CCJS 461 Project 1
CCJS 461 7380 Psychology of Criminal Behavior
Operant Conditioning in the Criminal Justice System
July 12, 2015
Psychology plays a very important role in the field of criminal justice. It is needed to help assess individuals who commit crimes, as well as, help to be a predictor of criminal behavior. Utilizing theories such behaviorism and operant conditioning, individual behavior is able to be assessed by the response to learning what actions result in rewards and what actions result in punishment. As a result of how individuals respond to rewards and punishment, learned behaviors have the possibility to be deterred or corrected.
Behaviorism
Behaviorism is a very important foundational theory in psychology. This theory of thought was founded by American psychologist John B. Watson. Merriam Webster online dictionary defines Behaviorism as “a school of psychology that takes the objective evidence of behavior (as measured responses to stimuli) as the only concern of its research and the only basis of its theory without reference to conscious experience”(www.merriamwebster.com ).
Theorists in this category suggest that behaviors are strictly a result of conditioning. Cherry states that conditioning “occurs through interaction with the environment” (p.2). This theory does not take into consideration internal thoughts, reasoning, or responses. Behaviors are strictly managed or are a result of training and external stimuli. This theory does not take into consideration anything person. It believes that all people given the same set of circumstances will have the same response or behaviors.
Relying mainly on training, all people start with a clean slate in this theory. Positive and negative reinforcement increase likelihood of behaviors reoccurring. While reinforcements increase the probability of behaviors reoccurring, the opposite is said with punishments. Punishments, either positive or negative, decrease the likelihood of
Operant Conditioning in the Criminal Justice System
July 12, 2015
Psychology plays a very important role in the field of criminal justice. It is needed to help assess individuals who commit crimes, as well as, help to be a predictor of criminal behavior. Utilizing theories such behaviorism and operant conditioning, individual behavior is able to be assessed by the response to learning what actions result in rewards and what actions result in punishment. As a result of how individuals respond to rewards and punishment, learned behaviors have the possibility to be deterred or corrected.
Behaviorism
Behaviorism is a very important foundational theory in psychology. This theory of thought was founded by American psychologist John B. Watson. Merriam Webster online dictionary defines Behaviorism as “a school of psychology that takes the objective evidence of behavior (as measured responses to stimuli) as the only concern of its research and the only basis of its theory without reference to conscious experience”(www.merriamwebster.com ).
Theorists in this category suggest that behaviors are strictly a result of conditioning. Cherry states that conditioning “occurs through interaction with the environment” (p.2). This theory does not take into consideration internal thoughts, reasoning, or responses. Behaviors are strictly managed or are a result of training and external stimuli. This theory does not take into consideration anything person. It believes that all people given the same set of circumstances will have the same response or behaviors.
Relying mainly on training, all people start with a clean slate in this theory. Positive and negative reinforcement increase likelihood of behaviors reoccurring. While reinforcements increase the probability of behaviors reoccurring, the opposite is said with punishments. Punishments, either positive or negative, decrease the likelihood of
References: Cherry, Kendra (n.d.). Behaviorism. Retrieved July 10, 2015 from http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/f/behaviorism.htm DeMar, G. (1989, April 1). Behaviorism. ForeRunner retrieved from http://www.forerunner.com/forerunner/X0497_DeMar_-_Behaviorism.html McLeod, S. (2015). Skinner – Operant Conditioning. Retrieved from www.simplepsychology.org/operant-conditioning.html Merriam Webster Dictionary. Retrieved on July 10, 2015 from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/behaviorism Ross, R. & McKay, B (1980). Behavioral Approaches to Treatment in Corrections – Requiem for a Panacea. Retrieved from https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=73343