Punishment-only Training: Huh?

One of the common modern concepts in ‘scientific’ training is ‘punished-based’ (Ken Ramirez from the Shedd Aquarium uses ‘coercion based’) training. The problem is that they claim to be ‘science-based.’ That is a contradiction for a number of reasons. First, nobody is “punishment-based” because punishment stops behavior. How can one create behaviors while stopping them? Second, without a context there is no logical way to determine whether reinforcement or punishment is the correct answer to a training problem. Third, nobody is limited to using a single polarity. What “punishment-based” really means is an attempt to demonize “others” with a term that implies abuse. This destroys any possibility of discussing behavioral control rationally. Here’s an example –
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