsuccessful
All but which of the following are reasons given in the text as to why racial and ethnic minorities have less access to mental health care than the majority group?
a. They are less likely to have health insurance than the majority group. b. They have less access to treatment providers who possess the appropriate language skills. c. Their cultures have more of a stigma relating to mental illness. d. There are fewer treatment providers in locations where more racial and ethnic minorities reside. e. They are more likely to suffer from disorders that fall outside the range of available treatments.
Suppose a friend of yours is afraid of snakes. On the basis of the research discussed in the textbook, if you had to counsel your friend as to the most effective strategy for eliminating his fear, you should suggest
a. participant modeling. b. symbolic modeling. c. desensitization. d. psychoanalysis.