"Rules" for the Effective Use of Punishment
(of the Positve, or Negative Persuasion)
  1. Don't continue "punishment" that doesn't work (The Cardinal Rule)
  2. It should be immediate
  3. It should occure with as high a frequency as possible - preferabely every time
  4. Don't cue when it's "safe" to emit the response (unless, of course, you decide that there are circumstances when it is "OK").  Note, this has implications for what "partial punishment" schedules should be most effective to use. 
  5. It should be as intense as needed to be immediately effective
  6. If needed, intensity should be increased rapidly
  7. Be lawful - don't change intensity based on your emotional state
  8. No unauthorized escape
  9. Don't turn "punishment" into positive reinforcement
  10. Reduce the motivational state driving the undesirable behavior (the one you are punishing)
  11. If possible, provide alternate (acceptable) responses that deliver the same reinforcement
  12. If possible, put the undesirable behavior on exctinction
  13. A conditioned aversive stimulus can be very effective (if it's meaningful - see 1-5) - You can even talk to children!!