Forensic Psychology Literature ReviewChristina DrakefordPsych 635August 13, 2018Dr. Samantha Hickman Forensic Psychology Literature ReviewIntroductionPrison inmates fluctuate in demographics levels; mainly, in education. The prison staff are comprised of professional psychologists, clinicians, correction officers, and medical personnel. Although, it appears, by their support, that inmates are being rehabilitated, prison systems fail to bring about a social change in creating inmates awareness of techniques and education to confront issue of anger management. This literature review will present how prison staff psychologists can educate correctional workers to implement shaping and chaining, reinforcement schedules, and one-trial learning techniques to inmates. In addition, it will demonstrate how psychologists and corrections can apply these techniques as positive strategies towards anger management.
Lastly, this review will address facilities current use and effectiveness of these learning concepts.Shaping and ChainingShaping and chaining is the method used to devise behaviors where minor steps are reinforced first to complete an activity then utilized to alter behaviors as the technique. way to explain complex behaviors Boundless Psychology (2016), stated that “Shaping is a method of operant conditioning by which successive calculations of a target behavior are reinforced” (p. 221, para. 3). As a result, shaping is what is learned when a person commits a negative act and receives corrective feedback. According to Schunk (2016, p.
4), “Chaining is the process of producing or altering several of the variables that serve as stimuli for future responses”. It consists of combining series of sequential steps to create a final action which can be used as a teaching technique for the complex behaviors of inmates. It is a series of operant sequences which creates an occurrence of additional responses. The shaping and chaining concept is intertwined as it involves breaking down multiple steps to achieve new behaviors.
When introducing inmates to these concepts, the objective is to govern the reasons for anger and resolve their concerns by changing negative behaviors into positive ones. In Serin’s ; Hanby’s 2009 literature review, Offender Incentives and Behavioral Management Strategies, it discussed incentive programs and approaches to behavioral management in the prison environment. The article found that properly structured and operated programs, rewarded inmates for appropriate behavior which motivated inmates to participate in treatment programs. Additionally, the study determined that incentives were given in forms such as money or tokens. Systemic incentives were also favored as to receive various privileges as extra phone time. Both incentives had shown they were effective in non-correctional settings such as drug and alcohol treatment and mental health treatment facilities. Initially, when an incentive based system was formally introduced into a correctional facility, there were few behavioral prison settings; therefore, minimal improvements in inmate behavior were observed or documented. According to Serin & Hanby (2009), “Although, shaping and changing addresses anger management through positive reinforcement techniques, many treatment programs continue to respond with disciplinary measures against inmates who violate institutional regulations or program rules” (p.
4). Correctional institutions usually do not give incentives as rewards for positive behavior. Instead, they often impose punishments for negative behavior such a denial of privileges; phone, television, outside or in some cases, visitation. An appropriate designed reward system, managed appropriately, would motivate inmates to engage in treatment programs to establish committed relationships. Approaches to positively shape behaviors are: to address relevant inmate’s issues, use behavioral interventions to train and redirect inmates, and to ensure staff are correctly implementing method and techniques. These systems and approaches are essential to ensure correction facilities equip their staff with the appropriate education and training on techniques to deter inmates’ negative behavior. Reinforcement Schedules”A reinforcement schedule is a tool in operant conditioning that allows the trainer to control the timing and frequency of reinforcement to elicit a target behavior” (Boundless, 2016, p 210). This model can be implemented in a prison system to determine how and when a behavior is followed by a reinforcer.
In 2011, Burdon, De Lore, & Prendergast directed a research study on the development and application of positive behavioral reinforcements in the prison system. According to their research, reinforcement schedules in prison attempts to connect positive and negative reinforcements in conjunction with inmates behaviors. Therefore, it is vital to provide psychologists with tools to instruct officers and clinical staff to effectively manage prison inmates when they present anger issues and negative behaviors.prison systems possess and promote a fundamentally different philosophy and set of policies regarding management of behavior and tend to enforce compliance with institutional rules and codes of behavioral conduct through the contingent delivery of punishment to individuals who engage in specified behaviors that violate such rules and codes of conduct. This has shown that the difficulty with reinforcement schedules is that once the plan is terminated, the reinforced desired behavior can also begin to deteriorate, if the reinforcement stops. As a result, correctional staff are regularly responsible to manage angry or frustrated inmates who are not motivation or non-compliant (p.
41). One Trial Learning TechniquesOne-trial learning is a type of classical conditioning that is spontaneous and does not require any premeditated thinking. One-trial learners are unreceptive; people are often challenged with several stimuli and connections to all of them cannot be made. Instead, only a few stimuli are chosen, and connections and responses are made between them. Prison psychologists can educate the prison staff to implement one-trial learning techniques with inmates via the use of verbal cues. Sometimes inmates either forget what is expected of them, or they simply do not want to comply, providing them with a small list of directions might be helpful in this process.
For example, to provide inmates with strategies to control their anger, an immediate consequence to a stimulus must be applied. One-trial learning techniques can be developed in the prison system by adding a direct consequence to inmates who rebel out of anger. For instance, adding more time onto their sentence or perhaps another source of punishment as a response to the stimuli (anger). Implementing these learning theories in a prison setting can be very useful in providing anger management skills to inmates, in addition to, applying these skills in their lives after they are released. ConclusionThe prison system population is comprised of a combination of prison staff and inmates from diverse backgrounds and educational levels. The historical development and current use of shaping and chaining, reinforcement schedules, and one-trial learning illustrate alternative methods to improve inmate behaviors via the use of anger management therapy. The implementation of these learning theories in combination with positive approaches may encourage positive changes to occur in the behavior of inmates. It is vital to gain a good understanding of these learning concepts, and effective implementation in a prison setting.
This paper discussed how prison staff psychologists can educate prison staff on the appropriate implementation of shaping and chaining, reinforcement schedules, and one-trial learning methods to inmates, and how they can apply these techniques towards healthy anger management strategies. Additionally, the theoretic basis for the principles of shaping and chaining, reinforcement schedules, and one-trial learning methods, including historical development, were provided. Lastly, this paper addressed the present understanding on the effective use of these learning concepts.
ReferencesBoundless (2016). Schedules of Reinforcement. Retrieved from, https://www.
boundless.com/ psychology /textbooks/ boundless-psychology-textbook/learning-7/operant-conditioning-47/schedules-of-reinforcement-200-12735Boundless (2016). Shaping.
Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/psychology/textbooks /boundless-psychology-textbook/learning-7/operant-conditioning-47/shaping-198-12733/Burdon, W.
M., De Lore, J. S.
, & Prendergast, M. L. (2011).
Developing and Implementing a Positive Behavioral Reinforcement Intervention in Prison-Based Drug Treatment: Project BRITE. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs, 7, 40–50.Schunk, D. (2016). Learning theories: an educational perspective (7th ed.). Carolina del Norte: PearsonSerin, R. C.
& Hanby, L. J. (2009). Offender Incentives and Behavioural Management Strategies. Ottawa: Correctional Service of Canada, Research Branch.
