The Problem With Punishment

Punishment is the most misunderstood and misused procedure in society management of others' behaviours.  We are a society that tends to gravitate towards 'punishing' other's wrong-doings (e.g., jail, demerit point system, being sent to the principal's office).  Its misuse is a source of frustration for me because when 'punishment' fails, people are quick to associate behaviourist theory as "wrong"..."behaviour modification doesn't work" etc.  The problem with 'punishment' however, is that people think they're applying punishment, but often they are not.  For this reason, I put the word, 'punishment' in quotations.  Technically, punishment by definition is a consequence that decreases the occurrence of a behaviour.  It can be the addition of something unpleasant or the removal of something pleasurable.

If it does not decrease a behaviour, it is not punishment.

Imagine a child about to touch a hot stove and their parent slaps their hand away.  Assuming that slaps on the hand are unpleasant, then the child is less likely to try touching the stove again.  In this example, the slap occurred immediately following the behaviour.   Herein lies one misuse of 'punishment': its timing.  If there has been some time between the behaviour and the 'punishing' consequence, then you have not punished the intended behaviour.  The behaviour will probably continue and it will seem like 'punishment' isn't working.  It simply wasn't punishment to begin with.  When we invest all our energies into "getting back at" someone or when we "...make them accountable for what they did" after the fact, we've essentialy had no effect on their behaviour(s).  We've missed the boat.  It's likely that the behaviour in question was already reinforced and therefore, is more likely to occur again.

This week in Ontario, the details of (the former Colonel) Russell William's crimes were made public.  The crimes were horrific.  Many people were calling for him to be punished for what he did.  Others still felt his jail sentence was not punishment enough.  In society's misguided need for punishment, we've failed to see that jail is not a punishment.  It's been months since his crimes and unfortunately, he has already received reinforcement for doing them (his own sick pleasure).  We cannot undo that effect, and so I believe that given the opportunity to engage in the same behaviours again, he will.  Jail for now will serve as a means to eliminate or reduce those opportunities.  I am not saying that Russell Williams should not be sentenced or placed in jail.  The man needs to stay far, far away from the public.  But let's just call jail what it is: a means to keep criminals away from the public and to reduce opportunities to engage in like criminal behaviour (but given what we know happens in prisons, this may not be applicable to all cases).  If society really wants to rehabilitate criminals, sitting in a jail cell to "think about what they did" is moot.  Determining the contingencies that surrounded the occurrences (and non-occurrences) of the target behaviour is the first step towards behaviour change.    

I hope people think more about their supposed delivery of 'punishment' and determine if what they're doing really is punishment at all.  It might cause less frustration knowing you're applying principles of behaviour correctly.  Maybe we can try looking for reinforcement or extinction instead.

Feelings. Nothing More Than Feelings (Part II)

So, we know that feelings are not the causes for behaviour.  It can be quickly assumed that behaviourist thus ignore their existence.  I'm not here to take feelings away from you; rather, lets think about their existence as a byproduct of a consequence.

We're happy when we have received or are in the presence of a preferred item, activity or outcome.  That could be getting a hug, eating some chocolate, thinking about a concert we went to, seeing an A+ on your report card.  All of these things are potential reinforcers.  I say "I love you" (a behaviour) which leads to getting a hug (reinforcement) which leaves me feeling happy (the feeling).  You pay the cashier one dollar (a behaviour) which leads to eating a chocolate bar (reinforcement) which leaves you feeling happy (the feeling)  Therefore, happiness occurs AFTER one's received reinforcement.

Meanwhile, we're typically sad when these preferred items, activities or outcomes that we've come to expect are absent.  For example, when your partner has to work late and has to cancel dinner plans, when your team loses at dodge ball this week or when your favourite doughnut is sold out.  You were expecting the usual reinforcement for your actions; however, it did not deliver.  What a disappointment! (or another word for sad).  And if you were disappointed enough, you might even have to do something about it!  Like cry, throw a tantrum or drive to the other side of the city to get what you want.  Did somebody say extinction burst?

It's not that behaviourist won't acknowledge that feelings exist.  We just see them as byproducts of reinforcement (or lack thereof).  Again, the war on words is fought and the behaviourist will lose.  It's far easier to say you're crying because you are sad.  If someone were to ask you why you are sad, you can now say, "Because I'm going through a bit of an extinction burst since I'm not being reinforced as I had come to expect."  They don't teach that on Sesame Street do they?        

Feelings. Nothing More Than Feelings

If this were one of Skinner's pigeons, it probably should read 'The Pigeon Has Private Events Which He's Made Public Through Verbal Behaviours of Reporting His Feelings As Well As By His Behaviour Seen Here: Crossing of the Arms'.  Yes, pigeons (and humans) have feelings.  

Enter behaviourism myth #1: behaviourism does not explain or fails to account for feelings.  

Behaviourists do not discount feelings.  We just don't think they are the causes forbehaviour.  Remember learning in grade school about our 'five senses'? (There's actually seven, but that's another post all together).  When we see, hear, touch, smell, taste, move and resist gravity we are "feeling".  Since a feeling is within the person (i.e., its event is private), it's pretty hard to observe.  We've become adept however at observing a person's behaviour and making good (but not perfect) guesses that a certain feeling has occurred.  People have also learned to label these feelings - a form of verbal behaviour -  in order to make them public.  

Suppose you sense pain (the feeling) in your ankle, then begin to limp and wince (behaviours I can see).  I am probably going to guess you're in pain and offer you some help.  The limping may also temporarily minimize pain  If you actually say, "My ankle hurts" (a behaviour I can hear), then you've really got my attention and hopefully my offer of help will assist in reducing your pain.  The next time your ankle hurts, you might wince, limp and/or say "My ankle hurts" again in order to minimize the pain or get others to give you the help you need.  The behaviourist in me would say, you didn't wince, limp or say "My ankle hurts" because you were in pain; rather, you've learned that by engaging in those behaviours, your pain is likely to diminish, just like it had before.  Your feeling of pain might have set you up to wince, limp etc. but if the feeling of pain did not change and if no one ever responded to these behaviours, you'd probably stop doing them and try something else.  

So, the next time someone asks you, "Why are you limping?"  You could say, "Because in the past, limping resulted in making my pain diminish and so I am limping now in anticipation that the same will occur".  That's a mouthful and probably more information than what someone was looking for.  Alas, it is easier to say, "Because I'm in pain".  This is where perhaps the behaviourist won't win against efficiency.  As long as statements like this are accepted as true, behaviourists might never win this battle of words.  And so, the title 'The Pigeon Has Feelings Too' shall remain.

*Thank you to my classmates in 'Prinicples of ABA' for the discussion on feelings and 'reporting of feelings' that inspired this post.  I think the more we talk about it, the more we will "know".  Good ole B.F. Skinner gets props too!  Check out his book, 'About Behaviorism' for more on this subject.

A Behaviourist is Born

I often reflect back on how I came to identify myself as a behaviourist.  How did I come to embrace this field of study and apply it to everyday life?  I remember as a child I didn't say much, but I watched.  I watched what everyone was doing and I listened to what everyone was saying.  I tried to put meaning behind what I was seeing and hearing to then guess how I should fit in.  How should I respond?  How can I make myself a useful part of this exchange of events?  I probably over-thought most of what I did or said.  The photo above is from a series of photos my mom took of my first experience running through a sprinkler (and my first bikini too); except, I didn't run through the sprinkler with careless ease.  No, I methodically placed each of my extremities into the path of water, evaluated whether or not I liked that experience and continued from there.  Here I was, perhaps not quite three years old, and I was completing my own free operant assessment.  Turns out that water splashed in my face - a consequence of some parts of my body coming into contact with the water - was not very reinforcing for me.  I never embraced the sprinkler, but I remember this day clearly.  There would be a few more attempts before my parents realized I was not a water baby.  I suppose I punished their attempts eventually.

There are many of these examples from my childhood as well as day-to-day events that speak to the principles of behaviour.  I hope to bring these everyday examples of behaviourism, dispel some myths about behaviourism and reflect on society's misunderstanding (and subsequent mis-use) of its principles when solving life's problems. Behaviourist might not rule the world (yet), but I'll be having fun getting us there.  This is a behaviourist at play.