Behaviour modification

• What does behaviourist therapy mean?

  Based on operant conditioning (reward and punishment) principles.

  The aim: to extinguish undesirable behaviour and establish or promote desirable ones.
• What does behaviour modification mean?

  Applying behaviour principles (operant conditioning) to the management of offenders in penal institutions

  The general aim is to replace undesirable behaviours with more desirable ones through the selective use of positive and/or negative reinforcement.
• What does behaviour shaping mean?

  Desirable behaviour is broken down into small steps called increments and behaviour selectively reinforced.
• What does primary reinforcer mean?

  Desirable material items, activities or services (e.g., food, phone call home etc).
• What does secondary reinforcer mean?

  The tokens received for achieving target behaviours. The value of the tokens in derived from an association with a primary reinforcer.
• What does selective reinforcement mean?

  Rewarding of specific behaviours that are identified at the outset; not responding to behaviours that are undesirable and needing to be extinguished.
• What is changing behaviour?

  Desirable behaviour is broken down into management steps called increments. Baseline measurement's taken.

  • Behaviours to be reinforced are decided upon depending on the prisoner. The prison guards reinforce the behaviours for that specific prisoner and this is called selective reinforcement. ​
  • ​The whole programme is overseen by prison officials who are able to monitor the effectiveness of the programme.
• What is a limitation of behaviour modification?

  Ethical concerns

  • Some argue that token economies are unethical for various reasons. Firstly, it may be seen as unethical and dehumanising to manipulate prisoners and restrict their ability to make their own choices, via token economies. Secondly, negative reinforcement and taking away privileges (e.g., phone calls with loved ones) by taking away tokens may be seen as unfair or cruel.
• What is another limitation of behaviour modification?

  Alternate approaches to dealing with criminal behaviour

  • Other approaches to dealing with criminal behaviour may be better at achieving the aims of sentencing than token economies. For example, anger management is likely to be more effective for rehabilitating violent behaviour and restorative justice is likely to be more effective at achieving retribution.
• What is a strength of behaviour modification?

  Cost effective (low cost)

  • Token economies are easy to implement and do not require specialist psychological training (unlike e.g., anger management).