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Research Paper: Behavior Modification
Louisa Falin
Liberty University
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Abstract
Concerns regarding punishment for negative behavior in correctional facilities have long been
known to be the preferred method of modifying behavior due to the belief that consequences
will change negative actions. The use of operant conditioning is a beneficial way to modify
behavior for prisoners in a correctional facility. Prison systems are more commonly known for
utilizing punishment for controlling negative behaviors but there are similarities in punishment
and positive reinforcement to decrease negative behaviors and increase positive behaviors.
Keywords: operant conditioning, behavior modification, positive reinforcement
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Research Paper: Behavior Modification
Behavior modification is an approach that utilizes operant conditioning to change
unwanted behavior by utilizing consequences or a reward system to modify the behavior.
Operant Conditioning is a beneficial way to modify behavior. Research has shown that there are
benefits to operant conditioning in the prison systems to alter negative behaviors. Research
shows that the use of token economies has been a beneficial reward system showing a decrease
in undesirable behaviors of incarcerated individuals. Information about behavior modification in
correctional facilities shows various types of treatment being utilized from a reward system to
coercive persuasion Despite the difficulties that life in prison may cause, prisoners may feel as if
they can be successful citizens. This paper will discuss aspects of operant conditioning and how
it is utilized in the prison system as well as how effective operant conditioning is.
History of Behavior Modification
Behavior modification has been used in the prison system for many years. Behavior
modification in correctional facilities began in the 1960s. Although psychology was introduced
to the prison system in the 1950s, it was not until the 1960s that behavior modification was
implemented. In 1962, James V. Bennett held a seminar on the power to change behavior where
a group of psychiatrists and psychologists studied the application of their research on behavior
modification to correctional facilities (Colley, 2023). The primary goal of behavior modification in
correctional facilities is to reduce negative behaviors by addressing the cause of behavior.
Original studies of operant conditioning utilized coercive persuasion through behavior
modification. Recent studies have utilized operant conditioning, which is a reward system in
behavior modification where positive reinforcement is used in the treatment.
Operant Conditioning
Operant conditioning is rooted in the suggestion that behavior is learned and can be
unlearned through consequences or rewards. In operant conditioning, the organism learns to
make a response (R) that produces an outcome (O). The response is not defined by motor
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actions, but by the outcome that is produced (Gluck et, al., 2020). Operant conditioning has core
components of positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, and
negative punishment. Operant conditioning deals with voluntary behaviors based on the reward
or punishment; positive or negative reinforcement.
Positive and Negative Reinforcement
Positive (added) reinforcement translates to the addition of something positive that is
dependent on performing a positive behavior (Elbers, et al., 2022). Positive reinforcement adds
a reward to encourage positive behavior. In positive reinforcement, the desired response causes
a reinforcer to be added to the environment (Gluck, 2020). Positive reinforcement is likely to be
more effective when it takes place immediately after the desirable behavior. Negative
(subtracted) reinforcement refers to eradicating something unpleasant (Elbers, et al., 2022). In
negative reinforcement, behavior is modified due to an undesirable element being removed
from the environment. Negative reinforcement utilizes punishment to decrease negative
behavior. There are times that negative reinforcement is referred to as escape or avoidance
training due to the response causing an escape from, or avoidance of, something negative
(Gluck, 2020).
Positive and Negative Punishment
Positive (added) punishment, an undesired response, causes a punisher to be added to
the environment. When something undesirable is added to the environment it causes the
response to become less frequent (Gluck, 2020). Negative (subtracted) punishment is when
something is taken from the environment in order to punish the behavior. Negative punishment
is sometimes referred to as omission due to the response is a result of something being omitted
from the environment.
Behavior Modification in the Prison System
Prison systems are notorious for utilizing operational conditioning through the use of
consequences for negative or undesirable actions. The dependance on punishment for
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governing inappropriate or negative behavior is self-obvious (Burden, et al., 2011). Prison
systems are slowly moving away from tough on crime strategies that created the world’s largest
prison population (Visher & Eason, 2021). There is evidence that shows that utilizing operant
conditioning through a reward system is just as beneficial as utilizing consequences. Reward
systems to modify behavior are becoming more common in the prison system. These reward
systems are used to influence the attitude of imprisoned individuals (Elbers, et al., 2022).
Benefits of Positive Reinforcement
The benefits of implementing positive reinforcement are numerous. Benefits include,
but are not limited to, improved behavior, increased self-esteem, a reduction in violence, and
increased motivation of incarcerated individuals. Reward systems in prison (RSP’s) are a
beneficial tool for encouraging compliance. It is believed that Reward systems in prisons
motivate incarcerated individuals to behave well through the use of token economy (Elders,
2022).
Token Economies
Token economies reward good behavior with tokens. These tokens can, in turn, be
utilized for reward. For example, in the prison system, a token can be exchanged for extra visits
or access to the gym (Elders, 2022). Research findings suggest that in 69 percent of incarcerated
individuals there was a successful change of behavior when individuals were allowed to choose
their reward. However, there was no insight as to the effectiveness of token economies in the
prison systems when incarcerated individuals were not permitted to choose their own reward
(Elders, 2022).
Negatives of Positive Reinforcement
While there are many positive aspects of positive reinforcement in prison system, there
are also negative aspects in relation to positive reinforcement for incarcerated individuals. One
may question why an incarcerated individual is being rewarded for behavior that is considered
to be the expectation of any citizen, incarcerated or not. One may wonder why an incarcerated
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individual is being rewarded for behavior that most citizens participate in on a daily basis
without reward. Another negative would be the question as to why an incarcerated individual is
given rewards for desirable behavior when undesirable behavior is what led them to
incarceration. If an incarcerated individual has the same access to rewards as the average
citizen, is there really a punishment for the behavior that led them to incarceration?
Conclusion
In conclusion, operant conditioning has multiple benefits with the modification of
behavior of incarcerated individuals in the prison system. Operant conditioning can lead to
behavioral changes that benefit the incarcerated individual as well as society by modifying the
behavior to a more desirable behavior that leads to less criminal activity upon release from the
prison system.
References
Burdon WM, St De Lore J, Prendergast ML. Developing and implementing a positive behavioral
reinforcement intervention in prison-based drug treatment: Project BRITE. J
Psychoactive Drugs. 2011 Sep;Suppl 7:40-50. doi: 10.1080/02791072.2011.601990.
PMID: 22185038; PMCID: PMC3429341
Colley, Z. (2023). Erasing minds: Behavioral modification, the prison rights movement, and
psychological experimentation in america's orisons, 1962–1983. Journal of American
Studies, 57(1), 84-111. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021875822000123
Elbers, J. M., van Ginneken, E. F. J. C., Nieuwbeerta, P., Boone, M., van Ginneken, E. F., &
Palmen, H. (2022). The effects of reward systems in prison: A systematic review.
International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice., 71.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlcj.2022.100556
Gluck, M. A., Mercado, E., & Myers, C. E. (2019). Learning and Memory (4th ed.). Macmillan
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Higher Education. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781319207335
Visher, C., & Eason, J. (2021). A better path forward for criminal justice: Changing prisons to help
people change. (). Washington: The Brookings Institution. Retrieved from ProQuest
Central; Social Science Premium Collection
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/liberty.edu?url=https://www.proquest.com/
reports/ better-path-forward-criminal-justice-changing/docview/2576907486/se-2
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