Punishment of behavior is one type of learning in which the frequency or probability of a behavior is diminished if it follows a punisher. It has been studied by psychologists and educationists for decades, and even though there are many different schools of thought on how punishment affects behavior, the general consensus seems to be that it does not work well as an educational technique when used alone. What is Punishment? Punishments are strategies for reducing or eliminating unwanted behaviors, and they can come in many different forms. If a child misbehaves at school, the teacher may take away recess time as punishment. A person who drives too fast might be given a speeding ticket. A parent might ground their teen so that they have to stay home from a party on Friday night. In all of these cases there’s something happening after the behavior happens: losing privileges (the example of taking away recess), paying money into an “account” with some sort of penalty system built-in (a speeding ticket), being forced to stay somewhere you don’t want to be (grounding). All
