What I would like you to do is to find a topic from section 1.5 or the handout on recording behaviors that you were interested in and search the internet for material on that topic. You might, for example, find people who are doing research on the topic, you might find web pages that discuss the topic, you might find youtube clips that demonstrate something related to the topic, etc. What you find and use is pretty much up to you at this point. Please use 3 or more resources.
Once you have completed your search and explorations, I would like you to say what your topic is, how exactly it fits into the chapter, and why you are interested in it. Next, I would like you to take the information you found related to your topic, integrate/synthesize it, and then write about it. At the end, please include working URLs for the three websites. Keep in mind that it will be easier if you keep it to one topic.
By integrating/synthesizing I mean to take what your read/experienced from the internet search (and from chapter 1 if you like) organize the information into the main themes, issues, info, examples, etc. about your topic and then write about the topic in your own words using that information. This is hard for some people to do - many students write what we refer to as "serial abstracts." They are tempted to talk about the websites rather than the topic proper and this what you DON'T want to do! They will talk all about website #1, start a new paragraph and talk all about web site #2, start a new paragraph and talk all about web site #3, and then write some kind of conclusion. Serial means one after the other...again, this what you DON'T want to do! If all three sites are on the same one topic it will be easier.
At first it is a real challenge to get out of the habit of writing "serial abstracts," but I assure you once you get the hang of it it is much easier to write using the integration method. And besides this is the way researchers and scientists write their technical reports and findings - many of you will have to be able to do this for other classes and for jobs that you may eventually be hired for so now is a good time to learn this skill. At this point don't worry about a grade, worry about doing your best to have fun with the topic and then integrate it into your own words to share what you found and now know. We will work on citing the sources later....
Include a list of the terms and concepts you used in your post. (example - Terms: positive reinforcer, extinction, reinforcer, discriminative stimulus...)
Let me know if you have any questions.
While I was looking up information about my topical blog, which was going to be over functional vs. topographical, I came across the topic of functional behavioral assessment. I got interested in this because it really helped me to understand the difference better between functional and topographical behaviors. The main purpose from functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is to discover the relationships between behaviors and environmental factors or events. The assessment has been said to be a lot like a problem solving process to find what causes the behaviors. Then it looks at the behavior and develops a plan to help control that behavior that needs to be modified.
The FBA starts off by defining the problem that a person wants corrected or modified in another. Then the researcher needs to collect data. There are two different ways a person can collect data about behaviors. You can use indirect or direct methods. Indirect methods use records of the person, interviews and questionnaires from the person, while direct methods are more observational and look at situational factors. Researchers then can use direct assessments in to look at the data. They can use assessments that use the number of times the behavior occurred or they can use antecedent-behavior-consequence (ABC) charts. Then researchers look at the data and create a hypothesis about what is causing or influencing that particular behavior. Then researchers can develop a behavioral intervention plan (BIP). BIPs are plans that help teach skills to people to help correct, control, or modify certain behaviors.
I felt that this topic was interesting and it showed me that functional behaviors need to be described specifically, because if they are not then we could be looking at wrong behaviors.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applied_behavior_analysis
http://www.usu.edu/teachall/text/behavior/LRBIpdfs/Functional.pdf
http://cecp.air.org/fba/problembehavior3/main3.htm
I chose to write this topical blog on continuous reinforcement. It was only just mentioned on this section and was said to be talked about it later sections, but it got me thinking and I wanted to find some more information on it. I chose this topic because I was thinking about the comments Dr. Maclin gave me on my previous blogs. He is using reinforcement by telling me that he agrees with me and that I am doing well. This reinforcement is making me want to a good job all the time so I can continue to get comments like previous ones.
Definitions of continuous reinforcement describe it as the desired behavior being reinforced every time it occurs. In order for this to work properly, it needs to happen early in the stages of learning so that it can have the optimum effect. Say for example an employee just started working for a marketing firm. Every time he encourages someone to purchase an item, he would receive an encouraging note from his boss. By continuously receiving this reinforcement, he is likely to keep with the behavior that gave him a pleasurable experience. One problem with continuous reinforcement is that it can lead to satiation which is essentially "becoming full." If they are constantly receiving this reinforcement, they may possibly become tired of it or "full". The definition of satiation according to section 1.4 is that it indicates that introducing any additional reinforcement to an organism will not alter the frequency of the behavior which is being reinforced. Often times to avoid this, partial or intermittent reinforcement will be used. This is, however, not discussed in our section.
After researching the topic of continuous reinforcement, I understand the importance of it, but I also understand that it can lead to satiation.
http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.cfm?term=Continuous%20Reinforcement
http://www.minddisorders.com/Py-Z/Reinforcement.html
http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/a/schedules.htm
I would like to discuss Target Behavior and baseline from the handout that we received, it interests me because I myself am trying to drink more water, make healthier food choices, and keep up with a workout program daily. My target behavior (goal) is to live a healthier lifestyle and lose weight at the same time, I am trying to increase my water intake daily and keep up with my work outs, and I want to decrease my bad eating habits and my laziness. On the subject of baseline, (“the starting point from which success or failure of the behavioral intervention is measured”) mine would be how much I weigh at the beginning of my 10 week journey. My self-reported baseline would be what I keep in my NLXF journal, how much water I drink every day, what I eat for my 5 meals, and my scale from 1-10 on my daily workout, I report it best to my knowledge, even penciling in daily the bad items I eat, but there have been a couple days where I ate bad and recorded nothing. (I am just explaining how I interpret what I read in the handout and how it goes along with some behaviors I am trying to change and focus on.) Reinforcement for me to increase this behavior is the praise I get from other friends doing the challenge, from my instructors, but also the results on how I feel about myself and what the scale shows. Punishment for me is when I look at the scale and see NO CHANGES or when I get nagged or bitched at by my instructors for slacking off during workouts.
http://www.slc.sevier.org/behavdef.htm
http://www.education.com/reference/article/defining-target-replacement-behaviors/
http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/guide/healthy-diet
Great job comparing the term baseline with your own goals in life. I also mentioned a lot of the same examples in my blog. I think that your weight loss goals are very common and I wish you luck. There are many baselines to consider in that one goal. Such as how much you work out now, how much water you drink, and how many calories you intake in one day versus ther changes you are planning to make. I also noticed you added in what your target behavior was and self reported baseline. I unfortunately forgot to mention that. Also, a little bit of personal advice. Don't get to discouraged when you look at the scale. I did P90X for one month and when I weighed myself I gained 3 pounds, I was upset until I realized I lost 2 1/2 inches off my waste. Just hang in there and don't give up, its alot of work but its worth it in the end.
I decided to learn more about Target behaviors as my topical. Defining and specifying target behaviors is hugely important when modifying behaviors. We often times are not specific enough when we are trying to get an organism to emit a certain behavior so I think it’s necessary for everyone to know how to correctly identify and define what they’re trying to get the subject to accomplish so that everything works out smoothly and nobody is confused.
When specifying a behavior, even if it’s a very general thing with a lot of different meanings or examples, it’s important that the subject who’s behavior you are trying to modify, knows exactly what behavior they are supposed to emit. It also might be a necessary step, if trying to change a large problematic behavior, to work on smaller behaviors first and then expand and modify it until you achieve your one large target behavior. For instance, if you’re teaching a child with a speech problem, you’re obviously going to want to start small with your behaviors, like teaching them how to pronounce/say small sounds or syllables first. Again, it’s important that each of these steps are being carefully specified so that there is no confusion and the actual target behavior is obtained.
As one website suggested, when explaining the target behavior, it should be understood that the behavior they are to emit should have a clear starting point, a clear ending point, and there should be no interruptions between those two points so there is no confusion or reinforcement for additional behaviors that may have been incorporated.
You also want to make sure that your behavior has a specific physical activity, and that it’s not just the “absence” of a behavior—for instance “don’t be bad.” They must have something to focus on mentally and physically to achieve or modify.
http://www.education.com/reference/article/defining-target-replacement-behaviors/
http://seab.envmed.rochester.edu/abstracts/JabaAbstracts/34/_34-123.Htm
http://www.deadmantest.org/2008/01/choosing-target-behaviors-for.html
I keep finding myself drawn to the topics that are precedence. I've talked so far on antecedents and how they set the occassion for the behavior to occur. I've written on elicit and how it "brings about" or makes the emitting of a behavior occur. I've also focused on establing operation which is the motivation that sets the occassion and makes reinforcers more reinforcing. So it makes sense that this time I was drawn to the topic of target behavior and baseline.
Many of the other topics I covered can happen subconsciously, as well as consciously, in the modification of behavior. Target behavior and baseline are clearly conscious classifications and measurements of behaviors in which we wish to manipulate. If we wish to LEARN to modify behavior we will have to understand and be able to determine target behaviors or the behavior we specifically want to modify. It will have to clearly defined so that when we measure the baseline or the rate at which the target behavior occurs, we are doing so accurately and with inter-ovbserver agreement(bt. those meas. beh.). These are important to understand so that we can accurately measure how well the reinforcers we are using are working to change the behavior we wish to modify.
When training animals we often find it easy to find target behaviors or negative valence we wish to modify. When wanting to lose weight finding the target behaviors may be a bit more difficult. It is important to have a target behavior because if you do not, you won't end up changing anything. Too often, we generalize what we want to change. This may be attributed to not knowing our baseline or rate at which the behavior already occurs. Or it could be attributed to the fact that we don't really want to know (denial). A clearer picture of what has changed occured is you have a specific target behavior in mind that you are changing and can easily measure.
Terms:Antecedent/set the occasion/elicit/emit/ establishing operation/reinforcer/target behavior/negative valence/baseline/inter-observer agreement/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ_mJXo1jQQ
www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf2dnoQXzrQjstor.org/stable/1126714?seq=1
http://stopaggressivecatbehavior.blogspot.com/
-specifically sets up signs to look for that equal aggressive behavior
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ_mJXo1jQQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cf2dnoQXzrQjstor.org/stable/1126714?seq=1
I'm obviously not very good at posting websites! :)
In the handout "recording behaviors" I was intrigued by the term baseline. What doesn't make sense to me is that this term refers to something that I personally think should have been mentioned in nearly all of my psychology courses, but this is the first that I am hearing about it. I know that this term is pretty easy to understand but I thought it would be nice to go through some more examples of baselines just to point out how many situations they apply to, and how often we overlook the term.
When I attempted to look up the word baseline, I got the same outcome as when I tried to look up topographically similar. Nearly every site lead me to a base for measurement or construction, base line maps and a baseline in terms of typography and penmenship. This made me want to search more that were actually related to psychology.
A baseline is a measurement taken at one point in time, against which future scores will be compared. The baseline is usually taken to be the initial measurement but in ongoing treatments fresh baseline scores can be obtained in order to measure subsequent change.
Anyone reading this description would probably have to read it a couple of times to understand the concept of a baseline, when the handout explained it in one paragraph. This is another reason why examples are so important. It makes comprehending any term easier.
To simplify the defintion stated above, A baseline is simply the behavior that you emitted before you start a goal. For example, the most popular goal for people today is losing weight. If you weigh 150 and your goal is to lose 20 pounds, the baseline would be 150. Also, to put it into a psychology perspective, the information gathered at the beginning of a study in which all information is based on. If I was doing a study on students grades and the amount of t.v they watched, the baseline would be the amount of t.v they watch each week compared to another baseline which is the amount of time they study each week. I would then compare all future findings to those baselines.
Another example could be trying to manage your money. This might be harder to do with one baseline but you could start by adding up how much you spend on eating out, or how much you shop in 1 month, and try to decrease those amounts of unnecessary spending.
http://psychology.wikia.com/wiki/Baseline
http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=26233
http://www.psychwiki.com/wiki/What_is_a_baseline%3F
After reading section 1.5 I was interested in learning more about target behaviors. It’s very important to be precise when choosing a target behavior so a person has to know what type of behavior they want someone to emit. So after reading the example about the teacher trying to figure out ways to stop disruptive behavior in the class, I googled target behaviors and there were a lot have articles supporting target behaviors in the classroom. So I decided to do a little more research on why it’s important to figure out the types of behavior you should target as a teacher. So again, like section 1.5 said, it’s important to find a few target behaviors to focus on in the classroom otherwise you’re be overwhelmed with trying to shape children's behaviors and you’ll experience extinction.
So when a teacher is trying to focus on a child who’s behavior in the classroom is distracting to both the teacher and students, it’s important to only work on a couple of behaviors at a time. Teachers should focus on the major problems with the child and a good way to find which behaviors are more severe than others is to list and rank them. After you have figure out which behaviors you want to work on, you need to find a behavior you want to replace it with. When choosing a replacement behavior it’s important that you make sure the behavior states what the student is to do, the student has to be able to do it or be able to learn how to do it. So an example of a target behavior is a teacher has troubles trying to have her kids raise their hands to answer a question instead of just blurting it out. A good way to start off fixing this behavior is to show the class what you want them to do when they know the answer to a question. Show them how to raise their hands and be patient. Next you want to set up some kind of reinforcement for when they do raise their hands to answer a question. Maybe, for every time a student raises their hands to answer a question they get a sticker to put on a chart that can lead to prizes. This would reinforce the behavior to sit still and raise their hands because the students know they will be reinforced eventually for doing so.
Target behaviors don’t have to just be for kids either. Adults can set their own target behaviors. For example, adults who are trying to lose weight could set up a diet system where they keep track of everything they eat and if they eat healthy all week and work out, they can reinforce themselves with a treat of some sort. If they fail to do abide by the target behavior they set up then they will have to wait another week to earn a treat.
Target behaviors can be applied to just about anything in life. It’s very important that we make precise directions and instructions to follow that behavior we want targeted otherwise the behavior will not come with any results and every behavior you tried to reinforce will be extinct.
http://add.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/a/Behavioralmodi.htm
http://www.education.com/reference/article/defining-target-replacement-behaviors/
http://www.myclassroommanagement.com/choosing-a-target-behavior/
http://www.drhuggiebear.com/information/targetbehaviorreportcards.htm
At first I had no idea what I wanted to research in section 1.5, but then I came across a pretty cool website. I typed baseline behaviors in google and found a website that talked about how to tell if someone is lying to you. The site stated that in order to tell if someone was lying to you, it would be much easier if you knew their previous baseline behaviors so that you know what they typically do and do not do. Baseline behaviors fit into section 1.5 greatly because in order to understand any behavior you must first understand where/what the targeted behavior comes from.
If you don't understand someones baseline behaviors, then it would be impossible to understand what that person is fully about. Let's say for example that a person you know fairly well starts acting totally different than they previously did. You would assume something was wrong with that person, and ask if they were okay. However, if a person you had never met before started acting out and causing a scene, you would label them as dramatic and not question their actions because you do not know their baseline behaviors. This holds true with any situation because how people act is based off of what their typical baseline behaviors are like.
Like many of our humanistic behaviors, baseline behaviors are also applicable to animals. In order to train an animal it would be much easier to understand their previous attitudes so you know how the animal wil react. If a dog is already potty trained (one of his baseline behaviors) you wouldn't even think to waste your time training him again. But if you knew that he wasn't, you would spend a lot of time making sure he became potty trained.
Baseline behaviors can greatly help you understand why people do what they do thus causing us to understand overal human behavior more specifically.
Below are a few links that give some good tips on understanding baseline behaviors in every day situations:
http://www.natureskills.com/animal_tracking.html
http://espn.go.com/sports/fantasy/blog/_/name/poker/id/2630507
http://www.soyouwanna.com/soyouwanna-lie-persuasively-1629.html
Section 1.5 talks a lot about target behaviors and the precision needed in defining them. A target behavior is a particular behavior we are interested in. A good target behavior is one that is defined clearly enough so anyone would recognize and understand it when they saw it. In celebration of the New Year, I wanted to focus on target behaviors in making New Year resolutions.
When making my New Years resolution, I wanted to do something other that the usual “I want to loose weight”. To make it more interesting, I set it as “I want to be a starter on my rugby team”. To actually make this goal attainable, I have to break down the target behavior into smaller operant units and fully describe what it is. In other words, what do I need to accomplish to become a starter?
Becoming a starter means I have to be able to make it thought an entire 80-minute game emotionally and physically. Until the coach can see I have the endurance to do it, I am stuck on the B-side. That means I have to work on strength training and cardio every day for at least an hour. I should be able to take a couple laps around the WRC without becoming out of breath.
http://www.education.com/reference/article/behavioral-objectives/
www.public.coe.edu/.../~L10%20behavior%20modification%20I.ppt
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1479782/
I decided to look more into the Hawthorne effect and how it relates to behavior. In the handout, it mentioned that Paige could be altering her behavior simply because she knows it’s being recorded. I really enjoy studying this effect because it influences every experiment that is done. Research psychologists jump through hoops to conceal the true meaning of the experiment with hopes of dissuading the participants from acting differently. This effect gets especially difficult when trying to make an ethically sound experiment, because the overarching question remains: is a signing a consent form really giving consent if the true nature of the experiment isn’t given or if the experimenter completely lies?
Simply being chosen to participate in an experiment can set the occasion for the participants to emit certain behaviors. This is why I love psychology. It blows my mind and still makes perfect sense, all at the same time. While looking up the Hawthorne effect, most of what I found was medical and educational research with a decent smattering of business/HR type stuff. With all types, attention makes people feel better, and people who feel better work/learn/get healthy better. I agree with the Hawthorne effect in that taking part in a study could make students, patients, and factory workers are reinforced to emit the target behavior. The antecedent, instead of being the independent variable, is getting noticed and appearing to matter to your boss/teacher/etc. The extra interest is what elicits the behavioral change.
AAAAAAAAAAND plot twist! (I get excited about this stuff) A lot of the research on this also cited the Pygmalion effect as a possible cause, with some articles taking the stance that the Hawthorne effect doesn’t exist and is merely a result of the observer’s expectations on the participants’ behaviors. Nevertheless, Pygmalion effect is another annoying yes fascinating twist in psychological research. Observers have come to expect Hawthorne-esque effects, so the participants emit behaviors according to expectations and the observer notices those behaviors and will mostly likely misinterpret other behaviors as such. It turns into a vicious, self-fulfilling-prophecy cycle that in my opinion (based on what I’ve read) can neither be proven nor disproven because there is no such thing as pure objectivity. Ever.
Gotta say, I REALLY hope we get to talk about this stuff. It’s so cool, and only gets cooler the more I research it.
Terms: emit, elicit, antecedent, target behavior, reinforced, set the occasion
http://www.experiment-resources.com/hawthorne-effect.html
http://fragments.turtlemeat.com/medical-informatics/Evaluating-Medical-Informatics-Systems.php
http://www.cs.unc.edu/~stotts/204/nohawth.html
http://www.jstor.org/stable/1169372
I found the use of visual charts for modifying behavior to be of interest to me. I have had experience with these with my daughter, but have also found these work for me too. In addition to the water chart that is hanging on my fridge right now for the last week, I have had a calorie counting chart and exercise chart that hung on my fridge. That way I was held accountable when I overate or didnt exercise the amount I wanted for my target behavior. Not only did I hang these charts but I told my daughter and my boyfriend what it was and what my goal was, and they could also hold me accountable for missing something or verbally reinforce me when I met or exceeded my goal. THere is nothing more motivating than an adorable four year old telling you to get your butt downstairs and run on that treadmill so you can get your sticker for the week, you havent earned it yet! I read a few different things on behavior modification charts and found a lot of good info. One of the main things each article said was to make sure these charts are visible at all times. Putting them on the back of a door or in a room not everyone is in at the same time is less successful. Another idea that came across in a lot of them was the idea of inter-observor agreement. There are one or many target behaviors that the organism is working towards, and it is important that everyone that is reinforcing or punishing these behaviors is working towards the same target behavior and taking the same steps to get to to this target behavior. For example, if a child has a behavior chart, it is important that both parents are punishing and reinforcing the same target behavior each and every time, this will also control any manipulation techniques the child may try. If there is going to be a babysitter it is important he or she understands the chart and target behaviors and this is best accomplished by the child explaining it and parents chiming in for any missed info. For the most part, these charts are used to reinforce good behavior, rather than punish bad behavior, simply because the idea of not receiving a sticker on their sticker chart is punishment enough. In order for there to be a chart on target behaviors these behaviors must be observable and measurable and not be too vague. Instead of telling Johnny to behave, give hime specific behaviors to do to behave such as keep his hands to himself while in line. Another aspect is to talk before hand about what the reinforcer is going to be, rather than saying we will do something special, specifically state that we will go visit the aquarium on Saturday if you receive 10 stickers this week on your chart.
http://www.mychildhealth.net/child-behavior-charts-are-helpful.html
http://www.ldonline.org/article/Behavior_Modification_in_the_Classroom
http://www.usu.edu/teachall/text/behavior/LRBIpdfs/Positive.pdf
Target behaviors are important. They help us in behavior modification because without a target behavior we would not know what to look for as a baseline when analyzing behavior. In the case of profiling arsonists, profilers look for target behaviors when examining a crime scene. At a arson crime scene, usually profilers know that the target behavior for arsonists is revenge. Another target behavior profilers look for in arsonists is the addiction to fire. Usually arsonists start an association with fire at an early age and develop an obsession and carry it throughout their lives.
In the matter of serial rapists, detectives and profilers look for a lot of target behaviors when interviewing victims of rape and analyzing the crime scene. Rapists use three types of attack when committing the offense; the con, the blitz, and the surprise. Officials also look for defensive wounds on the victim around the wrists, arms, and legs.
Target behavior usage in children with ADHD is also something that Psychologists, Psychiatrists, and teachers look for when positively reinforcing children with ADHD. Some target behaviors would include: not interrupting class, not blurting out answers, and completing classroom work on their own.
In conclusion, the use of target behaviors can be used across all spectrum's of psychology and are very useful to Psychologists in diagnosis and apprehending criminals.
http://www.springerlink.com/content/gqg2275402112228/
http://www.crimeandclues.com/index.php/behavioral-evidence/48-criminal-profiling/85-the-criminal-behavior-of-the-serial-rapist
http://www.drhuggiebear.com/information/targetbehaviorreportcards.htm
In this section 1.5, I found the concept of topographical behaviors rather interesting. Especially with the example of the different forms of waving, it got me thinking.
In our society today, we have a great number of hand gesturing behaviors, some of them with good connotations and some with insulting connotations. However, do these same gestures of our culture transfer into others. Do these topography gestures match up with similar gestures and meanings in other cultures. We know not every culture is the same and the gestures are different, I was interested in just how different.
I found some very interesting little bit of information regarding hand gestures that look the same, but function with a different meaning.
The Corona: is a hand gestured emitted by having your pointer and pinkie pointed upward while your two middle fingers and thumb curl into your palm. This hand gestured is most seen used by rock stars, in a positive light. However, it has negative connotations as well, meaning the Devil, as well as in Mediterranean meaning "your wife is cheating on you".
The O.K sign: as we all know is making a circle with your pointer finger and thumb, leaving the rest of your fingers upper and apart. This is a gesture for us as a means of everything is good or okay. Latin America though, and in France, this sign has a negitive connotation as "your anus". In Turkey, emitting this gesture means one is a homosexual.
There are many other gestures that appear the same but are in fact meaning and function in different ways throughout the world. When visiting a foreign country, be sure to study up on your hand gestures and accidentally insult someone who may elicit a fight.
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hand-gestures-in-different-cultures.html
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2555455/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHSe1ogHYUw
I chose to do this week’s topical blog on extinction because I think it is a very interesting concept to learn while we are going over continuous reinforcement. The reading has given us some insight about extinction but a little more research and discussion will help me out I believe.
Extinction is a process of eliminating a behavior by stopping the delivery of reinforcers responsible for maintaining the behavior. Something that makes extinction slower and harder to accomplish is intermittent reinforcement. The particular website that this information came from uses animals as the thing they are eliminating behavior from, so to say that intermittent reinforcement makes it harder means it makes it harder for animals to discriminate.
During a period of extinction, behaviors are never reinforced. Animals, children, or whatever it is that is being reinforced will learn quickly after they have not been reinforced for their behavior. This meaning that it does not take long for extinction to kick in. However, if animals or children are intermittently reinforcement, it does indeed take them much longer to realize that the reinforcement has become extinct since they are used to going for periods of time without any reinforcement. An example I found helpful is about pigeons. It is stated that a pigeon will peck about 300 times before stopping but if they have schedules of intermittent reinforcement, up to 60,000 responses might happen without reinforcement during a long period of time before the pigeons’ pecking starts dropping dramatically.
An example I thought of on my own of extinction after intermittent behavior is a baby crying in their crib. The parents may tend to the baby every time it cries so the baby will always know it will get parents’ attention if it cries. However, it the parents only tend to the baby about half the time that it cries, the baby will not learn as fast when extinction occurs, or when the parents stop tending to the crying baby completely. By withholding the expected response, the parents are teaching their baby that crying will not get their attention the way it once did.
http://www.psywww.com/intropsych/ch05_conditioning/intermittent_reinforcement.html
http://psychology.jrank.org/human-behavior/pages/cmxyrs9oqs/extinction-intermittentreinforcement-intermittent-reinforcement.html
http://www.minddisorders.com/A-Br/Behavior-modification.html
I chose to research on topographical behaviors because I felt that it was the most interesting topic from section 1.5. Section 1.5 described topographical behaviors as a class of behavior that classes behaviors together that look alike, but can have different functions. The reading stated that the behavior of waving was a topographical behavior because waving could serve different functions; waving good bye, waving to cool down, or waving down a taxi. An example of a topographical behavior that I came up with for the exercise included in the reading was running. Although running looks similar, a person could be running for safety, running for exercise, running to catch the bus etc.
After doing further research, I found a book by Gary Novak that provided further explanation of topographical behavior. Novak provided jumping as an example of a topographical behavior. Novak stated that an individual could be jumping over a mud puddle, jumping rope, or jumping to reach the rim of the basketball hoop. Novak explains that topographical behaviors are clumped together by how they look, or how the observer see‘s the behavior. Novak went on to mention that although topographical behavior may look alike, the behavior might not do the same thing. He then stated that a better way of classifying behaviors would be to look at their functional class. Novak’s book ties into section 1.5 because section 1.5 also stated that topographical behavior were behaviors that look alike. Section 1.5 also stressed to the reader that although behaviors can look similar, it doesn’t mean that the behaviors have the same outcome or accomplish the same thing.
Another research item I came across was a website that explained hand gestures. The website offered many hand gestures that looked similar/same and held different meanings based on the environmental location. For example, the website stated that a thumbs up in western cultures means good job or rewarding. However, in middle eastern countries a thumbs up is viewed as an insult. Another example of a hand gesture is the “ok” sign made with the index finger and thumb. In the U.S. we view the “ok” hand gesture as meaning that everything is satisfactory of fine. However, in Malaysia the same hand gesture is viewed as someone stating that you are a zero or worthless. Hand gestures tie into topographical behaviors because the hand gestures look the same, but serve different functions. In other words a hand gesture could mean something different in different locations/environments.
The last resource I found was a youtube video. The displayed different hand gestures and body language that appeared to be similar, but was interpreted or served a different function based on location. The video mentioned the “ok” gesture explaining that in some countries the sign is considered to mean that something is satisfactory and in other locations it can represent a person being worthless, and in India the sign is very rude because its symbolic of the anus. The video also displays the topographical behavior of up/down head nodding to represent yes/agreement. However, up and down nodding in some countries actually means no. the video does a nice job expressing how the same/similar body languages or gestures may look very much alike but can mean completely different things based on the location where you are. The video ties into topographical behavior because the “ok” sign and head nodding are examples of topographical behaviors that serve different functions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxoB6MhmbIg
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/hand-gestures-and-their-meanings.html
http://books.google.com/books?id=gzEE_eC79BAC&pg=PA182&lpg=PA182&dq=topographical+class+of+behavior&source=bl&ots=44a_qx_g7o&sig=CjoQrrMKDwyTXGKU2SMswQ_E1uc&hl=en&ei=EGFDTfqLLcGAlAfiweEr&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=topographical%20class%20of%20behavior&f=false
It took me awhile to finally decide what I wanted to learn more about. While doing the water project and recording how much water I drink in a day I thought about my water drinking habits. I haven’t been really drinking more than I do in a typical day, but instead I’m really just recording my baseline. So then I thought I would research more the term baseline and also target behaviors from the handout “recording behavior.”
I really never thought about having to have a baseline before wanted to try and change a certain behavior, but I guess it makes sense. First off I should define baseline which is your starting point or the behavior you emitted before trying to shape your behavior. A target behavior is specific behavior that is you want to change. You have to first find out how often you do something before you can either punish (decrease) the behavior or reinforce (increase) the behavior.
The baseline is essential in this process. If for example you want to try and wake up before 10am every day of the week you need to find out what time you normally wake up and record that (for at least a week), this would be your baseline, and the target behavior would be getting up (or at least try) before 10 every day. There is a lot more that would go into this process of getting up so you would need to record everything and the focus on that target behavior. I found an interesting website about a questionnaire that helps focus on a target behavior and trying understand it, also I think it helps create a baseline with the questions that the questionnaires ask.
Terms: baseline/target behavior/punish/reinforce/emitted
http://appliedbehavioranalysis.blogspot.com/2007/06/baseline-is-essential.html
http://www.psychology-lexicon.com/cms/glossary/glossary-b/baseline.html
http://glynn.schooldesk.net/Portals/0/docs/Target%20Behavior%20Questionnaire%201-5-07.pdf
The topic I chose was how Juvenile Corrections approaches use behavior modification principles. Most rehabilitative practices currently being utilized involve some type of behavior modification system. However, more recent research reveals that the most effective approaches involve two specific principles. They are high inter-observer agreement and clearly defined target behaviors.
These approaches are known as individualized or wraparound treatment methods. In this method, the treatment group involves parents, service providers, court and school representatives, and anyone else who can be helpful. The group develops a treatment plan that revolves around to specific needs of each client. Then the group chooses which service providers meet the client's plan the best. However, the best quality of this approach is that it pulls everyone involved in the clients life together, clearly defines a target behavior, and sets standards of reinforcement and punishment. This creates high levels of inter-observer agreement and integrates the treatment plan into the client’s daily routine.
I'm interested in this topic because I my ultimate career goal is to become the director of a juvenile treatment facility. I've worked at two programs in Iowa for a combination of 6 years (my first client was 6 months younger than me). I am always interested in developing my approach to youth counseling. I was surprised find out how many behavior modification principles are incorporated into the most successful treatment approaches.
To begin, I used theories of socialization in order to establish the importance of high inter-observer agreement and clearly defined target behaviors in addressing the deviant behaviors within the youth's daily routine. Akers and Burgess's Social learning theory incorporates reinforcement and punishment into Sutherland's Differential Association Theory. Akers believes that people will commit deviant acts if they are reinforcements are stronger than the punishments. On the other hand, youth will conform if the reinforcers in their lives are stronger than the punishers. The youth Akers and Burgess studied were heavily influenced by the people they saw as "admired models," suggesting a desire to imitate the people they valued.
When the wraparound approach is applied to the youth's case, every institution involved with the client is looking for the same target behavior. Whether the youth is at home, school, treatment, or work, the same target behavior is being reinforced. Hopefully, with all these portions of the youth's life reinforcing the same target behavior, the youth will find it more beneficial to conform to the expectations of the adult role models in their lives.
One problem in this approach is that it requires that everyone be willing to follow the same plan. If everyone but the school advisor is applying a reinforcement of the target behavior, the advisor could cause an extinction of the reinforcer. Also, the attitudes of the "admired models" can directly impact the effectiveness of the treatment. For example, in a study of staff involved in a youth treatment program, those who were in a custodial role had a much more negative view of a youth's ability to be rehabilitated than the treatment services staff. It could be reasonable to think the family and teachers who see the student daily may be more susceptible to frustration and deviation from the case plan.
However, with proper support and communication, the wraparound approach to juvenile corrections uses a youth's natural social processes to implement behavior control. Although more research is needed, initial study project recidivism rates 10 to 15 percent lower than traditional approaches.
http://books.google.com/books?id=Z3kU3xJ2qWQC&pg=PA1529&lpg=PA1529&dq=reinforcement+and+punishment+adol&source=bl&ots=xmI149Hy90&sig=oZjxr8uhpMN2FAoTJJZg9-fRzt0&hl=en&ei=dm5DTavLJIiq8AbZ-4nOAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=9&sqi=2&ved=0CEUQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q&f=false
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.uni.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?hid=112&sid=f75aee84-d4cf-43ca-81a7-3c7f1eb2ad78%40sessionmgr113&vid=2
http://www.springerlink.com/content/rm105t725l67pm80/
Terms: reinforcement, punishment, target behavior, high inter-observer agreement, extinction, behavioral control
For this blog I decided to focus my attention on the importance of target behaviors and how they relate to modifying behaviors. Section 1.5 focused heavily on this topic and I found the information pretty interesting. The section also focused on inter-rater agreement and without a well defined target behavior inter-rater agreement is impossible. I Also found it interesting because I feel like when setting goals people tend to be too broad, that is why it is important to learn exactly how to construct a well defined target behavior.
If we dont tell people or animals exactly what it is we want them to do, the desired behavior won't occur. We need to direct the subject in the right direction, this is done with establishing a precise target behavior. Our directions can not be too broad. The target behavior must be easily measurable and observable in order to ensure inter-rater agreement is achieveable it must also be very topographical. Inter-rater agreement is important to make certian reinforcement is being administered for properly emitted behavior.
Once our target behavior is defined and the subject is emitting the desired behavior we must be sure to follow up to ensure the proper behaviors are continuing. After the target behavior has successfully replaced the bad behavior, it is then possible to move on to the next undesirable behavior you wish to change. It is important not to try to target to many behaviors at once. There easier to change one at a time, they must be prioritized.
Terms: Target Behavior,Inter-rater Agreement, Reinforcement, emit
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPgMVdQaRjg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9QX_70VFLQ
http://wps.prenhall.com/chet_cooper_appliedbeh_2/73/18705/4788683.cw/index.html
For this blog I have decided to talk about target behaviors. This is because the way that I understand target behaviors, is a behavior that you want to change. For example I want my children to say please and thank you. In order to do this I have to elicit them to emit pleasurable behavior and get rid of the aversive behaviors. Hopefully I grasped this! I do know that the teacher asking a question and the student raising their hand is a target behavior. Or at least this is what I have understood. If I am wrong I hope I can learn the proper target behavior definition.
In the chapter it talks about what is a good target behavior and what is clearly defined as topography or functional. In this chapter they are wanting us to be able to see what target behaviors are topography or functional. Also why it is important to define target behaviors. For me I feel that the importance in defining target behaviors is being able to see what behavior is needed to be changed or kept the same!
In one study they talked about target behaviors with children with ADHD. This included in the classroom and what the teachers could do when dealing with these children. We were able to see that in the classrooms there was behaviors that were pleasurable and aversive. Some of these behaviors were not target behaviors but was something that needed to be addressed. Most of the times a behavior is either punished or reinforced by a reinforce. With children with ADHD the teachers are to reward as much as possible and examine each target behavior.
Some times children with disorders need extra help and also sometimes it may or maynot be a noticeable behavior which you want to be your target behavior. I feel that sometimes people do not know much about psychology so they are clueless on how to deal with children who have a disorder which is causing them pleasurable and aversive behaviors to be shown. But the only way that you can have a good target behavior is if it is clear and with these children it may be hard but its always a way to improve your own behaviors.
When you are working with children or dependent adults you want to identify the behavior that you want to see decrese or elimate, if it is aversive. When you have a clear target behavior it makes things easier for you and your client. After you have identified behaviors and have allowed your child or the one you are working with to grow on these behaviors it will be nice to reward. Also Once you have got past one target behavior sometimes it helps to ass a second target behavior.
Words used. Pleasurable, topography, functional, aversive, emmit, elicit, reinforcer, reforcening, target behavior
http://add.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/a/Behavioralmodi.htm
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18478626
http://www.ldonline.org/article/Behavior_Modification_in_the_Classroom
It took me awhile to figure out what I wanted to write about from the 2 sections. The topic I decided I was interested in from the readings was target behaviors. Section 1.5 talked in depth about target behaviors. Target behaviors are very important when it comes to reinforcement. It could be a very easy mistake to reinforce the wrong behavior and then reinforcing the target behavior becomes even more difficult. This is the case with pets a lot, reinforcement needs to come immediately after the target behavior occurs and a lot of the time it does not. It is the same with kids as well, parents neglect to reinforce the target behavior they want in their kids instantaneously. Punishment is also not effective in pets to stop them from doing an unwanted behavior if the punishment occurs hours after the unwanted hehavior occured. Pets and little kids live in the now and they will not be able to comprehend what they are being reinforced/punished for if it does not occur within seconds of the target behavior/unwanted behavior.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7YSwRCLddW4&feature=channel
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/dogs/tips/dog_training_positive_reinforcement.html
http://www.parentingme.com/guidebeh.htm
For my topic I chose target behavior and baseline behavior. I thought this study was interesting because I have also been trying to drink more water and get in better shape, but I don't really pay attention to my baseline enough. If you don't know your baseline,your starting point, then you cant specifically set your goal to reach your target behavior. It is mentioned in the links that these behaviors are all a longer processes. It often can take three or four weeks to complete the steps to your target behavior.
Another thing to remember in reaching your target behavior is to reinforce yourself when you do really well. For example if you stuck to your diet, ate healthy, and exercised for an entire week, treat yourself to a gift, like a new shirt or a new game you have been wanting.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2010/09/03/easy-steps-losing-weight/
http://www.wikihow.com/Drink-More-Water-Every-Day
http://zenhabits.net/a-12-step-program-to-eating-healthier-than-ever-before/
After reading 1.5 it was clear to me what I wanted to focus on the most. I’m currently at UNI to become a teacher so target behaviors stood out to me as something that would be important for me to fully understand to possibly make me a better teacher. A big thing in todays classrooms is to understand how to handle your class as individuals but not take away from the entire classes learning experience by focusing too much on a individual student. Todays teachers need to find a happy medium. A problem many teachers face comes to discipline and classroom management. While reading about target behavior I learned how important it is to make sure you rules are clear for your students. It is important for them to make sense to the kids so they can follow them. It is important to focus on individual problems a person may have. As mentioned in section 1.5 it is easier to focus on a couple problems at one time and then move to other problems once they are resolved. As mentioned before making these rules clear is important. As mentioned in 1.5 it may not be appropriate for a student to get up in the middle of class and walk out, however doing this may function to relieve a students need to use the restroom. It is very important to understand that these behaviors may be disruptive at times, however at other times they may be appropriate. Also mentioned was how these disruptions can affect the class in different ways. If a student shouts in class it will disrupt the entire class, however if a student is sleeping in may only affect the teaching whos is in charge of the class. As mentioned in section 1.5 when a student is talking to those around him it might only affect the students near by but not the entire class. After clearly defining what behaviors you want your classroom to make its important to make sure the punishment doesn’t contradict your rules. An example given in section 1.5 that I thought really represents this well was if a student is not sitting in his seat it would be a bad idea to punish them by making them stand in front of the class. This would contradict your rule and students would be confused.
http://add.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/a/Behavioralmodi.htm
http://www.myclassroommanagement.com/choosing-a-target-behavior/
http://www.ldonline.org/article/Behavior_Modification_in_the_Classroom
I wanted to examine the behavioral function of smoking for this week's topical blog. At a chemical level, nicotine stimulates the release of certain neurotransmitters, which results in a good feeling. In my Intro to Psych class we talked a little about how physical addiction works (I hope I'm remembering correctly. Basically, the brain stops making its own dopamine, which is part of what withdrawal is: the brain has a hard time dealing with the lack of some neurotransmitters, and it has to relearn to release them without the presence of nicotine.
So the function of smoking is to feel good (or if you're addicted, it's to avoid feeling bad due to withdrawal). So the antecedent for this behavior is either a desire to feel good or a desire to avoid feeling bad, combined with the knowledge that smoking a cigarette will prevent feeling bad. The behavior is the smoking, and the consequence is pleasure and/or the avoidance of feeling bad and going through withdrawals.
Behaviors can have more than one function. In fact, every reason people give for smoking is another function of smoking. The second link at the bottom discusses five: as a lifestyle coping tool, as a tranquilizer (as one of the videos discusses, nicotine is both a stimulant and a relaxer), as a way to feel good or avoid feeling bad (as discussed above), as a way to feel calm and alive, or finally as a means of coping with transition. All behaviors that are emitted as lifestyle coping tools belong to that functional class of behavior, and the same can be said for every other reason given. Smoking is one behavior that fits in many functional classes, and there are many other behaviors in each functional class.
Links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edvRYZzVZqk
http://www.annettecolby.com/blog/2009/10/15/why-people-smoke-cigarettes-five-reasons-that-might-surprise-you/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESNVnLSi2Cg
Terms: behavioral function, antecedent, consequence, functional class of behavior