Attitudes Toward Behavior Modification

Abstract

Students from four distinct student populations were surveyed, including inmate students at a state prison, students at a private Christian liberal arts college, students at a large state university, and criminal justice students at that state university. Their attitudes toward behavior modification were measured by having them respond to a series of statements developed by Turkat, Harris, and Forehand (1979). The student groups differed in the extent to which they viewed behavior modification as appropriate or ethical with such target populations as prisoners, homosexuals, retarded individuals, normal children, and those with marital problems. It was suggested that the extent to which one views behavior modification as appropriate or ethical depends, at least in part, on the extent to which the proposed target group is stigmatized by one's particular culture. Furthermore, it was quantitatively verified that the overall favorability of one's views regarding behavior modification depends, in part, on the accuracy of one's perceptions regarding what constitutes valid procedures.