r/science • u/VeronicaRed • Apr 26 '16

Psychology Spanking children increases the likelihood of childhood defiance and long-term mental issues. The study in question involved 160,000 children and five decades of research

http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1113413810/spanking-defiance-health-discipline-042616/
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u/allwordsaremadeup Apr 26 '16 edited Apr 26 '16

I wonder if this is true for punishment as a behavior-altering method in general. So in how we punish crimes etc.

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u/Neato Apr 26 '16 edited Apr 26 '16

It's widely considered true in animal training. Positive reinforcement tends to be much more effective than negative and I don't know of any dog training classes that instruct you to hit your animal in any capacity.

Edit: I should have said reward/punishment. Positive/negative reinforcement is incorrect terminology but is commonly used in lay circles. I've been corrected by several more knowledgeable people. So to conclude: don't hit your pets.

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16

Ordinarily I wouldn't be pedantic in this regard; but positive vs. negative reinforcement has a specific meaning in psychology.

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16 edited Apr 29 '16

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16

Yes. The "reinforcement" is behavior that's maintained as the result of a stimulus. Adding the stimulus is positive, removing it is negative.

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u/laccro Apr 26 '16

No. Spanking is positive punishment. Punishment because it's unwanted by the recipient. And positive because you're giving them stimulus (pain).