Record Details

Applying Operant Learning to the Stay-Leave Decision in Domestic Violence

Adhyayan: A Journal of Management Sciences

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Field Value
 
Title Applying Operant Learning to the Stay-Leave Decision in Domestic Violence
 
Creator Miller, Katie Beth
Lund, Emily
Weatherly, Jeffrey
 
Subject Behavior Analysis; Psychology
domestic violence, behaviorism, operant learning, stay-leave decision
 
Description Research on domestic violence has identified many factors behind an abused woman’s decision to stay in, rather than leave, the relationship, including economic concerns, psychological issues, and social consequences from society and the woman’s family and friends. The current article expands on Long and McNamara’s (1989) and Bell and Naugle’s (2005) discussions of how operant learning principles may contribute to the stay-leave decision. Human and non-human animal studies concerning the reduced effectiveness of punishment and increased effectiveness of reinforcement are discussed herein as they apply to domestic violence. Specifically, the dynamics of domestic violence increase the effectiveness of reinforcement within the relationship, decrease the effectiveness of punishment for staying in the relationship, and punish the alternative behavior of leaving the relationship. These factors combine to promote the woman staying in the relationship. Suggestions are made for modifying contingencies and a woman’s behavior that could increase the likelihood she would choose to leave a batterer.
 
Publisher University of Illinois at Chicago Library
 
Date 2012-11-10
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Peer-reviewed Article
 
Format application/pdf
 
Identifier https://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/bsi/article/view/4015
10.5210/bsi.v21i0.4015
 
Source Behavior and Social Issues; Vol 21 (2012); 135-151
1064-9506
 
Language eng
 
Relation https://journals.uic.edu/ojs/index.php/bsi/article/view/4015/3365