The 12 problems with Positive Reinforcement

The 10 Pitfalls of Positive Punishment – or are they?

In both the scientific community and now among non-scientists, there is a long-standing, illogical and unscientific assumption that positive reinforcement is preferable to aversive control – regardless of outcome. They also believe that the use of punishment is unneeded, archaic and dangerous. The following is a list of the most common objections to using punishment and a running analysis of those objections. Before you get started, I wish to add one thing to help balance this topic. If you analyze positive reinforcement by the same standards listed below, you find that it has many of the same limitations, liabilities, dangers and pitfalls that are associated with punishment. Don’t believe me? I’ll put comments relating to that analysis in italics. Note: The core list of these things was popularized by people like Ian Dunbar and Pat Miller.