Presented by Cary Heck, Ph'D'

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Effective Use of Rewards Sanctions

• Presented by Cary Heck, Ph.D.
• Borrowed with permission from
• Douglas B. Marlowe, J.D., Ph.D.

National Drug Court Institute
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Basic Terminology

REWARD
SANCTION
Positive Reinforcement
Punishment
GIVE
Negative Reinforcement
Response Cost
TAKE
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Certainty

• FR-1 schedule for initiation
• Reliable detection
• Second chances

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Celerity
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Celerity
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Celerity

• Effects degrade exponentially
• Interference from new behaviors
• Status hearings

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Magnitude
Effective Zone
Ceiling Effects
Habituation Effects
EFFECTIVENESS
SEVERE
MAGNITUDE OF SANCTION
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Escalation

• Rehearsal
• Intermediate responses
• Ratchet up or down

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Fairness

• Proportionality
• Like people in like circumstances
• Procedural justice
• Advance notice
• Punish the act, not the individual

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Quitting Defiance

• Unfairness
• Learned Helplessness
• Predictability
• Controllability
• Ratio Burden

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Target Behaviors

• Proximal vs. distal (shaping)
• Phase-specific
• Capture the behavior
• Clearly defined

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Pitfalls of Sanctions

• Escape or avoidance
• Overgeneralization
• Superstition
• Doesnt teach what to do
• FR forever (no thinning)

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Pitfalls of the Carrot

• Coddling
• Complacency
• Entitlement
• Undermines intrinsic motivation (?)

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Certainty and celerity
Beware individualism
The Works of BF Skinner
Higher magnitude for proximal behaviors
Lower magnitude for distal behaviors
Behavior Modification 101
Predictable and attainable goals
Reward desired behaviors
Expect more over time
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Readings

• Higgins ST Silverman K (Eds) (1999).
  Motivating behavior change among illicit-drug
  abusers Research on contingency management
  interventions. Washington, DC American
  Psychological Assoc.
• Burdon WM et al (2001). Drug courts and
  contingency management. Journal of Drug Issues,
  31, 73-90.
• Harrell A Roman J (2001). Reducing drug use
  and crime among offenders The impact of
  graduated sanctions. Journal of Drug Issues, 31,
  207-232.
• Marlowe DB Kirby KC (1999). Effective use of
  sanctions in drug courts Lessons from behavioral
  research. National Drug Court Institute Review,
  2, 1-31.
• Marlowe, DB (2002). Effective strategies for
  intervening with drug abusing offenders.
  Villanova Law Review, 47, 989-1025.
• .