1. Punishment Justin Daigle, MA, BCBA, LBA Program Director

2. Punishment Any consequence to a behavior that decreases the future frequency of a behavior

3. Positive vs. Negative Positive – something added to the environment Negative – something taken away from the environment

4. Examples Positive – slip, loud sound, electric shock, etc. Negative – taking away video games, taking away food, etc.

5. “Blanket Effect” When using punishment, there are a number of stimuli present All of those stimuli can become associated with the effects of punishment

6. Pairing Pairing can and will occur between the person providing the punishment and the punisher. Prepare for that in a clinical setting.

7. Unconditioned Occur naturally ◦ Pain ◦ Certain odors and tastes ◦ Physical restraint ◦ Loss of bodily support ◦ Extreme muscular effort

8. Conditioned Do not occur naturally ◦ Scolding ◦ Removal of a token ◦ Disapproving look ◦ “Grounding”

9. Factors that Influence Same as reinforcement ◦ Immediacy ◦ Intensity/Magnitude ◦ Schedule of Punishment ◦ SR+ of Alternative Rs

10. Side Effects Emotional Reaction Aggression Escape/Avoidance Behavioral Contrast Undesirable Modeling SR+ of the instructor

11. SP+ Interventions Reprimands Response Blocking Contingent Exercise Overcorrection (more later) Contingent Electric Stimulation

12. Overcorrection Overcorrection ◦ Restitutional Overcorrection ◦ Overcorrection with Positive Practice

13. Ethics Is the use of punishment ethical? Is the use of punishment useful? When should we use punishment?

14. Ethics Select Effective and Appropriate Punishers ◦ You want a fast, strong punisher to “nip it in the bud” ◦ Using ineffective punishers will require more time spent in a punishment procedure.

15. Ethics Use varied punishers Deliver Immediately Punish each instance of the behavior

16. Ethics A punishment procedure should always include training on appropriate behavior

17. Ethics You should only use punishment when all other options have been exhausted and you have informed consent

18. Ethics Be prepared for negative side effects Record accurate data Least restrictive alternative Right to Effective Treatment

19. Ideology “Punishment is a natural and necessary role in learning and should be recognized as such.”

20. Removal of a Stimulus Two types of punishment procedures that use the removal of a stimulus: ◦ Time-Out ◦ Response Cost

21. Time Out “Not ya momma’s time out” Time out from the availability of SR+ “Because you hit me, you cannot play with any toys for 5 seconds.”

22. Time Out Must receive a time out during every instance of the behavior Time out should be short (10-30seconds)

23. Why Time Out? Easy Effective Socially Acceptable

24. Response Cost Examples Fines Bonus Response Cost ◦ We all have a party for 15 minutes ◦ You lose 5 minutes every time you hit me

25. Response Cost Examples Ensure you have good “back- up reinforcers” when the proper behaviors occur.

26. Response Cost Limitations Increases aggression Pairing “Blanket Effect” Call attention to behavior Unpredictability

27. Questions? Thanks for your time!