Token economy - dealing with offending behaviour Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in Token economy - dealing with offending behaviour Deck (19)
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1
Q

based on

A

operant conditioning principles to modify behaviour using rewards to reinforce desired behaviours to continue

2
Q

what do prison staff do initially (e.g.s)

A

outline the desired behaviours e.g. comply to prison rules, when the behaviour is seen they receive a token

3
Q

what are tokens and their purpose

A

secondary reinforcers which can be exchanged for rewards

4
Q

what are the rewards

A

primary reinforcers, things the inmates desire e.g. time on the xbox

5
Q

who decides on the rewards

A

prisoners to maintain motivation

6
Q

what must we ensure about the tokens

A

they aren’t replicable/can’t cause harm

7
Q

how can negative reinforcement be used

A

to avoid something unpleasant e.g. time off pot washing

8
Q

what do the prison staff decide about the tokens and how are they controlled

A

they decide on the exchange process e.g. 300 tokens = a visit. initially desired behaviour is rewarded every time, as the programme develops behaviour shaping techniques are used e.g. every 3rd time

9
Q

can punishment be used?

A

yes e.g. isolation to reduce non-desired behaviours

10
Q

Hobbs and Holt study explanation

A

observed a TEP in use at Alabama Boys Industrial School, a state training school for adolescent delinquents. aim to reduce inappropriate social behaviour before and after dinner and when lining up. staff given time to identify target behaviours, ways of observing and recording data, identify issues and assess the operation. They observed 125 delinquent males between 12-15 years living in 4 cottages. One cottage was a control group were token economy was not in operation. The boys were told how many tokens and what behaviours needed to be evident to receive them. They were given a piece of paper each day informing them how many tokens they had received. They were taken to a token economy store once a week where they could buy drinks, sweets, toys and cigarettes. They could also save tokens for more valuable items such as visits home.

11
Q

Hobbs and Holt study results

A

They found the mean percentages for social behaviours before the boys were given tokens were 66%, 47% and 73% for the 3 cottages. Post-tokens they increased to 91%, 81% and 94%, an average increase of 27%. The control group showed no increase of social behaviours.

12
Q

E-ethical issues

A

violation of human rights because the individuals behaviour is being manipulated without agreement.

13
Q

E-ethical issues- Hall

A

suggests human rights violation can be overcome with TEP being agreed with all who are involved

14
Q

E-ethical issues that remain

A

basic needs are conditional on good behaviour. some prisoners who can’t control their behaviour are unable to earn tokens and be granted these rights. also punishment is unethical and goes against rehab goals

15
Q

E-practical considerations- can be administered by anyone with training and no psychologist is needed to manage behaviour. tokens?

A

relatively cheap so it is not expensive

16
Q

E-practical considerations- consistency

A

not consistent, staff may miss behaviours due to not enough wardens, may be inconsistent between staff with how they award tokens. could cause prisoners to disengage

17
Q

E-ethical issues2- tokens as contraband

A

essential that rewards have no intrinsic value as the system could be abused. tokens could also be manipulated into weapons if they are made from a potentially dangerous material

18
Q

E-effectiveness- doesn’t rehabilitate criminals or make them face up to their crime/victim/impact. also ineffective as behaviour modification only deals with surface behaviours…

A

they don’t learn how to change the behaviour that lead them to prison they just have to simply behave to gain early release. the behaviour will not be rewarded outside prison so without the continuous reinforcement the desired behaviours will become extinct

19
Q

E-effectiveness- individual differences

A

some people respond better to operant conditioning, success has been found with juvenile delinquents. Cohen found juveniles after the use of TEP are less likely to reoffend within a year. it doesn’t work well with violent offenders however. Rice found that of 92 men in psychiatric maximum security prisons, 50% that undertook TEP reoffended