For several years, researchers have been trying to determine whether
certain consequences of behavior will have a positive or negative effect on overall
learning. One particular case where this may be questioned concerns a 5 year
old boy named Ben who was spanked after he was caught stealing from a store. After
reviewing the details of this case, I do not agree that the consequence of spanking
will teach this child that the behavior is wrong. This is because there are several
other negative issues that can occur when using this method to shape behavior.
Many of these may also have devastating effects on the quality of Ben’s overall
psychological well-being. Therefore, the overall purpose of this paper will be
to further discuss this issue by addressing the following two questions:
1. What could Ben learn
from this punishment and why is it incompatible for the behavior?
2. What learning model
and/or theory best provides supportive evidence for my position?
What could Ben learn from this punishment and why is it incompatible
for the behavior?
According to (Chance. 2009) “observational
learning may be defined as a change in behavior due to the experience of
observing a model” (p. 276). Many believe that this type of learning can occur within
several different areas of our lives even without a model. When conducting
observational learning, there are also two basic procedures that may be used
during the process. The first process is called vicarious reinforcement and
this is when an observer will see a model’s behavior produce reinforcement.
While, the second process is called vicarious punishment and this is when an
observer will see a model’s behavior get punished.
Although, both of these
procedures may acquire different results, they can still be responsible for
shaping an
observers behavior. Since, this is the case many may also question how an
observer’s behavior can be shaped when using the procedures of observational
learning. For instance, in Ben’s case, it was suggested that the model (his
trusted caretaker) should use vicarious punishment to acquire the desired
behavior of learning that stealing is wrong. However, I believe that vicarious punishment
is an incompatible procedure to use in this case. One reason for this is
because the punishment may be so psychologically and/or physically traumatizing
that Ben will remember that, over the behavior that his caretaker was trying to
shape. If this is the case, then there is a smaller chance that the desired
behavior will be repeated in the future. A second reason that I do not think
that spanking should be used is because that particular punishment may cause Ben
to develop several psychological issues. Some of these may include low
self-esteem, low self-worth, anxiety, depression, a desire for isolation,
mistrust in others and/or, one specific social model learning behavior known as
“Transmission of
Aggression Through Imitation of Aggressive Models” (Chance.
2009).
What
learning model and/or theory best provides supportive evidence for my position?
Transmission of aggression through
imitation of aggressive models can occur when an observer learns and imitates
an aggressive behavior that was initially taught via a respected model. One
specific theory that supports this idea is Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory. In
one particular experiment, he placed a group of young
children in different scenarios with an adult and a doll. In the first part of
the experiment, the children observed an adult spanking, yelling at and tossing
the doll. In the second part of the experiment, a different group of children
observed the adult playing with the doll in a non-violent manner. However, in
the last part of the experiment, a third group of children observed no abuse or
positive play among the adult and doll. The outcome of this overall experiment showed that only those
children who observed aggressive behavior toward the doll became aggressive
toward it themselves. Therefore, the results indicated that aggressive behaviors
can be learned by direct observation through a model. In this case, the
children also learned that the adult never received punishment for exhibiting
aggressive behavior, so this may have encouraged them to exhibit the same undesirable
behavior (Chance. 2009).
When considering this particular theory, Bandura
also believed that observational learning may only occur when four specific
factors are included. These are as follows:
1.
The observer must give attention to the behavior - In Ben’s case there is a
good chance that he will give full attention to the behavior because spanking
is a painful physical punishment. Furthermore, he may be more attentive to this
behavior because it could also cause major psychological distress during the
overall process.
2.
The observer can retain the behavior that the model exhibited - If Ben can
remember how the model completed the behavior of spanking, than it will be
easier for him to imitate this at a later time. When considering spanking as a
punishment, it may also be very easy to remember because the behavior is simple
compared to other punishments that may be more complex.
3.
The observer must have the motor skills required to carry out the models behavior
- This is very important because it can greatly determine who might imitate
certain behavior and who will not. In this case, if Ben has the cognitive
ability to understand and process the behavior of spanking, then he will be
able to carry out this punishment in the future.
4.
The observer must possess the motivation needed to exhibit the models behavior
- In this case, if Ben’s caretaker spanks him and he observes no negative
consequence for her behavior, then he may begin to view it as acceptable and/or
desired behavior. This skewed cognitive thinking may lead
him to believe that punishment like spanking is acceptable reinforcement to use
with his own children. If this occurs, he may then become motivated to try and
shape their behavior by using spanking as a punishment. In this case, he will also initiate the next cycle of generational abuse and his children may experience
similar psychological and/or physical issues.
Conclusion
For many years, researchers have been studying how using punishment as
reinforcement can have both positive and negative effects when used to shape
behavior. After reviewing the case involving a five-year-old boy named Ben, I
stated that I do not agree that spanking may be the best punishment technique to
use in this case. One main reason for this belief is because when using this
punishment, it may not shape Ben’s behavior to learn that stealing is wrong and
could cause several different psychological issues during the overall process. These
could include low self-esteem, low self-worth, anxiety, depression, a desire
for isolation, mistrust in others.
A second thing that Ben could learn
through this reinforcement procedure is aggression. Since,
this is the case I also discussed one specific social
model learning behavior known as “Transmission
of Aggression Through Imitation of Aggressive Models. This theory explains and supports the idea that Ben
could end up learning the aggressive behavior of spanking through direct observation
of his respected model. I also provided supportive evidence of this by
discussing a specific experiment that was conducted by Bandura. He analyzed a group of children and confirmed that they will repeat or imitate aggressive behaviors after
direct observation of a model. Therefore, if
this happens to Ben and these issues are not addressed accordingly they may greatly
reduce the quality of Ben’s overall level of psychological well-being. He may also repeat this course of punishment to shape behavior within his own family
environment in the future.
Reference:
Chance, P. (2009). Learning
and behavior. (6 ed.). Wadsworth: Cengage Learning.
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