Re: Intermittent Punishment

[Drnanjo]

My understanding is that given the general way human perception functions, the ABSENCE of punishment, when it fails to occur, is a reinforcer. If we cannot punish a misdeed everytime it happens, the times when the perpetrator gets away with it are experienced as rewards.  The reward is the feeling of getting away with it.

Think about times when you were a kid, you did something that your parent punished you for, parent told you not to do it again or more punishment would happen. But you commit the misdeed again, without getting caught, and you are thinking "Yeah! Hooray!"

This is actually a fairly compelling argument against the use of punishment to teach good behavior.

Nancy Melucci
Long Beach City College
Long Beach, CA ---
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