Post by RealPitBull on May 19, 2010 8:44:31 GMT -5
These are from an article by Dr. Susan Friedman who is an accomplished animal behaviorist/behavior analyst.
• Punishment doesn’t teach learners what to do instead of the problem behavior.
• Punishment doesn’t teach caregivers how to teach alternative behaviors.
• Punishment is really two aversive events – the onset of a punishing stimulus and the forfeiture
of the reinforcer that has maintained the problem behavior in the past.
• Punishment requires an increase in aversive stimulation to maintain initial levels of behavior
reduction.
• Effective punishment reinforces the punisher, who is therefore more likely to punish again in
the future, even when antecedent arrangements and positive reinforcement would be equally,
or more, effective.
The last point is something to seriously ponder. NO one is immune to the laws of learning. I STAUNCHLY believe that one reason for the prevalence of punishment/aversive techniques in dog training and the refusal to switch to modern, proven-effective + humane techniques is because the punishment is SO REINFORCING TO THE HUMAN DOING THE PUNISHING.
So it's not about "this works, that's why I'm doing it" (although that is part of the equation), it's also about "I refuse to change my behavior towards dogs because I am getting my own reward for continuing along my current path of jerk-choke-shock-pinch-push-pull-coerce".
• Punishment doesn’t teach learners what to do instead of the problem behavior.
• Punishment doesn’t teach caregivers how to teach alternative behaviors.
• Punishment is really two aversive events – the onset of a punishing stimulus and the forfeiture
of the reinforcer that has maintained the problem behavior in the past.
• Punishment requires an increase in aversive stimulation to maintain initial levels of behavior
reduction.
• Effective punishment reinforces the punisher, who is therefore more likely to punish again in
the future, even when antecedent arrangements and positive reinforcement would be equally,
or more, effective.
The last point is something to seriously ponder. NO one is immune to the laws of learning. I STAUNCHLY believe that one reason for the prevalence of punishment/aversive techniques in dog training and the refusal to switch to modern, proven-effective + humane techniques is because the punishment is SO REINFORCING TO THE HUMAN DOING THE PUNISHING.
So it's not about "this works, that's why I'm doing it" (although that is part of the equation), it's also about "I refuse to change my behavior towards dogs because I am getting my own reward for continuing along my current path of jerk-choke-shock-pinch-push-pull-coerce".
I look forward to learning much here