Severs punishment can be extremely effective in stopping behavior. IF a child sticks a finger in a light socket and get a shock, that may be the last time the child ever tries it.More often , however , punishment may be particularly ineffective. Responses suppressed by mild punishment usually reappear later. If a child sneaks a snack from the refrigerator before dinner and is punished for it, the child may pass up snack for a short time. But since snacking was also rewarded by the sneaked snack, the child will probably try sneaky snacking again, sometime later