Punishment and praise

by Alex Crocker

Were you spanked as a child? According to one 2006 survey, 75% of American parents believe that spanking is a necessary form of discipline. In some areas, corporal punishment goes beyond the home—there were 5,245 incidents of corporal punishment in Florida schools last year alone.

Is there a scientific justification for spanking and other forms of corporal punishment, or are such methods used by parents and teachers because they have lost faith in their ability to protect, control, and discipline children without reverting to violent measures?

In the psychological field of operant conditioning, spanking is considered a form of positive punishment; it decreases unwanted behavior by administering an adverse stimulus (Meyers, 2007). Theoretically, then, spanking a child after he or she misbehaves should prevent the behavior from recurring. But studies show that spanking suppresses violent behavior rather than stopping it altogether. While mild and occasional spanking has not proven significantly harmful to children, it still fails to teach them a better alternative to their bad behavior.

Positive reinforcement—in which parents and teachers give praise for good behavior—seems to be the better alternative, but this method can also backfire. When children receive too much praise, they loose their intrinsic desire to do well, and get less enjoyment out of the over-praised action or activity. According to child researcher Alfie Kohn, overused positive reinforcement can also cause children to believe that their parents’ love is conditional on their success—doubtless a troubling consequence in the minds of many unconditionally loving parents.

So what is an overworked, stressed-out parent to do? Researcher Robert Larzelere has shown that positive punishment, such as spanking, can increase violence in children lower their self-esteem, but that it may be effective as a backup method when other forms of discipline—such as time-outs and reasoning—don’t work. According to others in the field, such as Murray Straus, co-director of the Family Research Laboratory at the University of New Hampshire, spanking works, but is a morally unjust form of punishment that should not be allowed to continue.

Ultimately, decisions about spanking are reserved for parents, and in some states, teachers. Given recent studies on operant conditioning, it appears that corporal punishment—when used as a last resort—may not be harmful, but the risks associated with this method are far greater than those related to its alternative: positive reinforcement.

[Editor's note: While praise and punishments certainly are a part of guidance and discipline, I would hate for readers to get the impression that good parenting consists of reacting to what children do. Another view is to think of parenting as mostly a proactive process, anticipating potential difficulties and guiding children through them. This approach is described in this article from the University of Missouri Extension.]

Reference

Myers, D. G. (2007) Psychology in Modules (8th ed.). New York: Worth.