DSSSB Public Health Nurse - 2015
Applied Psychology
Easy
Punishment is effective only when it weakens?
Appeared in: DSSSB Public Health Nurse - 2015
Explanation
- Punishment, a core concept in operant conditioning, is a process that decreases the likelihood of a specific behavior reoccurring.
- Its primary goal is to reduce or eliminate actions that are considered inappropriate, harmful, or otherwise undesirable.
- Therefore, punishment is only considered effective when it successfully weakens or suppresses an undesirable response.
Why Other Options Were Wrong
- Option B: Weakening a desirable response (e.g., studying, being polite) is counterproductive and harmful. Behavioral strategies aim to strengthen, not weaken, such responses.
- Option C: This is similar to a desirable response. Applying punishment to weaken a positive or beneficial action would be an incorrect and detrimental application of behavioral principles.
- Option D: This term is ambiguous. Punishment's effectiveness is tied to the desirability of the behavior, not its mechanics (e.g., whether it's a 'negative' action). The term 'undesirable' is the precise and standard term in psychology.
Related Visual
Clinical Relevance
- Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Principles of Operant Conditioning as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
- Nurses use these principles to manage patient behavior, especially in psychiatric, pediatric, and rehabilitation settings. For example, a time-out (negative punishment) might be used to decrease disruptive behavior in a child.
- Understanding this concept helps nurses choose appropriate interventions. Positive reinforcement (e.g., praise for ambulating post-surgery) is almost always preferred over punishment to encourage patient cooperation and adherence.
- What if? If a nurse wants to increase a patient's compliance with taking medication, the correct approach would be reinforcement (e.g., praise, or a sticker chart for a child), not punishment. Using punishment could create anxiety and reduce compliance.
How to Approach the Question
- First, identify the core concepts in the question: 'punishment' and 'effective.'
- Recall the definition of punishment from behavioral psychology (operant conditioning). Its function is to decrease the frequency of a behavior.
- Ask yourself: 'For punishment to be considered successful or 'effective', what kind of behavior should it decrease?' The logical answer is a behavior that is unwanted or problematic.
- Evaluate the options. 'Undesirable response' directly matches this logic. 'Desirable' and 'Positive' responses are things you would want to increase, not decrease.
- Conclude that punishment is effective when it weakens an undesirable response.
Concept Tested & Keywords
- Concept Tested: Principles of Operant Conditioning
- Stem keywords: Punishment, effective, weakens
- Lead-in keywords: only when
- Negative lead-in flag: false
Question ID
Qf-HhmDCrGxzfOP7mSxX6D
Reference Book
E6 Psychology Baron Misra 5e Part 1 p. 186-188
E6 Psychology Morgan King 9e Part 1 p. 165-167
E6 Robert Boland, Marcia L. Verduin - Kaplan and Sadock's Comprehensive Text of Psychiatry-Wolters Kluwer Health (2024) (pp 1-16525 of 16525) p. 12689-12691
Practise the full DSSSB Public Health Nurse - 2015
Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.
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