I’ve been getting ready for our next animal training and behavior analysis science camp, which is happening this weekend. I’m looking forward to spending three days with Alexandra Kurland, Dr. Michaela Hempen, Dr. Jesús Rosales-Ruiz, Anita Schnee, and what I know will be a wonderful group of attendees.
I’ll be giving a presentation about the constructional approach and lessons that we can learn from the work of Dr. Israel Goldiamond. Here’s a quote from Dr. Goldiamond that I ran across earlier this week. The quote explains why punishment is often ineffective for changing behavior.
“If [the behavior] is eliminated, and if the critical reinforcer thereby also becomes unobtainable, we may get ‘spontaneous recovery’ of the [behavior] or other [behaviors] may become established, some of which may be less desirable.”
Israel Goldiamond 1974/2002
People often punish a behavior without considering what reinforcers were maintaining the behavior. However, if the animal is prevented from doing the unwanted behavior, the animal will seek out other ways to access the desired reinforcer.
For example, if a dog is punished for growling at strangers, the dog may stop growling but resort to biting, instead. Or, if your dog barks for attention, you may be able to use punishment to suppress the barking. However, your dog may invent some even more annoying ways to get your attention, such as pawing at your leg or chewing on the furniture.
When an animal is engaged in behaviors that you find yourself labeling as bad behaviors or problem behaviors, your first reaction may be anger or frustration. You start thinking about how to eliminate the behavior.
Instead, pause and think about the situation. Your animal is using their behavior to communicate their needs. Rather than resorting to punishment, can you figure out what your animal wants? Then, can you teach new behaviors or modify the situation so that your animal can access these reinforcers?
(Note: I’ve taken the liberty to change the word “operant” to the word “behavior” in this quote, which preserves the basic meaning but makes the quote more understandable to a general audience.)