What do you think about my theory?

Question

A. I think that by the use of consequences, we could teach prisoners that what they did is wrong and is not accepted in our society. This is called operant conditioning, and it would modify the occurrence and form of a prisoner’s behavior. Comparing prisoners to cats, we could put the prisoners in jail, instead of a puzzle box, and every time the prisoner accomplished a good deed, he would have his sentence reduced to a less harsh punishment, which would be classified as the positive reinforcement. When first constrained in jail, the prisoners would have taken a long time to escape. However, if a prisoner conducts a bad behavior, we cannot reduce his punishment, or else this would be a negative reinforcement. With experience, ineffective responses will occur less frequently and successful responses will occur more frequently, enabling the prisoners to escape in less time over successive deeds.

LOL I agree with all you guys. Its just that i was forced to write a theory about that! Hahhaa
I also wrote this one-

B. Operant conditioning would be the best way to reform a convicted thief. For example, if someone steals something and is caught, they will have one of their finger’s chopped off. If they are caught stealing something for a second time, two of their fingers are chopped off, and so on. If the behavior becomes persistent, their hands, or even arms will be chopped off. I think that this would definitely reform a convicted thief and by chopping their arms off, the thief would certainly understand that their behavior is not acceptable and hopefully not do it again, unless they want their head chopped off.

Oh, and it's obvioulsy for my A.P. Psychology class!

Answer 1

the problem is once the inmates get back into society, there are no incentives to continue acting within society's norms. the learned behavior will reduce itself through extinction. i think it would only result in good prisoners and bad ex-cons, rather than shamed prisoners and reformed ex-cons.

good analogy. the stuff we have to do for grades...

Answer 2

Ok so then knowing this the all of the prisoners will do all these good deeds JUST so that they can get out of jail and then be released into society again and commit more crimes?? How do you know that this so called conditioning will actually carry over to real life and change the mind frame of the prisoners?

Also prison is supposed to be a PUNISHMENT but now you want to reward them for doing so called "good deeds"? They are not good deeds... its called doing the things that the rest of society does every single day. We don't get rewarded all of the time for being good citizens and not commiting crimes, because that is what we are EXPECTED TO DO!

Your theory is crap. It will never work. People need to stop spending so much time and money trying to help criminals and give them so many damn privledges while they are in jail. THE DO NOT DESERVE THEM!!

Answer 3

I'm glad I'm not the only one who thinks about oddball things like this (a.k.a. Politics). I am really torn here. I tend to believe that most criminals don't reform, but admittedly I don't have any research to back this up. Also, this may not apply to youthfull indescretions, like DUI for an 18 year old with a fake ID. I hope they grow out of that, although I know people in thier early and mid- 20's that think drunk driving is a favorite past-time. Insanity. . . Unfortunately our over-populated prisons don't seem to give much in the way of reform. No, it has become a revolving door in most areas. One goes in one goes out (perhaps not at that ratio, again I really don't have any figures in front of me). I do agree that people are animals, in that instinctually, I know what is right and wrong. Having said that, there may be some merit to what you say. I do believe this though: People/prisoners, understand systems. If your system were employed, it would not take long for general pop. to figure it out, do what they have to do, get out, and start over again (via whatever hanous crime wets thier fancy). I don't think you can change instincts, you either know what is right/wrong and comply or don't comply, OR, your idea of what is right/wrong is not in sync with the majority, and you comply or don't comply with that. I would imagine there could be four seperate studies on that. Take BTK (Wichita, KS) I have friends that knew that guy personally. Allegedly, he was highly involved in the community. Although it seemed that most people in the area thought of him as more of a nuisance than anything else. He was a city code inspector for Park City, where he lived (Is your grass too long, that kind of thing). He went to church and all. Supposedly he had voices in his head that made him Bind, Torture, and Kill his victims. This goes along with what I say, (If you believe in split personality or not) The man new the rules, and by instinct, performed his murders. I hope this gave you something else to think about. Good luck

BTW, yeah, I think your 'Operant conditioning' would be a more effective means. (I put it in quotes, because I am not a psychology term-knowing person, so I have to assume that you are using the right terminology)

Answer 4

Your theory would work wonderful for reducing the time people spend in prison. Unfortunately, I think that most prisoners would do what was necessary to escape, and then immediately begin committing the same crimes. Your theory simply reinforces behavior they already exhibit: manipulation, deception, instant gratification. They are already capable of good deeds, and they will do them because of the reward - escape, but that will do nothing to deter them from committing more crimes, and ultimately teaches them nothing practical about the benefits of long term change in their behavior. It would teach them that doing a good deed produces an instant reward for them. In society, doing a good deed often produces nothing but satisfaction that you have done a good deed. Criminals tend to shun doing good for it's own sake.

Answer 5

From what I know the culture in jail is very animalistic and ugly. I think those who run the prisons are more occupied with keeping control of the population than with conducting psychological experiments.

there would have to be immense changes in the system for what you suggest to have a chance of succeeding.

It is a very interesting idea, however. There are people whose sentences are reduced for good behavior already. Does this fit in with your concept?

Venom spartan is wrong. Human beings respond to conditioning the same as other animals.

Answer 6

The prisoners would begin to understand what was occurring and develop demand characteristics, or basically, act according to the standards and models of those who understood what it took to get out of prison. You wouldn't get the end result and would end up with prisoners who played the system the way many prisoners do and make a mockery of the punishment system. In theory it is a great idea, but in practice it lacks the applicability of what is already practice i.e. if you are good you will not go to prison. Here they are in prison, and now we are asking them to change their behaviour to what we already have asked them to do according to our social rules, and they chose not to. Prison systems could do more to rehabilitate individuals, but we consider these people scum and need to address the root causes. Many people who committ crimes come from under educated families who don't have the economics to prevent them from being frustrated and committing crimes in the beginning. Nice theory, just not good in practice.

Answer 7

The theorey is most interesting, but prisoners only want one thing; to get out of prison. Animals do not consciously decide that they learn a new task; they just know that they are rewarded for doing it. Prisoners know that they will get out sooner by doing good deeds, and will do nothing but. Even Hannibal Lector could mop the kitchen if it meant he would be released.

Answer 8

Wow - I would be on my best behavior so that I can get out of jail and personally find you to WHIP YOUR AS*. Human beings are not animals so therefore they do not respond to behavioral modifications like rats! Did you know that only 1% of the penitentiary population in the U.S. are harden criminals, your murderers, rapist and such? The rest are just fillers, thieves, reoccurrence of misdemeanor charges and such. Prison is BIG business just like WAR. Not a lab experiment.

Answer 9

I think that adults already know right from wrong and when they commit crimes it is because they made the decision to forgo any ethical value learned as children from their parents, (who with the use of consequences taught their children that what they did was wrong and unacceptable in our society).

Answer 10

B. F. Skinner is dead and so is your theory. Read " The Misbehavior of Organisms ", by two of Skinner's students. In natural conditions an organism is not so well conditioned. Innate preference trumps conditioning.