Question

Describe an intervention to decrease children’s disruptions during dental treatment using punishment-by-prevention contingencies. Include: a. the response class. b. the punishment contingencies. c. the results. d. Why is the main contingency punishment and not escape? e. Why isn’t this procedure shaping?

Answer 1

Principle of prevention by punishment: A response occurs less frequently is it has prevented the removal of an aversive stimulus in the past.

Example: While in both contingencies food is not given to the rat immediately after the lever press, before the response occurs in the punishment by prevention contingency the rat does NOT have access to food and access is prevented contingent upon the lever press, whereas before the rat presses the lever in the penalty contingency, the rat DOES have access to the food and the food’s removal is contingent upon the lever press.

If the main contingency wouldn't have been punishment then there are higher chances of the action being re - repeated. In this case the rat knows that if he does this mistake no food will be there at all hence punishment inflicts fear in a person. Hence even in the above mentioned child's case if the child is punished due to his/her distractions her/his dental treatmrnt will be successful.