hment worse is that because the rest of the children in class did nothing to "deserve" punishment and yet have no way to escape it, they are at risk of developing "learned helplessness." Learned helplessness is a phenomenon in which a subject who cannot avoid an aversive stimulus will eventually give up; when an opportunity for escape is later presented to such a subject, he will not take it, having learned from experience that he is helpless. This syndrome has been implicated in dysfunctions like depression and addiction, but we continue to risk our children developing it by punishing them collectively and consistently (Hill, 1982).
Other possible repercussions from the use of punishment in the classroom include a decrease in children's enthusiasm for school and for learning, and an eventual devaluation, distrust, and dislike of education when these children reach adulthood. The obvious societal implications of this could be extreme, yet we continue to utilize punishment even though there are good alternatives. Some practical applications of the principles of positive reinforcement (the addition of a desirable stimulus), negative reinforcement (the subtraction of an undesirable stimulus), and non-reinforcement are as follows:
1. Look for good behavior and praise it effectively.
2. Replace or follow-up "Don't" statements with "Do" statements.
4. Use nonverbal as well as verbal reinforcements, and Premacking (letting the children choose the reinforcer).
6. Teach the children to reinforce themselves and each other.
7. Vary the kind/schedule of reinforcement (McDaniel,1989/90).
These techniques sound simple, but they are complex and difficult in
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