5.11 Dealing With Offending Behaviour: Behaviour Modification In Custody Flashcards
What is behavioural modification?
A therapeutic technique used to decrease or increase frequencies of behaviours using operant conditioning
What is operant conditioning?
Learning through reinforcement or punishment
What is token economy?
A form of therapy
desirable behaviours are encouraged using selective reinforcements
What are secondary reinforcers in token economy? How do they become reinforcers?
Tokens
Through association with primary reinforcers
What are primary reinforcers in token economy?
Rewards eg. food
How is punishment used in token economy?
Tokens removed so they can’t get rewards
What must be clearly defined at the start of the token economy therapy?
Rewards
Target behaviours
What is shaping in token economy?
Increasing complexity of target behaviours (from easily achievable to more difficult)
What was Hobbs and Holts study procedure (1976)?
Token economy with delinquent teenage boys 125 boys in 4 cottages one was control Staff trained beforehand behaviour recorded on daily charts
What did Hobbs and Holts study find?
Average increase of 27% in desirable behaviours post-tokens
How does token economy compare to other methods of rehabilitation?
Easy to implement in prisons
Clearly defined
Needs consistency
How does token economy last in the long term?
Less effective long term as behaviours stop being reinforced - re-offending rates aren’t affected
How do individual differences affect token economy?
successful with juvenile delinquents but not with violent offenders
What are the ethical issues with token economy in prison?
- prisoners should agree to involvement (often don’t)
- basic privileges withheld from those who can’t control their behaviour
- use of punishment is counter to goals of rehabilitation
