Problems with Punishment Leading Behaviour Change Providing Behaviour Support to All Students

General Definitions Punishment is “an environmental change contingent on behaviour that produces a decrease in responding over time” (Michael 1993)

General Definitions Punishment is “a consequence immediately following a particular behaviour with the result that the behaviour is less likely to occur again in the future” (Miltenberger 2001)

Positive Punishment “The contingent presentation of a stimulus or event resulting in a future decrease in response strength” (LaVigna, 1992) –Each time Dylan started pushing and hitting his sister, his father required to stand up and sit down on the floor ten times in a row, which resulted in an immediate decrease in the problem behaviour

Positive Punishment: Overcorrection A positive punishment procedure in which, contingent on the problem behaviour, a person is required to engage in effortful activity that returns the environment to a better state than it was before the problem behaviour occurred. –The duty teacher saw Jack throw some paper on the ground. Jack was made pick up all of the rubbish in the playground. Jack didn’t throw paper around very often, after that.

Negative Punishment “The contingent withdrawal of a stimulus or event resulting in a future decrease in response strength” –When Liam was observed to push another child, the teacher told him that 5 minutes was deducted from his play time. As a result, Liam’s hitting behaviour immediately stopped.

Negative Punishment: Response Cost Response cost is an operant conditioning procedure in which the misbehaving person is fined already earned reinforcers. –Angela received tokens for not displaying specific aggression. Every time she hit, kicked or spat at others she not only failed to earn a token, but one was taken from her. The specific aggression ceased momentarily each time a token was removed.

Punishment Problems Children who witness or who are exposed to punishment are more likely to use it themselves (Bandura, 1969) –A child who has been spanked may attempt to spank others - starting with the teddy bear

Punishment Problems Punishment makes one think only of oneself rather than the consequences of one’s behaviour for another (Cameron and Thorsborn 2003) –The learner who disrupts or hurts others is expressing a need. Punishing this expression without trying to interpret it, is ultimately counterproductive

Punishment Problems Punishment can lead to social withdrawal (LaVigna et.al, 1988) –A student stops trying to obtain teacher attention after their attempts are repeatedly ignored

Punishment Problems It may produce escape and avoidance behaviours –After repeated punishments a student runs away and hides following an episode of the problem behaviour

Punishment Problems It may be negatively reinforced in the punisher, thus leading to misuse or overuse –Because it worked well, Mr Smith found himself using the ‘get to the office’ technique more and more often, even though he ‘doesn’t really want to’

Punishment Problems Punishment may produce “punishment elicited aggression” (LaVigna et.al, 1988) –When Matthew was sent from the classroom he raised his fist at another student and kicked over a chair

Punishment Problems It can inhibit behaviours other than those being intentionally punished (LaVigna et al, ibid) –Amy liked being read to while sitting on her mother’s knee. Sometimes she would pull her mother’s hair very hard. After being sent away a few times she seemed no longer interested in being read to.

Punishment Problems It doesn’t build replacement behaviour (LaVigna et al, ibid) –Whenever one of Luke’s problem behaviours was eliminated by punishment, another problem behaviour would take its place

Punishment Problems It can be person or situation specific in its effects (LaVigna et al, ibid) –The manual arts teacher always threatened Mark with time out, which effectively controlled the problem behaviour. He advised other teachers to do the same, but none of them found it effective as a strategy in their own classrooms

Positive Behaviour Support Science of behaviour teaches that students…. –Are not born with “bad behaviours” –Do not learn when presented contingent aversive consequences –Do learn better ways of behaving by being taught directly & receiving positive feedback….consider function of behaviour -Sugai