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BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Schedules of Punishment

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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)
VU
Lesson 15
BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE
Objectives:
To understand the schedules of punishment
To understand the generalization of punishment
To understand the Implications of punishment for violence
To understand the problems of behaviorist perspective
Punishment
Punishment has been a norm to learn and unlearn behaviors for centuries in all cultures. People knew
that reward can motivate a person to perform some thing but Skinner made the earth shattering
discovery by targeting the idea that how to prevent, stop and barricade people from doing what they
have learned. So, he devised the idea of Schedules of Punishment and experimented on the reaction of
rats towards punishment.
Schedules of Punishment
Rat presses bar.
Receives mild electric shock.
Frequency of bar pressing decreases
But after some time mild shock loses its value and rat keep on pressing bar
So, punishment has to increase in intensity.
Experiment
RAT PRESSED THE BAR
RECEIVED MILD
DECREASE FREQUENCY
ELECTRIC SHOCK
BUT PERSISTENT ON BAR
PRESSING
RAT PRESSED THE BAR
RECEIVED INTENSE
STOP BAR PRESSING
ELECTRIC SHOCK
RAT PRESSED THE BAR
RECEIVED INTENSE
DO NOT STOP BAR
ELECTRIC SHOCK (BUT
PRESSING
NOT EVERY TIME)
RAT PRESSED THE BAR
RECEIVED INTENSE
STOP BAR PRESSING.
ELECTRIC SHOCK (BUT
CONSISTENTLY)
Generalization of punishment
Punishment also generalizes to other activities like reinforcement. Like when rat received food pallet its
other activities and movements in the box increased as result and after receiving an intense electric
shock, rats sniffing decreased and reduction in all other activities was observed.
Let's try to understand generalization of punishment phenomenon in human behavior like if you punish
a child for poor performance in mathematics, his performance in science, English and social studies also
decreases as a result. Punishment generally suppresses all other activities.
According to the result of Skinner's experiments only consistent and severe punishment is effective.
But can we apply the same punishment schedules to human behavior.
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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)
VU
Child misbehaves 3 times_____ Parent punished only 1 time and ignored other 2_______child will
keep on misbehaving
Punishment should be consistent and applied every time that the child engages in the misbehavior. Of
course it is not possible to severely punish every time. Now keeping in view the schedules of
punishment, think that how can we make our children learn good behaviors and forbid from erroneous.
How severly can we punish our children? Is it justified? If children show unwanted behavior, is it
practical and moral to consistently and intensively punish them? Does punishment work? Then why
human have been punishing people for centuries? Skinner concluded punishment is not effective at
all.
Punishment is also reinforcement
Yes some time punishment serves as reinforcement. For instance a child wants the attention of his
mother and mother is busy with other chores. Child repeatedly shouts and calls her but she does not give
any attention but when she turns to him, give him a slap on his face. Now in this situation child become
successful in getting the attention of mother in the form of punishment.
A verse of Fraz's Gazal illustrates this in a beautiful way:
Ranjish hi sahi dil hi dukhaanay kay liyay aa
aa phir say mujhay chhorr kay jaanay kay liyay aa
You need attention whether in the form of pain or punishment and by punishing we are reinforcing the
behavior of our child and ultimately increasing his future possibilities of unwanted behavior.
If punishment is not effective then what is effective
Reward
Desirable/wanted
Try to reward children more frequently and ignore their
behaviors
unwanted behaviors. May be a child underachieve in
Ignore
Negative and
mathematics because he gives more attention to other
unwanted
subjects. So, reward that child when ever he picks up
behaviors
mathematics' book or do some thing good in this subject
instead of punishing him.
Energetic progress in good can eliminate bad
Implications for violence
Punishment has profound implications for violence. Physical punishment should not be admissible in
any circumstances because it is harmful for self esteem, motivation, general emotions and progress.
Modeling of violence
Physical punishment serves as a model for aggression. Children imitate or model what they see adults
due to them. Aggression begets aggression. Punishment for hitting, shoving and kicking may stop the
child¹s misbehavior temporarily, but it stimulates further aggression in the child. He will learn that it is
all right to hurt others. Spanking does not teach the child the' moral message' that you should not hurt or
abuse people. When punishment is paired with criticism, name-calling or verbal abuse, the child may
become afraid of the punisher. The parent loses trust with the child. The effects of punishment have
been shown to last only for a short time. While the child may stop the inappropriate behavior, the
punishment does not teach the child what to do in the future.
Built up rage
After being punished, the child is left in emotional turmoil and resentment. He may focus on fantasy and
revenge, which then can grow into hatred. The child learns not misbehave when the parent is around.
The punished behavior may stop only in the presence of the adult. The child may continue the negative
behavior when the adult is not around.
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Forensic Psychology (PSY - 513)
VU
The child may stop the behavior for which he is punished and substitute another aggressive act. He may
stop the negative behavior such as hitting but then increase other aggressive behavior such as verbal
abuse of the person he is upset with.
The frequent use of punishment may cause a child to withdraw or regress into acting younger. He may
become non trusting and fearful of others.
The child may lie or become sneaky to avoid being punished. He will not learn to take responsibility for
what he did wrong, but may justify and rationalize it.
The child may develop negative beliefs of himself that are associated with the frequent use of
punishment such as "I'm a bad person. I'm mean." These negative beliefs result in further lowered self-
esteem.
When punished, the child may strike back at the person or he may take his anger and displace it at an
object, animal or another child, so resulting gin the chain of violence and aggression.
When the parent threatens the child with a terrible consequence that is not carried out, there can be
several responses. The child can become excessively frightened or the child learns to distrust the parent
and view the parent as a liar.
Researches shows that sexual abusers are not those who were sexually abused in the child hood rather
were physically beaten and turned to sexual abusers. Offenders and criminals have the childhood
history of physical punishment.
Problems with the behaviorism
Although the whole process of behaviorism has a scientific touch and are saying that human beings are
no more than a part of the animal kingdom. But human beings are much more than animal; they interact,
read books, have religion and have language.
Ignored the importance of language
These are human beings that can express their feelings in words, can explain abstract things through
language. This is language that explains our religion system, moral system. Some people argues that
animals too have language but animals do not have rich vocabulary, they may have natural biological-
social system.
Ignored the importance of memory and many other cognitive processes
Behaviorists emphasized the outward behavioral aspects of thought and dismissed the inward
experiential and sometimes the inner procedural aspects as well.
Animal violence
Most animals resort to violence throughout their life. Violence is the daily routine of tigers, wolfs even
apes e.t.c There is another side; many human beings live their whole life with out resorting to violence
and this make the best evolve creation. Behaviorists have amazing contribution but fall short because it
does not treat us at spiritual level and does not give us our due status.
With all such limitations and issues, Behaviorism has amazingly contributed to the field and study of
psychology and has given the prolific lessons to teachers, parents, educators and forensic psychologists
who are interesting in the study of violent behaviors.
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Table of Contents:
  1. INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY:Future of Forensic Psychology
  2. INTRODUCTION TO FORENSIC PSYCHOOGY:Way of police investigation
  3. FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY AND POLICE:Violent Criminals
  4. POLICE PSYCHOLOGY:Use of excessive force, Corruption, Personnel Selection
  5. POLICE PSYCHOLOGY:Fitness-for-Duty Evaluation (FFDE), False Confessions
  6. INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY:For instance, Empirical and logical approach
  7. INVESTIGATIVE PSYCHOLOGY:Crime Scene Investigation, Staging
  8. PSYCHOLOGY OF VIOLENCE:Law of Conservation of Energy, Super ego
  9. PSYCHOANALYTIC MODEL AND VIOLENCE:Fixation at Oral Stage
  10. PSYCHOANALYTIC MODEL AND VIOLENCE:Defense Mechanism, Rationalization
  11. JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY AND VIOLENCE:Freudian Methods, JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY
  12. JUNGIAN PSYCHOLOGY AND VIOLENCE:Religion and mental illnesses
  13. BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Shadow’s violence, Child’s violence
  14. BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Operant Conditioning
  15. BEHAVIORIST PERSPECTIVE AND VIOLENCE:Schedules of Punishment
  16. SOCIAL LEARNING MODEL AND VIOLENCE:Observational learning, Vicarious punishment
  17. MORAL DEVELOPMENT AND VIOLENCE:Symbolic functioning, Formal operational stage
  18. BIO-PSYCHO-SOCIAL MODEL:Mental hospitals are factories of abuse
  19. ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE ABOUT VIOLENCE:Morality is essential
  20. ISLAMIC MODEL:Nafs al-Ammara, Nafs al-Lawwama, Nafs ul Naatiqa
  21. TREATMENTS FOR THE SOUL:Tawba, Sabr o Shukr, Niyyat o Ikhlaas, Taffakkur
  22. CRIMINOGENIC PERSONALITY:Personality Disorders, Common Crimes
  23. CRIMINOGENIC PERSONALITY AND VIOLENCE:Mnemonic, Similarities
  24. CRIMINOGENIC PERSONALITY AND VIOLENCE:Terrorism and Psychopaths
  25. LEARNING DISABILITIES/MENTAL RETARDATION AND VIOLENCE
  26. ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS:Reasons for referral, Personality Inventories
  27. ASSESSMENT OF PERSONALITY DISORDERS:Different cutoff scores
  28. RISK ASSESSMENT:Violence reduction scale, Stability of Family upbringing
  29. TREATMENT OF VIOLENT BEHAVIOR / PERSONALITY PSYCHODYNAMIC PSYCHOTHERAPY
  30. JUNGINA THERAPEUTIC MODEL:Limits of re-parenting, Personality Typologies
  31. GROUP THERAPY FOR OFFENDERS:Learning in Groups, Humanistic Groups
  32. PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN FORENSIC SETTINGS:Narrative Therapy
  33. PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN FORENSIC SETTINGS:Solution Focused Therapy
  34. PSYCHOTHERAPIES IN FORENSIC SETTINGS:Avoiding reactance, Externalization
  35. PSYCHOTHERAPY IN FORENSIC SETTINGS AND SPECIAL CHALLENGES
  36. FORENSIC PSYCHOTHERAPY:Exploring therapeutic alliance, Music Therapy
  37. VIOLENCE REDUCTION PROGRAM:Target Population, Lack of motivation
  38. VIOLENCE REDUCTION PROGRAM:Criminal attitude, Interpersonal Aggression
  39. VICTIM SUPPORT:Main features of PTSD, Emotional Support
  40. VICTIM SUPPORT:Debriefing, Desensitization, Eidetic Therapy, Narrative Therapy
  41. SUBSTANCE MISUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM:Marijuana, Unconventional drugs
  42. SUBSTANCE MISUSE TREATMENT PROGRAM:Stages of Change, Homosexuality
  43. EXPERT WITNESS:Insanity Pleas, Sexual Offence Risk, Instructions
  44. COUNTER TERRORISM:Misconceptions, Psychologists & Propaganda war
  45. SUMMING UP FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY:Problems with Risk Assessment, Expert Witness