forensic psychology: ways of dealing with offender- behaviour modification

Question 1

what is the main process involved with the behaviour modification way of dealing with offenders?

Answer 1

.token economy programmes

Question 2

what is the idea involved with behaviour modification?

Answer 2

.the idea that behaviour is learnt so it can also be unlearnt

Question 3

what is behaviour modification based on?

Answer 3

.operant conditioning

Question 4

what does behaviour modification aim to do?

Answer 4

.aims to increase desired behaviour of offenders by using rewards

Question 5

what is the step by step process for the token economy?

Answer 5

.desired behaviour
.secondary reinforcer
.reward

Question 6

what is the secondary reinforcer?

Answer 6

.token
.not what the criminal really wants
.exchange the token for the reward

Question 7

what is the reward?

Answer 7

.primary reinforcer
.what the criminal really wants

Question 8

what was the main study to support this way of dealing with offenders?

Answer 8

.hobbs and holt 1976

Question 9

What was the sample of Hobbs and holt 1976 study?

Answer 9

.longitudinal study
.125 delinquent young males committed to the Alabama Boyd industrial school
.age range 12-15
.control group of a juvenile centre with no treatment programmes

Question 10

what did Hobbs and holt 1976 do?

Answer 10

.researched the effectiveness of implementing a token economy programme in 3 different juvenile delinquent centres

Question 11

what were the staff trained to do?

Answer 11

.identify target behaviours and trained in recording behaviour

Question 11

what was the procedure of Hobbs and holts 1976 study?

Answer 11

.tokens were awarded for behaviour eg: obeying rules, doing chores
.boys were told what behaviours they could earn tokens for and how many they had earned
.tokens could be swapped immediately or saved for larger rewards
.supervisor counted the tokens every day
.data collected over 14 months

Question 12

what were the findings to Hobbs and holts 1976 study?

Answer 12

.before the token economy programme percentage of desired behaviour was 66%, 47%, 73%
.after the token economy programme percentage of desired behaviour was 91%, 81%, 94%

Question 13

what was a positive to the study?

Answer 13

.longitudinal -provides evidence of its effectiveness and how the behaviour has changed temporally

Question 14

what were the negatives to Hobbs and holts 1976 study?

Answer 14

.generalisability:
-young males can it be applied accurately to adult or female offenders?
.can’t draw cause and effect conclusions:
-other factors potentially given to the prisoners could of led to the improvement in behaviour

Question 15

what is a strength to the whole theory of using behaviour modification as a way to deal with offenders?

Answer 15

.easily administered:
-no need for expertise or specialist professionals can be implemented by anyone in any institution

Question 16

what are the negatives to the whole theory of using behaviour modification as a way to deal with offenders?

Answer 16

.only deals with basic behaviour so it’s superficial:
-only doing the behaviour because they want a reward -no deep permanent change
.terms of behaviour modification is manipulative and dehumanising:
-the behaviour is compulsory and the guards are controlling