There is no doubt that at least some behaviors in some people can be controlled

Question

There is no doubt that at least some behaviors in some people can be controlled through conditioning techniques. Operant conditioning is a type of learning more strongly associated with voluntary behavior and is based on Edward Thorndike's work with cats in a puzzle box. B. F. Skinner expanded on Thorndike's Law of Effect and coined the term "operant conditioning" for this type of learning. Reinforcement is a consequence that is pleasurable and strengthens the response that came before it. Punishment, on the other hand, decreases the likelihood of a response. Typically, punishment only temporarily suppresses the response. Shaping involves the use of operant conditioning to reward successive approximations until the desired response is obtained. Various types of behavior modification strategies such as these have been applied to solving real-world problems.

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using punishment in the workplace?

Is it an effective method for reducing behaviors in adults?

Explanation / Answer

Punishment refers to reduction in the undesired behvaiour while renforcement refers to increase in occurrence of the desired behvaiour. There are two types of punishments- positive nad negative; positive punishment refers to addition of something desired to reduce the undesired behaviour while negative punishment refers to subtractionof something desired to reduce teh undesired behaviour. Majorly, in punishment we talk about negative punishment.

Advantages of using a punishment are that the cases of crime like, bullying, ragging, theft can reduce in organisation; Punishment can give lesson to the employee not only to the specific employee that being punished but to the other colleagues that is not being punished and All the institutions have discipline agenda, which can be easily achieved by punishment. (note- all these advantages are unethical behvaiour and therefore, punishment never have such advantages per se)

Disadvantages are- Hitting does not teach the children any alternatives to the undesired behavior; Punishment affects the employer's feelings of self worth; punishment include unethical and violent behvaiours; punishment can make an individual more rebel and therefore the individual might not reduce the undesired behvaiour.

Punishment isn't an effective method with adults as it only instill the feelings of fear which is unethical. With adults renforcements work better as it makes them feel happy and pat of the organisation.

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