An example of vicarious punishment is when an individual observes someone else being punished for a behavior, which decreases the likelihood that the observer will engage in that behavior. For example, a child talks in class during the teacher's lecture and is reprimanded harshly in front of the class. The other students, having seen the punishment, stay silent for the rest of the lecture to avoid the same consequences. Another example is when someone sees a person caught stealing and taken to jail, leading the observer to avoid stealing in the future to prevent similar punishment.
Specific examples include:
- A child sees a sibling grounded for missing curfew and learns not to break curfew themselves.
- A worker is reprimanded publicly at work and coworkers avoid the same behavior to avoid punishment.
- A child observes another child losing recess privileges after hitting a classmate, which reduces hitting among other children.
Thus, vicarious punishment involves learning through the consequences experienced by others rather than direct punishment.