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Operant conditioning and crime

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Why might someone keep committing crime? Learning theories say criminal behaviour is learned, just like any other behaviour. The first is operant conditioning (Skinner, 1948).

Learning from consequences

Operant conditioning means learning from the consequences of our behaviour.
If a behaviour leads to a good outcome, it is reinforced and becomes more likely. If it leads to a bad outcome, it is punished and becomes less likely.
Positive means something is added. Negative means something is taken away.

Reinforcers and crime

Primary reinforcers meet a basic biological need, such as food, water, warmth or shelter.
Secondary reinforcers have no value on their own but are learned to be rewarding because they can be swapped for primary reinforcers or approval, such as money, tokens, praise or status.
Applied to crime: a teenager steals and gets money and respect from friends (positive reinforcement). Joining a gang may stop them being bullied (negative reinforcement). If they are never caught, nothing punishes the behaviour, so it continues.

Strengths and weaknesses

Strengths: it explains why crime can be repeated when it pays. It has led to useful treatments such as token economy programmes. Animal research by Skinner gives scientific support for learning through consequences.
Weaknesses: it cannot easily explain crimes that bring no reward, or why some people who are rewarded for crime stop. It ignores biological factors such as personality. Much of the evidence came from animals (rats and pigeons), which may not apply to complex human behaviour.
Worked example

A shoplifter is caught and fined £200. Which operant conditioning term describes the fine?

  1. Money (something pleasant) is taken away.
  2. Taking something pleasant away to reduce a behaviour is negative punishment.

Answer: Negative punishment.

Key idea

Operant conditioning says behaviour is shaped by consequences: reinforcement (positive or negative) makes it more likely, punishment (positive or negative) makes it less likely. Primary reinforcers meet biological needs; secondary reinforcers such as money are learned.

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