Not an expert, but I believe the distinction is that such abstract punishments as taking away toys effectively provide a motivation to change the behavior, effectively incentivizing the punished to try to change the habit. This can only work insofar as the punished is able to recognize the unwanted behavior and meaningfully control their response to it. This is inherently different from directly rewarding or punishing the behavior, and it certainly doesn’t work on any animal besides humans.
I agree. This also implicates abstract punishment works differently for different developmental ages. Abstractly punishing kids too young enough to understand it is just cruel, and it’s just a stupid way to punish older kids who understand it too well.
Not an expert, but I believe the distinction is that such abstract punishments as taking away toys effectively provide a motivation to change the behavior, effectively incentivizing the punished to try to change the habit. This can only work insofar as the punished is able to recognize the unwanted behavior and meaningfully control their response to it. This is inherently different from directly rewarding or punishing the behavior, and it certainly doesn’t work on any animal besides humans.
I agree. This also implicates abstract punishment works differently for different developmental ages. Abstractly punishing kids too young enough to understand it is just cruel, and it’s just a stupid way to punish older kids who understand it too well.