behaviour modification

behaviour modification

an application of the behaviourist approach to treatment, based on operant conditioning principles, aims to replace undesirable behaviours with more desirable ones through the selective use of positive and negative reinforcement

behaviourist principles

• behaviourist approach proposes all human behaviour is learnt, so it should be possible to unlearn behaviours using the same principles

• behaviour modification is designed to reinforce obedient behaviour in offenders and punish disobedience

• aims to remove disobedience, and maintain this once the offender is released

token economy- reinforce or punish

• all behaviour modification programmes are based on operant conditioning, desirable inmate behaviours are rewarded (reinforced) with tokens

• desirable behaviours (eg avoiding confrontation, being quiet in cell, following rules, tidy cell etc) should be outlined clearly, as well as rewards, punishment for non compliance or disobedience should be outlined

• desirable behaviours rewarded with a token, undesirable behaviour could be punished with removal of tokens or withholding them

tokens are secondary reinforcers

• tokens aren’t rewarding in themselves, but rewarding as they can be saved up and exchanged for something desirable (primary reinforcers) eg phone call to loved one, time in gym, extra food or cigarettes, tokens associated with a reward

• so tokens are secondary reinforcers, which can be exchanged for something prisoners want, primary reinforcers as they directly reward the offender

designing a token economy- operationalise target behaviours

• offenders need to understand what they’re expected to do to gain tokens

• target behaviours are operationalised by breaking them down into component parts

• eg target behaviour of ‘improved interaction with inmates’ broken down into component parts eg not touching other inmates, speaking politely, sharing in library or gym

• each ‘unit’ of behaviour needs to be objective and measurable, and should be agreed with prison staff and inmates before use

designing a token economy- scoring system

• staff and prisoners need to know how much each behaviour is worth in terms of tokens

• behaviours are hierarchal, some more demanding so deserve higher rewards, eg not swearing isn’t very taxing so may gain one token, but completing a group task is more difficult so should gain more tokens

• Gendreau et al. (2011) reinforcements should outnumber punishments by 4:1

• tokens may be awarded directly or points may be awarded and converted to tokens

designing a token economy- train staff

• prison staff aren’t aware of how a token economy works, so require full training

• the goal is to standardise the procedures so all prison staff reward the same behaviours in the same way

• staff need to record when they’ve rewarded tokens to access progress of individual prisoners

strength- research support

• Hobbs + Holt (1976) studied young offenders, those taking part in a token economy programme showed more positive behaviours compared to a control without a token economy

• Field et al. (2004) used a token economy with young offenders with behavioural problems, generally effective, found some young offenders didn’t respond but did if rewards were more immediate, frequent and positive

• suggests token economy systems do work

counterpoint- research to contradict

• the success of token economies relies on consistent approaches from prison staff

• Basset + Blanchard (1977) found any benefits were lost if staff applied the techniques inconsistently due to lack of training or high staff turnover, an issue in many UK prisons

• suggests behaviour modification schemes may not be as straightforward to implement as they first appear

strength- easy to implement and set up in prisons

• behaviour modification doesn’t need a specialist professional involved, unlike other forms of treatment eg anger management

• token economy systems can be designed and implemented by virtually anyone, they’re cost effective and easy to follow once methods are established, once established programmes tend to run themselves with relatively little effort

• suggests behaviour modification techniques can be established and accessed by most prisoners

limitation- little rehabilitative effort

• some treatments, eg anger management, have longer lasting behavioural effects as they involve understanding causes of, and taking responsibility for, own behaviour

• in contrast, offenders can play along with a token economy system to access rewards, but this produces little change in their overall characteristics as they don’t necessarily understand or assess their behaviour

• may explain why once they’re released, and the token economy is discontinued, an offender may actually regress back to their old, undesired behaviour

evaluation- ethical issues

• behaviour modification has been associated with decreased conflict, more successful management of prisoners and reduced stress for prison staff in a potentially hostile environment

• however critics describe behaviour modification as manipulative and dehumanising, human rights campaigners argue withdrawal of privileges is unethical and participation is obligatory

• suggests the question of if behaviour modification is successful may depend on whose perspective, prison staff or prisoners