Pros And Cons Of Operant Conditioning

The idea behind using punishment to teach a child on what is right and what is wrong stems from operant conditioning. According to the textbook Experiencing Psychology, “operant conditioning (or instrumental conditioning) is a form of associative learning in which the consequences of a behavior change the probability of the behavior’s occurrence” (King, 2013, p.178). For instance, if a child learns the alphabet a parent would reward them for learning it, and then the child would know that learning the alphabet was a good thing. The down side of this type of conditioning is seen if a child does something wrong, not sharing his or her toys, the parents would then punish the child teaching him or her that it is bad. In recent years, there have
While some believe physical and verbal punishments will lead to the child mimicking the punishments for their children in the future. The Virginia Tech website suggests using discipline instead of punishment, which includes letting a child face natural consequences. One thing that should be pointed is recidivism in the prison system. Recidivism is “a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior” (Webster’s, 1975). Many criminals are being released from prison just to be arrested for the same offense, because they are not learning from their mistakes in prison. This leads people to question if punishment is the best way to shape human behavior. Psychologists have also stated that some people use punishments inappropriately, an example of inappropriate punishment would be if a parent was angry or upset. According to the textbook, “punishment is a consequence the decreases the likelihood that a behavior will occur” (King, 2013, p.185). According to the Family education
My mom set up different punishments for my sister and I, and we hardly ever had the same punishments. My sister would be given a teaspoon of vinegar, because it was something that would make her change her behavior. For me, my mom had to try multiple things to see what would make me change my behavior. She tried spanking and a teaspoon of vinegar, but she found out that letting me know I hurt her feelings made me change the way I spoke or acted. I think every child suffers consequences for not doing something, at least once in their life. When my sister was little my mom always told her to stay away from the curling iron, but it was not until she touched it when it was on that she learned she should leave it alone. I do not think one side is right and the other is wrong, because it really depends on the child and the parent. The Bible talks a lot about discipline and punishment, because each are important in the eyes of God. God punished Adam and Eve by casting them out of the Garden of Eden after the Fall, and God punished those that did not follow His Commandments. Hebrews 12: 5-7 says,
“And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.’ It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is