Operant Conditioning: Learn It 3—Punishment

Punishment

Many students mix up negative reinforcement and punishment, but in operant conditioning they serve opposite functions.

  • Reinforcement (positive or negative) increases a behavior.
  • Punishment (positive or negative) decreases a behavior.

types of punishment 

Punishment always decreases a behavior.

  • Positive punishment adds an undesirable stimulus to reduce a behavior.

    • An example of positive punishment is scolding a student to get the student to stop texting in class. In this case, a stimulus (the reprimand) is added in order to decrease the behavior (texting in class).

  • Negative punishment removes a desirable stimulus to reduce a behavior.

    • For example, when a child misbehaves, a parent can take away a favorite toy. In this case, a stimulus (the toy) is removed in order to decrease the behavior

Punishment—especially when it is immediate and consistent—can temporarily reduce unwanted behaviors. But it also has important drawbacks, which is why many psychologists encourage reinforcement-based approaches whenever possible.

The Cons of Punishment: What We Know about Spanking

Physical punishment, especially spanking, has become far less common in the United States, and for good reason. Research shows several risks:

1. Punishment can teach fear

Children may fear the punishment and the person delivering it. A child who is spanked for hitting may avoid the parent, feel anxious, or become fearful of school if teachers use harsh discipline (Gershoff et al., 2010). As a result, most states and schools in the United States have banned corporal punishment.

2. Punishment may increase aggression

Children learn by modeling. If they observe adults using hitting to solve problems, they may imitate that behavior with peers (Gershoff, 2002). For instance, a child spanked for grabbing a toy may later hit classmates when frustrated.

Because of these concerns, most psychologists and parenting experts recommend focusing on reinforcement—catching and rewarding desired behaviors—rather than relying on punishment.

A child placing stickers on a chart hanging on her wall.
Figure 1. Sticker charts are a form of positive reinforcement and a tool for behavior modification. Once this little girl earns a certain number of stickers for demonstrating a desired behavior, she will be rewarded with a trip to the ice cream parlor. (credit: Abigail Batchelder)

Behavior Modification in Children

Behavior modification uses operant conditioning to help children replace unwanted behaviors with more appropriate ones.

Some teachers and parents create a sticker chart, in which several behaviors are listed (Figure 1). Sticker charts are a form of token economies. Each time children perform the behavior, they get a sticker, and after a certain number of stickers, they get a prize, or reinforcer. The goal is to increase acceptable behaviors. 

These systems work best when reinforcement is immediate, consistent, and meaningful to the child.

Time-Out (Negative Punishment)

Photograph A shows several children climbing on playground equipment. Photograph B shows a child sitting alone on a bench.
Figure 2. Time-out is a popular form of negative punishment used by caregivers. When a child misbehaves, they are removed from a desirable activity in an effort to decrease the unwanted behavior. For example, (a) a child might be playing on the playground with friends and push another child; (b) the child who misbehaved would then be removed from the activity for a short period of time. (credit a: modification of work by Simone Ramella; credit b: modification of work by “Spring Dew”/Flickr)

Time-out is another popular technique used in behavior modification with children. It operates on the principle of negative punishment—a time-out removes a child from a desirable activity to decrease misbehavior. 

For example, say that Sophia and her brother Mario are playing with building blocks. Sophia throws some blocks at her brother, so she gets a warning that she will go to time-out if she does it again. A few minutes later, she throws more blocks at Mario. Sophia gets removed from the room for a few minutes. When she comes back, she doesn’t throw blocks.

There are several important points that you should know if you plan to implement time-out as a behavior modification technique.

  1. Remove the child from a preferred activity.
  2. Use a brief, age-appropriate duration (≈ 1 minute per year of age).
  3. Stay calm, avoid giving attention during time-out, and reconnect positively afterward. For example, give the child a hug or a kind word when time-out is over.

Time-In: Even Better Than a Time-Out?

Time-out as a behavior modification technique is falling out of favor among many researchers and parents who claim that time-outs do not appropriately address the underlying issues for a child’s misbehavior and can damage the relationship between the caretaker and child.

Some parents and psychologists now favor time-ins, which focus on connection and emotional regulation instead of isolation.

In a time-in:

  • The caregiver stays with the child.
  • They explore what the child felt, why the behavior happened, and what they could do instead.
  • The goal is to build emotional skills while still correcting behavior.

Consider the situation above with Sophia who threw blocks at Mario. How might you help Sophia stop throwing blocks without using time-out as a discipline technique?

Explain the difference between negative reinforcement and punishment, and provide several examples of each based on your own experiences.

Use this space to reflect on times when:

  • Something unpleasant was removed, increasing your behavior (negative reinforcement), and
  • Something was added or removed to reduce a behavior (positive or negative punishment).