最好的管教，从来不是嘶吼
Yelling at Your Child Won’t Work—but Something Else Does
常速 | 五级（偏难） | 632词 | 4min9s
刘立军供稿
Part I. QUESTIONS
Listen to the passage and choose the best answer to each question you hear.
Q1. What does the data from applied behavior analysis (ABA) indicate about the effect of verbal redirections?
A. They effectively stop children’s problem behaviors.
B. They often make the children’s behaviors worse.
C. They work better when combined with rewards.
D. They are the most common parenting strategy.
Q2. According to the passage, why do parents keep using aversive strategies like yelling?
A. They are proven to be scientifically effective.
B. They help the child learn self-control faster.
C. Parents feel better, and they sometimes work.
D. Most parenting experts recommend them.
Q3. What happens when parents intend punishment as aversiveness?
A. The child’s problem behavior improves at once.
B. Both parents and children may find it rewarding.
C. The child becomes more afraid of the parent.
D. Parents usually stop using punishment entirely.
Q4. What can be inferred about the “replacement behavior” strategy mentioned in the passage?
A. It rewards good behaviors to reduce bad ones.
B. It punishes problem behaviors more strictly.
C. It only works for neurodivergent children.
D. It asks parents to ignore problem behaviors.
Q5. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Yelling is the most effective way to correct children.
B. Parents should never use any form of punishment.
C. ABA data proves isolation is the best response.
D. Aversive strategies backfire; rewarding works better.
Part II. TRANSCRIPT
Yelling at Your Child Won’t Work—but Something Else Does
In the world of applied behavior analysis (ABA), what matters most is the data. (Q1) Many parents use verbal redirections — often born of anger — to stop their children’s behaviors, even though the data indicate the behaviors don’t actually stop. In fact, they often get worse. In this post, we will explore why yelling at a child seldom works in the long run and how to win the battle of wills with your child.
verbal adj. 口头的；言语的
redirection n. 转向，此处指教导
What Is Punishment?
Many modern parenting movements cast punishment in a negative light. However, punishment in ABA is simply the application of an outcome that decreases the chances of a behavior recurring. It is not the harsh (often called aversive) response to a child. But, many folks confuse aversives—yelling, spanking, social isolation—with punishment.
recur v. 再发生；反复出现
aversive adj. 厌恶的 n. 任何令人不快或痛苦的刺激物
spanking n. 打屁股（尤指打小孩）
Another form of punishment is often called positive punishment. Positive punishment usually works, while aversives typically are not nearly as effective. So why do people keep using aversive strategies?
(Q2) The answer is often that the parent feels better when they yell or place their child alone in a room. Sometimes, using an aversive might even work. If it works just enough—and randomly enough—the decrease or elimination of the child’s problem behavior is rewarding to the parent. That random pattern of success builds a surprisingly durable habit of reaching for aversives. Unfortunately, what works best will never be tried if aversives are the main strategy. But what if there’s a better approach?
When Do Punishments Become Rewards?
(Q3) When we use punishment to mean aversiveness, what parents intend as punishment often turns into a reward—for everyone involved. Parents feel less anger or stress after yelling at a child, and that reduction in negative emotion is rewarding for them. When children receive attention, even attention that carries angry words, the attention itself can be rewarding. These two dynamics define the major ways “punishments” become rewards.
What to Do: 3 Steps to Change a Child’s Behavior
1. Define Punishment and Problem Behaviors
Keep in mind that punishment reduces—or eliminates—a problem behavior. By holding onto that as your goal, you can refocus when things get hard. Ask yourself: “What specifically do I want my child to stop doing?”
2. Find the Replacement Behavior
(Q4) One underused strategy is simply adding something good to a behavior you want to see more of—a replacement behavior. When parents deliberately reward an alternative behavior, the problem behavior gets crowded out. Adding a reward to compete with the problem behavior is more effective, and frankly more pleasant for everyone, than adding a consequence to the problem behavior itself.
A problem behavior keeps happening because of what it produces. Attention is often the payoff. If we know the reward is attention, the next question is: What do we want the child to do instead? Once we identify an alternative, we can reward that replacement behavior consistently and drive down the problem behavior simultaneously.
simultaneously adv. 同时地
3. Change How You React
This is the hardest step—and the most important. Parents will need to:
Decide what the replacement behavior looks like;
Teach it by setting an example;
Prompt it in situations that used to trigger yelling;
Praise it heavily and pay real attention when the child uses it;
Notice it even when unprompted, so the reinforcement stays consistent;
Soon, the replacement behavior will take over, and the old triggers will lose their pull.
What to Do if You Need Help
Parents of neurodivergent children, in particular, often find themselves responding to aggressive or self-injurious behaviors with anxious or angry attention—largely because those behaviors are overwhelming. That’s not failure; that’s human. But outside help can make the difference. Finding a provider with genuine ABA expertise can turn things around faster than going it alone.
neurodivergent adj. 神经多样的（大脑处理信息方式异于常人的）
Part III. KEY
Q1. B.【解析】细节题。题目出处为：“Many parents use verbal redirections — often born of anger — to stop their children’s behaviors, even though the data indicate the behaviors don’t actually stop. In fact, they often get worse.”。 意为：“很多家长一着急就冲孩子吼，想用言语制止他们的行为，可数据显示，这么做根本没用——孩子的行为非但没停，反而常常愈演愈烈。”该句明确指出数据表明口头教导往往使孩子的行为变得更糟，因此正确答案为B。
Q2. C.【解析】细节题。题目出处为：“The answer is often that the parent feels better when they yell or place their child alone in a room. Sometimes, using an aversive might even work.”。 意为：“答案其实是：很多时候，父母吼完或者把孩子单独关在房间里，自己心里会觉得好受些。有时候，这种惩罚手段甚至还真能见效。”因此正确答案为C。
Q3. B.【解析】细节题。题目出处为：“When we use punishment to mean aversiveness, what parents intend as punishment often turns into a reward—for everyone involved. Parents feel less anger or stress after yelling at a child, and that reduction in negative emotion is rewarding for them. When children receive attention, even attention that carries angry words, the attention itself can be rewarding.” 意为：“当我们把‘惩罚’理解为施加令人不快的刺激时，父母本意是想惩罚孩子，结果却常常变成了对所有人的‘奖励’。父母冲孩子吼完之后，怒气或压力减轻了——这种负面情绪的缓解对他们来说就是一种奖励；而对孩子来说，哪怕得到的是带着怒意的关注，关注本身就足以成为一种奖励。”该句明确指出父母所以为的惩罚实际上对家长和孩子都可能变成一种奖励，因此正确答案为B。
Q4. A.【解析】推理题。题目出处为：“One underused strategy is simply adding something good to a behavior you want to see more of—a replacement behavior. When parents deliberately reward an alternative behavior, the problem behavior gets crowded out.”。 意为：“有一个常被忽视的策略，其实很简单：在你希望孩子多做的行为上，主动‘加点甜头’——也就是用一个替代行为来取代问题行为。当父母有意识地去奖励这个替代行为时，原来的问题行为自然就被‘挤掉’了。”因此，正确答案为A。
Q5. D.【解析】主旨题。综合全文，文章的核心观点是喊叫等厌恶型策略往往适得其反，而奖励替代行为等积极方法更为有效，因此正确答案为D。
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