Spanking Linked to Kids' Later Aggression (Article) Due Saturday Week #15

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"April 12, 2010 -- Moms who spank their 3-year-olds may be increasing their children's risk of aggressive behavior, such as bullying, by the time they turn 5, a study shows.

The study, published in the May issue of Pediatrics, adds to evidence suggesting that spanking and other types of corporal punishment set kids up for aggressive behaviors later in life."

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20100412/spanking-linked-to-kids-later-aggression

Please read and disucss this article

Next how does this compare with the information we know from the text?
How does this compare with Skinner's view of punishment?
HOw does this compare with your view on punishment?

 

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7 Comments

When looking through my text it discusses positive punishment. This is a way that children get punished and there is a positive outcome. The book gives the example of spanking a child after they run out in the street. This is a positive punishment if the child doesn’t continue to run out in the street. However this article is about spanking leading to aggressive behavior in children. This article explains that there is a correlation between mothers spanking their three year old children and aggressive behavior. The article then explains that time out is a better option than spanking because it takes the child away from the aversive situation or behavior without showing aggression in spanking. Not only is spanking mentioned as leading to aggressive behavior but video games as well. The article also explains that certain types of punishment such as time out differ according to the child’s age.

Skinners view of punishment goes along with this article. Skinner emphasized how the environment sets the child up for certain behaviors. If the child is playing aggressive video games they are in the environment to learn that behavior. If the parents are spanking the child they are learning that hitting is an acceptable behavior. Skinner would agree with time out because it takes the child away from the situation or environment and interrupts the behavior.

I agree with this article. I don’t think spanking is an acceptable or effective form of punishment. I believe it only teaches that hitting is an acceptable behavior. Time out is a better form of punishment because the behavior is interrupted and the child then learns that, that certain behavior isn’t acceptable. I also agree with the article in that awarding good behaviors is a good form of reward. If children are rewarded for good behavior they are less likely to behave badly because they want to be rewarded for good behavior. I also agree with Skinner that certain situations or environments set people and children up for certain behaviors. If a college student is at a bar they are more likely to drink alcohol. If they drink alcohol they are more likely to drink to much alcohol than if they didn’t drink in the first place. If a child plays aggressive video games or games that are for older children or adults they are more likely to accept that behavior as acceptable vs. someone who had never played a video game or a game of that kind. I think parents have a lot of responsibility in setting a good environment for their children and teaching them what behaviors are acceptable or not.

The article describes research supporting the hypothesis that using corporal punishment on children at the age of 3 may result in the emission of aggressive behavior by the age of 5. Furthermore, the article states that parents should attempt to use positive, non-physical forms of discipline and avoid the use of spanking when the child requires discipline. The use of corporal punishment was then broken down into three groups: Those who had not spanked their child in the last month (nearly 50%), those who spanked their 3-year-old once or twice within the last month (27.9%), and those who reported spanking their child more than twice in the past month (26.5%). These children were then monitored for aggressive behaviors, including bullying, cruelty, anti-social, destructive, and/or prone to getting into fights with others. This study strengthens evidence that spanking a child will lead to aggressive behavior in the future because researchers carefully controlled for maternal risks other than spanking (such as alcoholism, abuse, and stress) that may have influenced the child's behavior.

This article coincides nicely with what B.F. Skinner writes about in Beyond Freedom & Dignity. Skinner believed that other than physically restraining someone, punishing them is the worst thing you can do. Punishment robs a man of his freedom and dignity, and unfortunately, literature on the subject of freedom only preserves the use of punitive techniques to control behavior. Skinner believed that rather than stop an unwanted behavior, punishment only serves to displace the undesirable behavior; an organism learns to avoid punishment by avoiding situations and doing things that are incompatible with punishment. Furthermore, Skinner states that in a world with nonpunitive contingencies, a person will ultimately do good, but that person, in turn, is not free. He cannot receive credit for his good behavior, and he has learned nothing. Punishment cannot teach or condition new behavior, it leaves the organism to discover what behavior is acceptable, and thereby wastes time and resources. Instead, Skinner offers many alternatives to punishment. Interestingly, one of these methods is the abandonment of policy known as permissiveness. A person is free to be autonomous, and if they behave well, it is due his or her own self-control. Although this system may appear lacking in structure, one thing it can do is guarantee an individual's freedom and dignity. Therefore, it is safe to argue that Skinner probably did not spank his children.

The text (Pierce & Cheney 4th ed.) takes a more objective approach to the subject of punishment. It begins by defining punishment as any behavioral contingency that results in a decreased rate of response. Other procedures, such as satiation, extinction, restraint, and behavioral contrast can also reduce the rate of response. Positive punishment involves the introduction of an aversive stimulus following an operant, which then decreases in rate of response. Interestingly, the book uses the example of a parent spanking a child after running into the road (which he then stops doing) as an example of positive punishment and in many other examples. This indicates that the authors do not condemn the use of corporal punishment on children, while never actually condoning it. Negative punishment involves the removal of a pleasurable stimulus contingent on a response, with the removal resulting in a decreased rate of behavior. The text specifies that a punisher will be most effective if it is an intense and aversive stimulus, abruptly delivered immediately following the response every time the undesirable response is emitted.

My own view on the use of corporal punishment is perhaps more positive than most. I do not feel that spanking a child will cause any psychological harm, however, I do believe that children are likely to mimic many behaviors that their parents model. If a parent demonstrates that physical measures are required to solve a dispute then a child is likely to carry that solution onto the playground and potentially strike another child who's behavior he or she may disagree with. As a child who was spanked from time to time, I report no noticeable negative psychological consequences (perhaps a clinical psychologist would disagree..) and believe that a spanking was sometimes necessary to deter me from undesirable behaviors that I was dead-set on emitting. Upon observation, I've noticed many children who appear to have no concern over their parents' threats; they misbehave and do so carelessly, fearless of any punishment their parents may dish out. Perhaps these children are hyperactive outliers, and little can be done to control their wild behaviors. Perhaps their parents have not developed effective ways of reinforcing good behavior. Or, maybe the kid just needs a good old fashioned spanking!

As was already previously stated, we know from our various readings and the text that in order for a punishment to be successful, it must cause an immediate cessation in the undesired behavior. By textbook standards as long as the punishment is directly associated with the undesired behavior and the child is able to make that connection, it can potentially be an effective form of punishment even though it is highly aversive. The textbook states that as long as the undesired behavior drastically decreases after the positive punishment, then yes, the punishment is effective.

Skinner in Beyond Freedom and Dignity would disagree. Punishing a child in this manner would only cause for the punishable behavior to take different avenues. For instance, an individual may fantasize about committing said punishable behavior. Another possibility is that the individual will rationalize the behavior in another form. Say instead of hitting a person, they will hit an object instead to satisfy the urge. Another potential "solution" to satisfy the urges is to pick up a dependency. Whether it be drugs, alcohol or something else. In any case, it is not an acceptable response.

Personally, I don't GENERALLY feel that spanking is an appropriate response to a negatively perceived behavior. My parents were much more creative than that and they passed that down to me. A punishment, in my eyes should be something imaginative that makes the child regret their decision in the first place. My parents must have taken a page out of Machiavelli's The Prince because they were able to strike fear into myself and my two siblings without making us HATE them. I can't say there are NEVER occasions where an extreme reaction is warranted though (such as a child running out into the street).

I would say that this article holds true to a lot of things we have discussed as well as what is learned from the textbook. The text points out that punishment is only effective at stopping a given behavior at a certain time. It does not actually teach the child anything about desired behviors and it does not promise that these behaviors won't occur again in the future. This holds true in the article. By punishing them physically you are not showing them the behavior that is expected and the continued need for spanking shows that the undesired behavior has not been extinguished. As far as the bullying goes, this emotional aspect, may be just another negative effect of using punishment. As the book put it, people will always try to avoid punishment or find a "release" for it. This may be what the children are learning. It is also all that they know. Kids are taught how to handle things in life by their parents. The kids do something wrong, annoying, or something the parents do agree with they get punished. In a child's mind this may be exactly what they are doing to the other kids or even adults.

As far as Skinner goes, I would say that this article is a nice compliment to his ideas. He of course preaches about behaviors and was a big supporter of the ideas around teaching/learning. As I mentioned before we are taught how to be by example and by authority figures often times. If we are raised in a world of physical punishement, and in a child's eyes what may be cruelty, then all that child will know/understand is cruelty. The article suggests different ways to punish and even mentions a system of rewards instead. This also kind of goes along with Skinner. He doesn't believe we can completely take punishment out of the world but he does believe there are times and places for different punishments. He also believes that certain punihsment styles can do more damage than good. You need punishment styles that fit the offense, are not overly aversive, and that can be used to teach the child. According to the article spanking doesn't really meet these criteria.

Finally, I would also say that I overall agree with this article. I do not feel there is anything wrong with a very rare, occasional spanking. I do not, however, believe it should be used freely and should never be given too hard as to cause much pain. It should just send a message. I was spanked as a child and with the way my mom used them I usually got the message loud and clear. I can also say I never grew up to mean to other kids or any kind of bully. So I guess I would say that spanking is "ok" as long as it is used properly. I give much more support to reinforcement, time-outs, taking away privelages, and other methods like those.

The text emphasizes on positive punishment. Punishment is only effective at stopping a given behavior at a certain time. Using physical violence on a child for not obeying an order will not effectively teach the child how to properly behave. According to the text, as long as the undesired behavior drastically decreases after the positive punishment, it is considered effective. The article barely mentions a correlation between mothers spanking their three year old children and aggressive behavior. What a great way to start off the article, and then not to explain the correlation with mothers and their kids. Why not fathers? What about single parent fathers? Homosexual parents? A time out is a much better option than spanking because it takes the child away from the aversive situation and gives them time to think/cool off, rather than spanking and creating an aversive behavior.

In Beyond Freedom & Dignity, Skinner believed that punishing someone physically is the worst thing you can do. Skinner believed that this does not stop an unwanted behavior, but that punishment only serves to displace the undesirable behavior; an organism learns to avoid punishment by avoiding situations and doing things that are incompatible with punishment. Skinner does offer alternative techniques to punishment. One alternative is permissiveness. A person is free to be themselves, and if this leads to good behavior, it is because of their own self-control. This creates an individual's freedom and dignity (hence the same of Skinner's article).

One of my favorite shows is Super Nanny. Almost all of the families Jo works with, the parents resort to physical punishment. Obviously it is not working if they are seeking help from an outside source. Jo uses the time out's on children. Her method is that for every year of age the child is, that is how many minutes their time out is. However if they are older (ie: 6+) then a time out and interaction/conversation about the problem between the child and parent are needed. Based on the aired shows, her methods work. It is not brain science to her techniques of getting rid of an unwanted behavior, but I am sure other people believe it is a miracle. I would get very frustrated if I had to be in that situation where the child is being put to bed, and they keep coming out where the parent is. Jo's method is to carry the child back to their bed, shut the door, and walk out without saying a word. You are suppose to keep doing this until they fall asleep. I think this can be a problem still, because you simply can not force a child to be tired and go to sleep at a certain time. Eventually they would fall asleep, but I think you would have to adjust their daily routine by having them play/do something to get rid of their energy to WANT to go to sleep. This is my view on the show and punishment in general. But mainly I agree with Jo's techniques on punishment.

The article discusses the effects of punishing a child through the form of spanking and the effects it may potentially have on a child’s ability to control their aggression in the future. In the article, moms who spank their 3-year-olds are studied. Of the 2,500 mother’s questioned, about half of them were found to spank their 3-year-old. Research suggests that there is a link between spanking and other forms of corporal punishment and an increase in aggressive behavior as the child ages. This study further reinforced that hypothesis with the fact that the children living in a violent or aggressive home were found to have increased levels of aggression as they aged. The article then went into detail suggesting that, though punishment is often found to be effective, it is not the best way to teach a child. The researchers suggest positive reinforcement and rewarding good behavior rather than only scolding bad behavior. Age-appropriate discipline is also something that many parents need to take into consideration when disciplining their child.

The text goes about the idea of punishment differently. It begins by discussing positive punishment versus negative punishment and the differences between the two. The article, though it is about punishment, does not discuss the difference between the two. Positive punishment is said to occur when a stimulus is presented following a behavior and the behavior is decreased to do the occurrence of the stimulus. Simply put, when a behavior is punished immediately after it occurs, the behavior is unlikely to occur again. Spanking a child is considered a positive punishment with the idea that it teaches immediately shows the child that what they did was wrong and teaches them not to display the behavior again. Negative punishment is when an ongoing negative stimulus is removed due to a change or decrease in behavior. The text, though it says that positive punishment is an effective way to teach a child, also discusses the negative effects that punishment can often lead to. Abuse from parents (parents who take punishment too far) can generate distress and aggression in the child receiving the stimuli and can also cause the child to lash out in other situations. This is the same idea that the article discusses and is trying to send a message about.

The article relates nicely to Skinner’s thoughts on punishment. Skinner felt that individuals are constantly under various forms of control and punishment. It is due to these controls and these consequential punishments that we are taught how to live, what to do, and what is considered right or wrong. If we spank a child, we are showing them that hitting is an effective way to teach an individual what to do or what not to do. As the child ages, they are then inclined to feel that if they hit another person, it will teach them that what they are doing is undesirable. This is exactly the idea that the article is stating. Spanking, and other forms of corporal control, will lead a child to aggressive behaviors in the future and cause them to be in fights or use bullying as a means to achieve control.

My personal opinion on punishment is very similar to the ideas stated in this article. I do not feel that spanking is an appropriate form of punishment. From my experience, spanking a child often leaves them with a negative attitude towards the parent. I have seen many children that were spanked at a young age, grow up thinking that it is ok to spank another child if their behavior is not desirable. If they are then punished for spanking the other child, they are left confused and feeling resentment for doing what they thought was appropriate. I believe that spanking a child also teaches a child that hitting another individual is effective in teaching them and are inclined to be much more physically aggressive when they are older. Overall, I feel that positive reinforcement and punishment that does not involve physical aggression or restraint are idealistic in teaching a child.

This study is yet another piece of evidence that punishment, as a means of controlling the behavior of children, has serious, unintended consequences. Results from animal research have long shown that the use of punishment to control behavior can result in the punished organism acting aggressively toward the punisher and uninvolved third parties. Among behavioral scientists there is little disagreement with the statement that punishment leads to aggressive behavior.


However, when the problem is looked at in terms of human punishment and its effect, people are not so quick to see the connection. Many people outside the scientific community would not agree that disagree that this connection exists. Many parents would say that they were “spanked,” or “whooped,” and it didn’t hurt them. So why is this punishment so bad, now, they would argue. They do not feel that they are aggressive or bullies. And if they do acknowledge their aggressive nature, it is rationalized as “just being who I am” or “it’s how you have to act to make it in the world.”


Also, the problem with displaced anger is that it may be delayed in time so the parent cannot see the connection between the punishment and the child’s later aggressive behavior. As the text suggests, in parent/child transactions, the punished child is not in a position to act aggressively toward the parent because of the size difference. However, later when the child hits another child, the anger at the parent is displayed. By that time, however, the parent does not make the connection between the punishment the child received and the later aggression.


Skinner would read this study and just nod his head. This confirms everything he believed about the effects of punishment. He consistently argued that punishment was not only ineffective, but resulted in many harmful consequences for the subject and the society at large.


When I started the class I believed that punishment was just another method of changing behavior. We were all spanked once in a while and it didn’t hurt me. However, after reading the studies on the use of punishment it does seem very clear that the “benefits” of the use of punishment are overwhelmingly outweighed by the harms it causes. Skinner was correct in his analysis. The use of punishment harms both the punished and the punisher.

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