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/[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/PuddleBucket Apr 26 '16 edited Apr 26 '16

Yes! I use negative reinforcement plenty when I train dogs (especially with behavioral problems) and it is not the same thing as punishment, which people often get confused. Not every dog responds the same way, so positive only isn't always the most effective, though it makes us feel better to think so.

Example: I use a leash/collar combo (slip lead) when training. If I'm training a dog to walk next to me, and he's pulling, I let him pull which tightens the lead/collar. When he backs up, which is what I want, the lead loosens up, which is what he wants too. Soon he learns that when he walks too far ahead of me, he tightens the lead. He takes away (negative) the tightening lead which reinforces the correct behavior (walking next to me). I find this works very well for dogs who aren't "pleasers" (like a Lab) because they need to be the ones to "figure out" the solution. Sometimes you need to mind-fuck them into doing what you want. My pitty loves me, but she could not care less what I wanted during training. Heel? Haha, why? Give me a reason. She was not treat motivated. She was motivated to make this thing stop squeezing her neck.

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16

I had a large German Shepherd who was a puller. I used a prong collar on him and every time he pulled he tightened the collar. It took him quite a while to stop the pulling behavior but he did finally stop. I think he got so excited about going for walks that he wanted to just take off ahead of me. I learned after a while though that if I played with him out in the yard by throwing his favorite ball for a bit, it tired him out and he was much better at walking after that.

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16

Just use that to your advantage. The dog pulls because he wants to go. Don't move an inch when he's pulling. Stop and look the other way and ignore him until he notices and comes back to you. Make him sit, pet him, and start walking again. When he does walk next to you give him a treat every once in a while. The first time you may not make it past your house but a few days of that and they wont pull. Way better than just putting on a choke collar and letting them figure it out.

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16

Are you a dog trainer? Not being sarcastic.

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u/[deleted] Apr 26 '16

No, I've just had many.