Effective Behavior Management, Part IV

by Kelly B. Cartwright, Ph.D.

The first two articles in this series focused on ways of interacting and communicating with children that promote effective behavior management. Another area essential to this process involves consequences for children's behavior: reinforcement and punishment. The third article in this series addressed the use of reinforcement in managing children's behavior, and this article will complete the discussion of consequences by focusing on the appropriate use of punishment in managing children's behavior.

Consequences

Recall from the previous article that behaviors are strengthened or diminished by consequences. For example, a child who touches a hot stove experiences an unpleasant consequence, pain, and he or she is less likely to touch the stove again.

Children learn associations between behaviors and consequences, and the types of consequences experienced by children affect their behavior directly. When attempting to manage children's behavior, careful attention must be paid to specific behaviors in children as well as to the consequences that follow the behaviors. There are generally two types of consequences: reinforcement and punishment.

Punishment

Although reinforcement is generally more effective and should be used most often, punishment may also be used in an effective program of behavior management. The defining feature of punishment is that it should create an unpleasant situation for the child either because adults take away something the child likes, or because adults provide something the child does not like. The classic example of punishment is spanking. Because some research suggests that frequent spanking may produce negative effects in children, many parents opt to use this technique sparingly.

Restricting Privileges

Restricting privileges is an effective means of punishment. This technique will vary according to the age and preferences of the child. For example, taking telephone or car privileges from a teen might be very effective. Similarly, restricting access to the television, video games, a bicycle or other favorite toy might be more effective for an elementary-school-aged child.

Time Out

A punishment technique commonly used with preschool-aged children is Time Out. This method involves restricting a child's activities and contacts for a short period of time. In order to use Time Out effectively, adults must realize that it creates an unpleasant situation for children because it provides time AWAY from anything reinforcing such as toys, other children, or adults.

If adults are talking to a child while she or he is in Time Out, the adult's attention is actually rewarding the child! Similarly, sending a child to his or her room for Time Out is rewarding because they have access to all of their toys. To maximize the effectiveness of this procedure, select a location for the Time Out that is removed from family activity and other interesting items. A chair facing a blank wall works well. In addition, remember that attention is reinforcing, so adults (and others who are present) must not interact with the child during the Time Out period.

Graded Consequences

Often, using graded consequences that increase in severity is effective in reducing unwanted behaviors. For example, a child may lose video game privileges for one day the first time an unwanted behavior occurs. The second time the behavior occurs, the child might be "grounded" for one day, and so on. Adults can plan a series of increasingly negative consequences to control troublesome behaviors in children.

The Two C's -- Clarity and Consistency

Finally, using consequences to manage children's behavior requires advance planning. Adults must clearly define consequences before children's behaviors occur, and caregivers should discuss these so that they respond similarly to children. Consistency is crucial in this process.

If children are only rewarded for desired behaviors on a part-time basis, those behaviors are not likely to increase. Similarly, if children are punished for inappropriate behaviors sporadically, these behaviors are likely to continue. Remember, rewards are more effective than punishments, and adult attention is very rewarding to children. Thus, adults should spend more time and attention on desired behaviors than undesired behaviors.

As stated in the Effective Behavior Management Part II, expectations for children's behavior and the potential consequences must also be communicated effectively to children. Children do not have the memory capacities of adults, and they are "concrete" thinkers. Thus, simple explanations, concrete examples, and visual cues may be helpful to remind children of expectations and consequences.

Conclusion

This series has highlighted several issues that are important in effectively managing children's behavior. These include the following:

1. warm, responsive parenting that incorporates children's views and needs
2. clear communication appropriate for a child's developmental level
3. carefully planned consequences that are applied consistently

Utilizing these principles, along with the concrete suggestions provided in these articles, can improve the effectiveness of adults' behavior management techniques and thus improve the quality of caregiver-child interactions.

Back to Part III [1]
Back to Part II [2]
Back to Part I [3]

References:

Baumrind, D., & Black, A. E. (1967). Socialization practices associated with dimensions of competence in preschool boys and girls. Child Development, 38, 291-327.

Betz, C. (1994). Beyond time-out: Tips from a teacher. Young Children, 49(3), 10-14.

Holden, G. W., & West, M. J. (1989). Proximate regulation by mothers: A demonstration of how differing styles affect young children's behavior. Child Development, 60, 64-69.

Skinner, B. F. (1989). The origins of cognitive thought. American Psychologist, 44, 13-18.

Strassberg, Z., Dodge, K., Petit, G. S., & Bates, J. E. (1994). Spanking in the home and children's subsequent aggression toward kindergarten peers. Development and Psychopathology, 6, 445-461.

About the Author:

Specializing in child development, Kelly B. Cartwright, Ph.D. [4], is a full-time faculty member in the Psychology Department at Christopher Newport University in Newport News, VA. Dr. Cartwright's research has focused on cognitive development, language, literacy, and gender issues.