dealing with offending behaviour: behaviour modification in custody Flashcards
What is a token economy?
A system based upon operant conditioning principles that uses tokens as secondary reinforcers.
What is reinforcement in the context of behaviour modification
A process that increases the likelihood of a desired behaviour being repeated
What types of reinforcement exist
Negative and positive reinforcement.
What happens when an offender performs a desired behaviour in a token economy
They receive a token
What is a primary reinforcer
A reward that can be obtained by exchanging tokens, such as privileges.
Give examples of rewards in a token economy.
Exercise time outside prison grounds
Access to a favorite TV show
How do behaviour modification programmes aim to rehabilitate offenders?
By making changes to their behaviour through conditioning.
What is the role of punishment in behaviour modification?
To discourage bad behaviour by removing tokens.
What did Hobbs and Holt (1976) find about token economies?
An increase in desired behaviours among juvenile males.
What did Ayllon and Milan (1979) replicate in their study?
The effectiveness of token economies in adult males
What did Cohen and Filipcjak (1971) discover about recidivism rates?
Young male offenders experienced lower reoffending rates 1-2 years after a token economy
What happened to recidivism rates 3 years after release from the token economy?
The rates were the same for both the token economy group and the control group.
True or False: The effectiveness of token economies is often long term.
False
Fill in the blank: In the context of prison, behaviour modification is known as a _______.
token economy
