Explain the advantages and disadvantages of punishment based on the concept of operant conditioning.
What will be an ideal response?
Students' answers may vary.
The answer should contain the following information:
Punishment often presents the quickest route to changing behavior that, if allowed to continue, might be dangerous to an individual. There are some rare instances in which punishment can be the most humane approach to treating certain severe disorders. For example, some children suffer from autism, a psychological disorder that can lead them to abuse themselves by tearing at their skin or banging their heads against the wall, injuring themselves severely in the process. In such cases-and when all other treatments have failed-punishment in the form of a quick but intense electric shock has been used to prevent self-injurious behavior. Such punishment, however, is used only to keep the child safe and to buy time until positive reinforcement procedures can be initiated. Punishment has several disadvantages that make its routine questionable. For one thing, punishment is frequently ineffective, particularly if it is not delivered shortly after the undesired behavior or if the individual is able to leave the setting in which the punishment is being given. Even worse, physical punishment can convey to the recipient the idea that physical aggression is permissible and perhaps even desirable. In addition, physical punishment is often administered by people who are themselves angry or enraged. It is unlikely that individuals in such an emotional state will be able to think through what they are doing or control carefully the degree of punishment they are inflicting. Finally, punishment does not convey any information about what an alternative, more appropriate behavior might be. To be useful in bringing about more desirable behavior in the future, punishment must be accompanied by specific information about the behavior that is being punished, along with specific suggestions concerning a more desirable behavior.
You might also like to view...
Dr. Guralski believes that most psychological disorders are a result of negative thoughts and maladaptive beliefs. Knowing this, you might expect that Dr. Guralski's bookshelves contain a large number of books written by
a. Aaron Beck. b. Sigmund Freud. c. Hans Eysenck. d. Carl Rogers.
Bandura's famous Bobo doll experiment demonstrated the power of:
a. operant conditioning. c. direct reinforcement. b. modeling. d. trial-and-error behavior.
Infants as young as 18 months imitate the _____ of adults, in large part because of the activity of _____.
A) actions; Wernicke's area B) actions; the hippocampus C) intentions; mirror neurons D) intentions; bipolar cells
Regarding identity formation and ethnic minorities, which of the following statements is FALSE?
a. In the past, ethnic adolescents have often faced degrading stereotypes concerning their intelligence, sexuality, social status, and manners. b. Facing stereotypes concerning one's intelligence, sexuality, social status, or manners can result in lowered self-esteem and confusion about roles, values, and personal identity. c. As ethnic minorities in American continue to grow in prominence, minority adolescents will be less likely to feel rejected or excluded because of their ethnic heritage. d. Teens who take pride in their ethnic heritage tend to have a weaker sense of personal identity and a poorer self-image.