Johnnie, a 2-Year-Old, Is About to Empty a Full Ashtray

Multiple Choice

Johnnie, a 2-year-old, is about to empty a full ashtray onto the carpet when his mother shouts, "No, no, Johnnie!" and gives his hand a mild slap. Johnnie's father then argues that she should have let Johnnie dump the ashtray first so that Johnnie would understand why he was being punished. According to the available research on punishment effectiveness, which procedure should be most effective at preventing Johnnie from turning over ashtrays in the future?

A) the strategy used by the mother
B) the strategy advocated by the father
C) both would be equally effective since the punishment is rather mild
D) neither strategy, for physical punishment is never effective at inhibiting undesirable responses