Pick a behavior that you might have picked if you were making a New Year's Resolution today.
Using the 7 steps outline a self-directed behavior program. Make sure you use sufficient detail and use as much behavior speak as you can.
Let me know if you have any questions.
An example of a New Year's Resolution would be to lose weight.
#1) Set Goal:
I would like to emit the behavior of losing 5 pounds in one month.
#2) Define/Specify Goal as a set of Target Behaviors:
-1. Drink 8-10 8 oz. glasses of water per day.
-2. Run for 30 minutes per day, at least 4 times a week, at a pace of 1 mile per 8 minutes.
-3. Eat 1400-1600 calories per day.
#3) Keep a Record:
For this goal, I will write down everything I ate that day, including the calorie count for each item, and also keep a log of my exercise.
#4.) Graph a Baseline:
The y-axis for this graph would be calories. The x-axis would be the days of the week. The purpose of this graph would be to track the amount of calories consumed and emit the behavior of comparing it from day to day.
#5.) Determine Contingencies:
I will emit a reinforcing behavior at the end of one month if the 5 pounds have been shed. The reinforcer for this behavior would be a buying a new pair of jeans.
#6.) Determine Antecedents:
I would change my environment by getting up at 6 am to workout, cook my own meals so I can be aware of the calories in them, and carry a water bottle to increase the amount of water I drink.
#7.) Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
Problems that might occur could be a result of not being rewarded enough. The only reward is at the end of the goal, so I might become discouraged along the way. A better reward could be that after each pound I shed, I can have one serving of chocolate.
One example of a New Year's Resolution would be to volunteer and help out more throughout the year.
1. Set Goal-I wish to emit a volunteering behavior throughout the year
2.Define target behavior based on goal- I will emit in volunteering around 36 hours throughout the year, having around 3 hours of volunteering a month by helping out in anyway I can. This could be through helping out with salvation army, christmas wrapping in stores, cleaning up the community, volunteering at nursing homes, helping at the humane society etc.
3.Keep a record- In a journal, I will write down volunteer events that I have attended each month and the amount of hours I have volunteered as well as how many hours (or more) I would like to attend in meeting my goal.
4. Graph baseline- The x-axis of my graph would be the number of hours volunteered and the y-axis would be the months of the year.
5.Determine contingencies- After emitting a volunteer behavior after each month, I will hopefully feel better about myself and if I do meet my goal of emitting a volunteer behavior for a whole year with the required hours I wish to exceed, I will reward myself with a new car (since I've been wanting to get one anyway for a while).
6. Antecedents helpful in eliciting the desired behaviors- I like being around people, so I would like to volunteer at the nursing home, or anything to do with helping out other people. It also makes me feel like I was useful and makes me feel better knowing I've helped someone out.
7. Although buying a new car at the end is a great reinforcer, there could be limitations to that. My car right now could break down or be damaged which would elicit me in emitting a buying behavior of a new car before my goal is met. I would also have to check out volunteer opportunities ahead of time to know that I can get enough hours in throughout the year.
#1 – Set Goal
I would like to emit the behavior of reading one free reading book every month during the year 2012.
#2 – Define/Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors (Precise, Manageable, Measurable, Fit)
1.) I would like to emit the behavior of reading a free reading book 30 minutes every night before bed.
2.) During this time I will not have the T.V. going in the background, text, take phone calls or emit any distracting behavior.
3.) Portion out the amount of pages a night I should read based on how many pages are in the book.
4.) Reading in reinforced while in college because it is part of every day life.
#3 – Keep a Record
Emitting the behavior of keeping a record will be reinforced due to the fact that I will already be in bed and have my journal close by. I will be able to keep track of my reading behavior as a consequence of choosing to emit the target behavior at night before bed. The information will be fresh in my mind, therefore distractions won’t elicit me to forget.
#4 – Graph a Baseline
Creating a graph would be beneficial in measuring my progress for free reading. A line chart will be the most desirable style to use for graphing behaviors. The x-axis will be labeled “Time” as most behavioral charts. The y-axis will be pages read.
#5 – Determine Contingencies
For this particular behavior I will be emitting, I will reinforce the behavior by purchasing a new book every time I accomplish my goal. This will be reinforced every month, at the end of the month. However, since I am a broke college student, I will emit the behavior of purchasing these books second hand so I don’t become even poorer as an aversive consequence.
#6 – Determine Antecedents
In order to change the environment to help elicit the desired behavior, I would emit the behavior of keeping my free reading book on my night stand. This would require me to be right next to the book before bed and act as a reinforcement to pick it up and emit the reading behavior.
#7 – Implement and adjust the contingencies
One thing I may have to adjust in order to emit the target behavior would be the time of day I allotted for the free reading. I could see this being a problem because some nights I am too tired or my boyfriend calls, so I answer the phone and as a consequence, I don’t read.
Step #1--Set Goal
I would like to emit a behavior of increasing the amount of water I consume per day to 64 ounces.
Step #2--Define/Specify the Goal as a Set of Target Behaviors
1. I will emit a behavior of drinking 8 oz of water every morning when I wake up.
2. I will emit a behavior of drinking 8 oz of water every night before I go to sleep.
3. I will emit a behavior of drinking 16 oz of water after every workout.
4. I will emit a behavior of drinking 16 oz of water during every shift at my job.
5. I will emit a behavior of drinking 8 oz of water with every lunch and dinner I eat.
Step #3--Keep a Record
I will emit a behavior of using water bottles that are either pre-measured, or have measured lines on the side so I can keep track of the amount of water I have consumed each day. I will also emit a behavior of carrying a piece of paper and pen with me at all times so I can write down the number of ounces I emit a behavior of consuming as I go throughout my day. Using bottles that are pre-measured or labeled, will elicit a behavior of recording the number of ounces more frequently, and with greater ease.
Step #4--Graph a Baseline
Emitting a behavior of graphing a baseline will be beneficial because it will allow me to compare my progress to my starting point. It will also allow me to emit a behavior of seeing my progress in a format that is easier to interpret at a quick glance, and longitudinally, than a written record of the progress.
I will emit a behavior of labeling the y-axis 'ounces of water consumed,' and the x-axis 'day of the week.' I will emit a behavior of using a line graph so I can see the changes in the days of the week for consumption. A line graph elicits a greater likelihood that I will refer to the graph, because I prefer to view the 'ups-and-downs' correlated to days, rather than a pie chart or a bar graph, which would emit a behavior of showing larger sections for the amount of water consumed corresponding to the day of the week.
Step #5--Determine Contingencies
I will emit a behavior of reinforcing my target behavior of drinking 64 ounces of water per day with allowing myself to emit a behavior of consuming an 8 ounce glass of chocolate milk at the end of each day I emit the target behavior. This will elicit an increase in the frequency of emitting the target behavior because chocolate milk is a favorite beverage,therefore it is reinforcing to me. And after drinking mostly water all day, I will want to emit a behavior of drinking something that I enjoy.
Step #6--Determine Antecedents
I will emit a behavior of changing my environment to better elicit my performance of the target behavior. I would emit a behavior of removing unhealthy beverages like pop or sugar-loaded juices from my apartment, so water will be a more prominent option to drink. I would also emit a behavior of using water bottles with measured lines on the side to keep track of how many ounces I had emitted a behavior of drinking that day. I would emit a behavior of keeping bottled water on hand, and even carrying it with me, to elicit a behavior of consuming more water per day.
Step #7--Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
I may have to emit a behavior of adjusting the reinforcer I have chosen because I may become satiated with chocolate milk over time. I may also not want to emit a behavior of purchasing chocolate milk every week because it is expensive, and being a college student I try to emit a behavior of living a frugal lifestyle.
#1) Set Goal:
I would like to emit the behavior of exercising five times a week.
#2) Define/Specify Goal as a set of Target Behaviors:
•I will emit the beahvior of running two miles in between class on Tuesday and Thursday and after work on Sunday.
•I will emit the behavior of doing 30 minutes of Pilates on Monday and Wednesday after work.
#3) Keep a Record:
I will write down the time I start running the two miles and the time I finish. I will record what areas of the body I worked on during the 30 minutes of Pilates and for how long.
#4.) Graph a Baseline:
The y-axis for this graph would be number of minutes that I exercised. The x-axis would be the days of the week. The purpose of this graph would be to track the amount of time spent exercising and on what days of the week.
#5.) Determine Contingencies:
I will reinforce the behavior by giving myself an hour of free time on Sunday night free of homework, housework, or any other obligations.
#6.) Determine Antecedents:
I will keep workout clothes in my car so that I do not have to go home to change on days that it is colder and I have to run at the gym and buy clothes for cold weather running. I will also leave the Pilates workout dvd in the dvd player and keep leave my yoga mat out in the open to hopefully elicit a Pilates doing behavior.
#7.) Implement and Adjust the Contingencies:
Some problems that might occur are changes in my work and school schedule. It will be harder emit an exercising behavior during weeks in which I have more homework. Another problem is the changing of the season. I will have to run inside when it starts getting darker and colder.
1) Set Goal:
If I were to emit a self-directed behavioral change, it would be to lose seven pounds.
2) Define/ Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors:
The target behaviors that I would emit in order to achieve the goal listed above is to cut junk food from my diet completely, refrain from eating after 7:00 p.m., eat a small healthy snack every two hours, use an elliptical or run on a treadmill for thirty minutes five times a week, and lift weights two times a week.
3) Keep a Record
To keep a record, I would write in the behavior modification section of my class notebook (because I take it everywhere). After each workout, I would emit a behavior of writing how long I ran on the machine, and the weight I was lifting for each exercise. I would do this daily, and mark any diet slip-ups I had made as well. I would also take my weight every night at 10:00 p.m. to mark my progress.
4) Graph a Baseline
The graph I will make will be titled “Weight Loss” and will be a line graph following my weight loss progress. The y-axis will mark my weight in pounds and the x-axis will mark each day of the week.
5) Determine Contingencies
I will use a reinforcement procedure, because it is most effective when using self-directed change. The reinforcer will be purchasing a new article of clothing each time I lose 2.5 pounds. I love to buy clothes and do not do this for myself often so I believe that this will be an effective reinforcer. I think that every 2.5 pounds is a perfect amount of time because it is not too large so I get discouraged, and it is not too small in that I’m spending too much money on clothing.
6) Determine Antecedents
Ways that I could change the environment to help elicit the desired behavior is to remove all junk food from my apartment, stay away from the candy aisle when grocery shopping. I will also use the Health Beat in Maucker Union to exercise and weight lift, because it is on my way home and will cause me to use it much more often.
7) Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
If I have a busy work week, it may be difficult to emit the exercise behavior because I simply do not have time between class and work. To adjust for this I will use a twenty minute workout video at home, each time I am unable to run after class. I may also have to switch to running outside if I am not in Cedar Falls because there is not a free facility in any other town I would be staying at.
#1 Set a Goal
I would like to emit the behavior of losing 15 pounds by spring break.
#2 Define/Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors
In order to reach my goals, I will emit the behavior of: working out at least three times a week for at least 1 hour on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, drink at least eight glasses of water every day, do 100 crunches a night, not eat after 7pm, and I will emit the behavior of lifting weights twice a week after I run on Monday and Tuesdays.
#3 Keep a Record
I will keep a record of the behavior I emit during this time. I will write down what I eat every day and what time I ate it at, how many glasses of water I drink per day, the start and stop times of when I begin and get done working out each night, and what areas of the body I worked on during my weights. I will also keep a record of my weight each week.
#4 Graph a Baseline
I will emit the behavior of making a graph of my behavior. The y-axis for my graph will be the amount of time I spent exercising while the x-axis will be the day of the week. This graph will show the amount of time I spent exercising and what day I exercised. It will show my progress throughout the week.
#5 Determine Contingencies
I will use reinforcement in order to make sure that I am increasing my behavior. I will reinforce myself by allowing myself to go out both weekend nights if I follow my complete workout plan.
#6 Determine Antecedents
There are several ways I can change my behavior to help elicit my desired behavior. I will buy a pair of hand weights that I can take with me to the gym in my apartment complex. I will make sure I have my workout clothes laid out each day before I go to class with my tennis shoes nearby. I will also make sure that the time I chose to work out, the treadmill is open in the workout room. I will also make sure I have bottled water only in my apartment as well as all healthy foods to eat. I will not buy snack foods either.
#7 Implementing and adjust the contingencies
I may have to adjust my reinforcer because some weekends I may not even want to go out. In that case, I need to change it to some form of reward such as taking one day off of working out the next week if I exercise every day for two weeks straight. I also may have a problem emitting the behavior of purchasing a lot of healthy food since they tend to be more expensive than processed goods.
New Year’s Resolution: exercise more
Step 1: Set Goal
I will emit a goal-setting behavior of exercising more.
Step 2: Define/Specify Goal
I will define my goal by emitting an exercising behavior for at least 30 minutes at least 4 days a week.
Ways to achieve target behavior:
• Join an exercise class.
• Find an exercise video that I enjoy doing for the days when I don’t have exercise class.
• Park farther away from classes so I have to emit a walking behavior for longer than normal.
Step 3: Keep a Record
I will emit a record keeping behavior by keeping a log of the days I exercised, for how long, and what exercise I did.
Step 4: Graph a Baseline
I will emit a graphing behavior by using my log. The Y-axis will length of exercise and the X-axis will be days of the week. This graph will elicit a knowing response of the days that I exercise most frequency and the average amount of time I exercise (that last one will have to elicit a calculating response to know).
Step 5: Determine Contingencies:
I will use positive reinforcement to help achieve my goal. The positive reinforcement will be the ability to purchase a book every two weeks that my goal has been met.
Step 6: Determine Antecedents
Some of my antecedents include joining an exercise class, scheduling exercise in my day so that I’m more likely to do it, and making a conscious effort to park farther away from my building.
Step 7: Implement and Adjust Contingencies:
A problem that could result from my positive reinforcement is that I will quickly be satiated by having too many books to read. This could be adjusted by either making the reinforcement more variable than it was (once a month instead of every two weeks) or could be adjusted by changing the positive reinforcement to something else altogether, such as allowing myself to emit a buying behavior for new clothes (since all that exercise should help me tone up and slim down).
My New Year’s Resolution would be to elicit a loss of weight (about 5-10 pounds) specifically through getting in better shape/exercise.
#1) Set a Goal
*I would like to emit the behavior of getting in better shape by eliciting a behavior of exercise.
#2) Define or Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors
*I will emit the behavior of working out a minimum of 5 days a week, every week.
*I will elicit a multi-fitness work-out twice a week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) with the Women’s Rugby team by attending practice.
*I will emit the behavior of playing a game of rugby every Saturday during the months of August through September and March through May.
*During the winter I will emit a 5 mile running behavior on Saturday mornings.
*Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I will emit a behavior of jogging for a minimum of 15 mins.
*I will stretch every day before and after I elicit the specific exercise behavior for that day.
*I will emit the behavior of completing the 8 minute abs work out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
*I will pace my miles in my running to an 8 minute average
*I will emit the behavior of drinking no less than 62 oz. of water per day and having a healthy calorie intake.
#3) Keep a Record
*I will emit the behavior of writing down my daily work out after completing it. I will elicit a record of the specific physical activity, the food/caloric intake I have, and the amount of water I drink. I will fill out the record every day after I work out. I will finalize my caloric intake report directly before bed.
#4) Graph a Baseline
* Since I have emitted multiple target behaviors, I will focus my graph specifically on my overall exercise behavior which is my primary goal. The y-axis would elicit time in the number of minutes exercised. The x-axis would elicit the day of the week. The graph would display the amount of time exercised daily (despite the type/style of exercise). The graph’s purpose would be to help me track the amount of time spent exercising daily throughout the week.
#5) Determine Contingencies
*I will reinforce this behavior by feeling good about my body image, being able to live longer, being healthier, fitting into trendy clothing, and I will most specifically reward myself on Sundays. On Sunday afternoon I will enjoy the time and delegate at least 4 hours to enjoyable, work-free, fun activities such as taking a nap of watching tv. This time will include whatever leisure behavior I choose, however if will not in any way include the eliciting of homework, housework, or obligatory behavior.
#6) Determine Antecedents
*My immediate environment would be changed in the elicited exercise habits that I hope to form as a part of my routine. I plan to work out between 4pm and 6pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10am and noon on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. These times would become a part of my schedule and my environment would accommodate the specific exercise activity. Another change would be in the clothes I purchase. I will probably switch my wardrobe to include more sportswear. I will also carry a water bottle with me more. Additionally, I may plan my meals in advance and edit my grocery shopping to fit my diet. I may be more likely to go to the grocery store with a list and stick to buying only what is on the list.
#7) Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
*The rewards are that I become a better athlete-specific to rugby, receive more playing time, feel better about myself, and am in general a healthier, more productive person. A problem that could occur is that I don’t reward myself enough. For example, many of what I view to be rewards are not tangible but rather mental. Also, my playing time could be effected by injury or a coaching decision. I may get discouraged if I feel that I am not getting the results in playing time or the happiness I feel I deserve. I could adjust to this by editing the purpose of my work out to be purely for my own well-being, I could reward my success with a cheat day every Sunday for more than just a specific hourly allotment. Changes in schedule could also hinder my elicited exercise behavior. Weather could be another contingency. I will have to adjust to indoor work outs as the weather changes and alter my times of work out if my schedule does not permit for the normal activity to occur.
#1 – Set Goal:
I would like to emit the behavior of not watching TV while doing homework.
#2 – Define/Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors:
• Turn TV off when doing homework
• Listen to music instead of watching TV while doing homework
• Sit at the kitchen table, where there is no TV, when doing homework
#3 – Keep a Record:
I will emit the behavior of keeping a journal. In this journal I will record how much homework I do, where I do my homework, how long I do homework, when I watch TV, how long I watch TV, and what I watch on TV. Keeping a journal elicits me to learn about my tendencies when it comes to emitting the behavior of doing homework or watching TV.
#4 – Graph a Baseline:
The x-axis would be the days of the week. The y-axis would be how many hours I spend doing homework with the TV on.
#5 – Determine Contingencies:
For every two hours that I emit the behavior of doing homework without the TV on, I will reinforce myself with a half-hour of free time when I can do whatever I want.
#6 - Determine Antecedents:
I will emit the behavior of doing homework at the kitchen table where there is no TV, or I will go to the library on campus. I will listen to music instead of watching TV because it is less distracting.
#7- Implement and adjust the contingencies:
I might need to change how often I reinforce my behaviors depending on how much homework I actually have. I will also need to change the reinforcer eventually because I don’t want to experience satiation.
#1 SET GOAL:
I want to drink more water.
#2 SPECIFY GOAL AS A SET OF TARGET BEHAVIORS:
*Drink 3 Mt. Dew bottles (72oz.) full of water each day
*Every time I pass a drinking fountain on campus, drink from it for 10 seconds
*Drink at least 20 ounces of water with lunch and dinner and any other meal.
#3 KEEP A RECORD
I will keep a log of every ounce of water I drink throughout my day along with the time of day I drank it and what else I was doing.
#4 BASELINE GRAPH
My graph would consist of days of the week Monday through Sunday on the x-axis, and ounces of water consumed on the y-axis.
#5 DETERMINE CONTINGENCIES
I will use a cookie or crackers as a reinforcer. I will reinforce myself every time I consume 30 ounces of water.
#6 DETERMINE ANTECEDENTS
Because I am more likely to drink water if it's ice cold, I would put several bottles of water in the refrigerator at night for the next day. If I set myself up to study or whatever, I would pick a location that is close to a drinking fountain, because I am more likely to get a drink more often if it's close by.
#7 IMPLEMENT AND ADJUST CONTINGENCIES
To make this behavior modification process more successful, I would possibly have to adjust my reinforcer to something more reinforcing and likely to elicit more consumption of water.
If I did today a New Year`s Resolution I would want to have a study behavior everyday of the week, because sometimes I have a disorganized behavior.
1) Set goal:
- I would like to emit the behavior study during the week
2) Specific Target Behavior:
- Emit the behavior of study at least 2 hours per day after classes
- Keep my papers organized every day to be able to emit the target behavior better
- Read what I did in class, and see if I have any doubt
- Do a resume every day about what I saw that day in class
3) Keep a record:
- I will do a draft that will help me see what I have done, and if a missed something.
4) Graph a baseline:
- The type of graph that I would chose could be a bar chart, where the x-axis would be the time I spend studding and the y-axis the work that I did. With this graphic I can see how much I work in 2 hours per week.
5) Determine the contingencies:
- I will be reinforced every weekend, when I had done all the work and I have time to do exercise and expend time with my friends without worries.
6) Determine de antecedents:
- For emitting the desirable target behavior I have to organize my desk, turn off the computer because the internet can interfere in my work and turn off the cell phone for no distractions.
7) Implement and adjust the contingencies:
- I am disorganized and I don`t know how long can I have my desk empty to start the work, and maybe this would be a problem to start on time, so I have to find a way to keep my desk clean before I start with this process.
A behavior I might elicit if I were making a New Year’s Resolution would be to exercise more.
Step 1 – Set Goal
I will emit the behavior of exercising
Step 2- Define/Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors
The target behavior I wish to emit would be to run on a treadmill at my gym, World Wide Fitness, every morning at 8:00 am, with no incline, on speed 5 for 25 minutes each day for the first week and then increase by 5 minutes each following week.
Step 3- Keep a record
I will keep a small notebook in my workout bag and write down if I successfully did my workout each day, or if I failed to do the exercise.
Step 4- Graph a Baseline
For my graph, the x-axis would be the days of the week, Monday through Sunday. The y-axis of my graph would be minutes spent exercising. I would graph this information for the first week to figure out if I am spending enough time each day exercising. Also, by emitting this behavior, I will be able to keep track of my progress from the beginning until the end. The baseline helps me to see how far I have come.
Step 5- Determine Contingencies
I will positively reinforce my target behavior by allowing myself to sit on my couch and be lazy by watching my favorite TV program for 30 minutes each night without feeling guilty.
Step 6- Determine Antecedents
In order to elicit my target behavior, I will always carry my tennis shoes and a set of workout clothes in my car. I will also workout at World Wide Fitness, because it is a gym I am a member of and a place I feel comfortable working out at.
Step 7- Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
Depending on my work schedule and school load, I may not be able to make it to the gym every day of the week. A way of adjusting to this situation would be to purchase a workout video and complete that video at my home when I am able. I think this would be important to make my self-directed behavior modification more successful.
If I were to elicit a new behavior for a New Year's resolution, it would be to stop cursing.
#1. Set Goal
I want emit the behavior of speaking nicely.
#2. Define/Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors
I want to emit the behavior of only swearing a maximum of 5 times a day for a period of one week. Then I would like to emit the behavior of only swearing for a maximum of three times per day during the second week. I would then like to emit the behavior of only swearing one time per day the third week. The fourth week I would only like to swear one time per day. The fifth week I would like to completely extinguish the behavior of cursing.
#3. Keep a record-
I will keep a journal on my desk. Every night when I sit down to do homework I will keep note as to whether I was successful or failed to hit my goal for the day.
#4. Graph a Baseline As well as the journal, I will keep a graph of my progress. Since this is a five week routine for me, I will graph my progress of each week.
#5. Determine Contingencies
In order to keep my cursing at a minimum and to reach my weekly goals, I will reinforce myself with chocolate cake. I will reinforce myself with this at the end of each week. The criterion that I will use to determine if my behavior is deserving of chocolate cake will be the journal that I keep on my desk. If I have failed to reach my goals then I will not be reinforced by the chocolate cake. This will be punishment for my cursing behavior.
#6. Determine Antecedents
The main antecedent that I would like to use in order to elicit the behavior of little to no cursing would be reconsidering the situations that I put myself in. I would not like to hang around people that curse on a regular basis. I tend to curse most when I am in a stressful situation. I will modify my environment to make sure that I am not in these stressful situations. I often times go into work with a negative attitude. If I keep a positive attitude at work, then I may be able to keep myself out of the stressful situation.
#7. Implement and adjust the contingencies
Depending on the day I am having, or stressful situations that I am put in, I may not be able to keep the cursing to a minimum. In order to keep up with my behavior modification, I will have to reinforce myself more times than once a week. If I am having trouble, once a week may be too seldom to reinforce. I will keep reinforcement to every 3 days.
If I were to emit the behavior of choosing a New Year's resolution, it would be to stop biting my nails.
#1: Set a Goal
I would like to stop emitting the behavior of biting my nails.
#2: Define/Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors.
To try and stop biting my nails, I would make sure that my nails are ALWAYS painted. If I bite my nails at any time, I will remove the paint and put on a fresh coat at the soonest moment I am able to. My nails will never be without nail polish. When your nails are painted, biting them becomes aversive because of the bitter taste nail polish gives off. This will continue until I am no longer biting my nails at all.
#3: Keep a Record
I will keep a behavioral diary of how many times I bite my nails. I will carry the diary with me at all times and record right every time I bite my nails. At the end of the week I will add it up and keep a record per week of how many times I bit my nails.
#4: Graph a Baseline
I would choose to use a bar graph. The x-axis would be the week (would range from Week 1-Week 8 for example) and the y-axis would be the number of times I bit my nails. This kind of graph would easily be able to show me my progress by the week, and hopefully each week I would be emitting less and less biting of the nails behavior.
#5: Determine Contingencies
In order to stop biting my nails and to keep resisting the urge as time goes on, I will use a form of reinforcement. I will reinforce myself at the end of each week (on Sunday) if I do not bite my nails AT ALL with ice cream from my favorite place, Four Queens. Keeping my behavioral diary up to date and making sure I update it as soon as I bite my nails will become very important for this step because it will be hard to remember for sure after a whole week goes by if I bit my nails or not. If I do not have things recorded correctly then the process will not work the way it is supposed to because I may be getting rewarded when I should not be and vice versa.
#6: Determine Antecedents
To continuously elicit my target behavior, I will make sure that my behavioral diary is with me at all times. As stated above, keeping an accurate record is a very important piece to making all of this work, and not having it will me may cause me to miss recording something. I will also make sure that I am writing things down as soon as they happen. We are only human, and we can easily forget something when we think it won't be a huge deal to just wait to record it.
#7: Implement and adjust the contingencies
Something that may cause problems is heavy amounts of stress. I would always resort to biting my nails when stressed out because it was my personal way of dealing with it. One thing that I could adjust during personal stressful times would be to reward myself more often. Instead of at the end of every week, I could make it every 3 days. This would allow me to know the reinforcement is closer and would hopefully keep me motivated to finish out the 3 days strong.
For New Year's Resolution, I would like to emit a behavior of making more money.
1) Set Goal: I would like to emit the behavior of making more money.
2) Define Goal as a Target Behavior: I would like to emit the behavior of working 15 hours a week (3 hours a day to keep it spread out) instead of 10 so I can make more money.
3) Keep a Record
I will keep a running record of how many hours I work per week and how many I have left to work.
4) Create a Graph
On my x axis I would have the days of the week; Monday through Friday. On the Y axis I would have the hours worked ranging from 1 hour to 5 hours. The points on the graph should be all on 3 hours, but if the graph wavers, then I know that I'm not fully completing my goal.
5) Determine Contingencies
I will positively reinforce myself by leaving weekends open to relax if possible. I will allow myself to go out to eat once a week instead of once or twice a month (since I will have more money, which is also a positive reinforcement).
6) Determine Antecedents
An antecedent for wanting to emit a working behavior more often could maybe be that I don't like it at my apartment. Since I don't like the atmosphere here, it would elicit the behavior of wanting to work more.
7) Implement and Adjust Contingencies
I might go back and emit an adjusting behavior to fix my target behavior. I might state that I would want to work 3 hours a day for only 5 days out of the week, without working weekends so that I can have a break. This would allow for the contingency to be that I will be able to reinforce myself by having these two days off.
1.Set a Goal
-My goal is to raise my GPA to a 3.7 for the semester.
2.Define/Specify Goal as a set of Target Behaviors
-I will read over my notes each night for class.
-Study for each test for at least 2 hours
-Get 6 hours of sleep or more every night during the week.
3. Keep a Record
-I will emit the behavior of keeping a study log, I will write down the hours I have studied for each class and how many times I have read over my notes.
4. Graph a Baseline
-The y-axis of the graph will be number of hours studied. The x-axis will be the classes I am taking. The goal of the graph is for me to easily be able to see how many hours I have studied and what classes I have studied the most for.
5. Determine Contingencies
-I will reinforce myself at mid-terms, if my grades are where they should be to attain my goal, by buying myself a new outfit and a dinner with friends.
6. Determine Antecedents
-I will study in the library or union instead of at my apartment with distractions. I will also have a semi-structured sleep schedule and tell my roommates about it so they don’t keep me awake at night.
7. Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
-As a consequence of only rewarding myself during mid-term week I could get discouraged to continue on in my hard work. I could possibly reward myself after I get A’s on tests also by going out for ice cream with friends or something a little smaller than dinner or a new outfit so I still reinforce myself to keep studying hard!
Set Goal) My innitial goal will be to get into grad school at U of W La Crosse
Define goals as specific target behavior)This goal can be broken down into several different target behaviors. 1) Find three reputable individuals to write a reference letter for me by November 20th. 2) Finish the OTCAS online application by November 1st 3) Contact a member of the OT program at La Crosse to see what else will strengthen my application
Keep record)In order to keep a precise record of this I will log, on a daily basis, how much time I dedicate to my goals. I would want to make sure that I do not fall behind so I would put an additional term on my target behaviors that would entitle spending at least .5 hours on it per day.
Graph Baseline) the y axis would represent the progress on my OT acceptance. 1 would represent finding individuals to write me reference letters, 2 would represent the completion of the OTCAS nd 3 would be contacting a professor at La Crosse; all the while the x axis would represent the time committed to the process in days
Determine Contingencies) I will reinforce myself each night with a bowl of ice cream if I have spent a half hour working on grad school application materials; if not the no ice cream for me
Determine Antecedents) The antecedents for this will be locking myself in the library so that I get my day to day homework done as well as grad school application progress
Implement and Adjust Contingencies) As I progress through this system I can see myself becoming discouraged as I progress if I get really loaded down with homework on certain days of the week or during midterms and finals. During those times it would be next to impossible to do any additional grad school work all the while trying to keep my head above water with school work. During these times I would still reward myself with a little something, like a Hershey's kiss, so as not to punish myself but to not reward myself as much. These situations are the ones I can foresee but I'm sure there will be others but this will give me a good footing on how to deal with future crises.
1. Set Goal
A behavioral goal that I would like to emit is to stop procrastinating.
2. Define/Specify Goal as a set of Target Behaviors
Make a daily list each morning before class of the things I need to do each day. For example, homework assignments, projects, readings, bills, grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, etc.
Make a daily schedule and approximate how long each will take.
Get rid of distractions when I am working on school-related tasks, like my cell phone, iPod, laptop, and TV.
Instead of trying to do my schoolwork at home in my room, go to the library (without electronic gadgets) to work on tasks 3 nights out of the week to be in a quiet/distraction-free area.
3. Keep a Record.
By making my daily lists, it will be the start of my daily behavioral diary. Once I have emitted a behavior on my list, I will initial next to it and that will mean I have completed the task. At the end of the week, I will add up the number of things I completed and divide it by the number of things total that I was supposed to do. This will give me a percentage of how much I accomplished throughout the week.
4. Graph a Baseline
The y-axis will be a measure of my weekly percentages. This will indicate how many things I accomplished throughout the week. The x-axis will list the weeks, starting with week 1 and continuing for the entire school year. If I am working towards my goal, it will eventually level off where I am completing 100% of my to-do list each week.
5. Determine Contingencies
In order to terminate my procrastination problem, I at the end of the week when I calculate the percentage of my emitted behaviors, if I've successfully emitted 80% of my to-do list tasks, I will give myself the entire day of Sunday to relax and spend time with my friends and family. This will serve as a reinforcement to better my chances of spotting procrastination.
6. Determine Antecedents
In order to emit the behavior of not procrastination, I will have to find other behaviors to emit to complete this. I believe that if I rid myself of distractions, it will elicit my behavioral goal. Such distractions would include: cell phone, laptop, iPod, TV, Wii, and friends. I plan to spend 3 of the 5 nights in the library for at least an hour.
7. Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
One thing that I might need to adjust in my behavioral project is that I first need to identify what specific things I tend to procrastinate with and under what circumstances I usually procrastinate.
1. Set goal
- My goal is to study more.
2. Define/specify Goal as a set of Target Behaviors
- I will emit a behavior of carrying around my books when I'm on campus more often.
- I will emit the behavior of spending less time on facebook during time that I have work to do.
- I will emit the behavior of setting up a schedule of when to do work and what work to do at a given time.
3. Keep a record
- I will keep track of what material I have read per day by writing in down in a notebook.
4. Graph a Baseline
- One axis will be the day of the week. The other axis would be the amount of time spent studying/reading. It would be measured in hours.
5. Determine contingencies
- My contingencies would involve a possible weekly reward. This is due to the fact that weekly workloads vary based on the class material. I could set an amount of time to spend and each time I reach that goal, at the end of the week I could treat myself to something small, such as a movie or some (extra) video game time.
6. Determine antecedents
- The location and time in which I do my reading is important because if I am too distracted or tired or have anything else occupying my thoughts, not much is going to be accomplished. So finding a suitable place where distractions are few and a good time that I can focus and stay focused are important. The stacks in the Rod Library in the mid afternoon would be a good example of this.
7. Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
- One target behavior that I may need to emit a changing behavior to is the weekly reward system. That could cause me to become lazy and lax because I expect a reward every week. So I could either change it to bi weekly or maybe be more specific with the weekly study plan so it doesn't become so standardized to the point that I stop taking it seriously.
1.) Setting the goal –
I would like to emit the behavior of losing 20 pounds in four months.
2.) Specify the goal –
I will emit the behavior of running at least four miles nonstop at a pace of 7.0 mph on the treadmill each day. I will also emit the behavior of refraining from snacking between meals. I will stop drinking alcohol and will only eat fruits, vegetables, and chicken.
3.) Keeping a record-
I will record what and how much I eat in my cell phone. I will also emit the behavior of recording how many miles I run each day. I will also record my emotions and any obstacles that may arise. Keeping a record of specific target behaviors will elicit a feeling of control in me. It will make it easier to reach my goal.
4.) Graphing a baseline-
The x axis will display the amount of time. In this instance, it would be the number of months starting from month one and ending at month four. The y-axis will represent the number of pounds lost ranging from zero to twenty. This baseline will show my progress in losing weight.
5.) Determining contingencies-
For every two pounds I lose, I will reward myself by purchasing an article of clothing. Also, if I follow all of my rules listed about for two weeks straight, I will allow myself to eat a piece of cake. Losing weight will also elicit a feeling of confidence. This will reinforce me to continue to lose more weight because I will feel better about myself.
6.) Determining antecedents-
In order to be successful at losing weight, I will throw out all of my food that aren’t fruits, vegetables, or chicken. I will wear my workout clothes and running shoes to class, so I can work out right away after my final class. I will have no excuse not to work out because I will be right by the Union gym. I will also drink water when I am feeling hungry to elicit a feeling of fullness in myself. Instead of drinking alcohol, I will drink water instead
7.) Implementing and adjusting contingencies-
I may need to adjust my diet over time. I may grow tired of eating only fruits, vegetables, and chicken. This may elicit strong cravings for other foods which may cause me to emit a binging behavior. This could throw off my weight loss goal entirely. I probably should reward myself more so I don’t get discouraged.
If I were making a New Year's resolution today I would choose to exercise more.
1.) Set Goal
I would like to emit an exercising behavior more often.
2.) Define/Specify goal
Specifically, I would like to emit a walking behavior four days a week in the morning for at least thirty minutes each day.
3.) Keep a record
To keep a record of my target behavior I will emit a writing behavior after every time I emit a walking behavior. The consequence of keeping a record through emitting a writing behavior will hopefully help in reinforcing my target behavior. If I keep a record I can always check and see that I am achieving my initial goal, and that will reinforce me to continue walking four days a week for at least thirty minutes.
4.) Graph a baseline
Emit a behavior of graphing my target behavior will also reinforce me to continue emitting a walking behavior. Graphing will allow me to track the progress I am making or see if I am not doing as much as I should be doing. I would most likely make the same type of line graph that was in section 4.2 because I think it would be the easiest way to see my progress.
5.) Determine Contingencies
For emitting a walking behavior of the specified number of days each week and the specified length of time I will use self-reinforcement to get myself to continue with this behavior. The reinforcement I will use at the end of each week assuming I meet the requirements will be going shopping to get a fairly inexpensive accessory or something along those lines. The consequence of not emitting a walking behavior four days a week for at least thirty minutes each time will be to not go shopping.
6.) Determine Antecedents
To help me elicit a walking behavior I would place my walking shoes on the side of my bed so when I woke up I could easily see them, and that would remind me to walk on certain mornings. I could also place the notebook I use to keep a record of my walking on the kitchen table so it would also remind me to continue emitting a walking behavior.
7.) Implement and adjust the contingencies
After starting to work out I may find out that I need to adjust some things. I might need to adjust the reinforcer I am using. For example, maybe after a few weeks I would become satiated to getting accessories at the end of every week. I could always change my reinforcer to renting a movie at the end of the week or something like that.
Step 1: Set Goal
I would like to emit a piano playing behavior at a better quality than I do now.
Step 2: Define/Specify Goal as a set of Target Behaviors
1- Emit a practicing behavior involving scales and drills for an hour a day Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of every week.
2. While emitting the practicing behavior on the piano during that hour timeslot, also emit a learning behavior on a song and have it completely learned by the end of the month.
Step 3: Keep a Record
For this I shall emit a behavior of keeping a log of how long I practiced on a particular day, what behaviors I emitted, and what to do on the next practice time.
Step 4: Graph a Baseline
The y-axis on this graph would be mistakes made on the song. The x-axis would be the days that I practiced. The graph would be used to track my progress on the songs I’m learning, and it would show how much better I’m getting on the piano.
Step 5: Determine Contingencies
In order to reinforce my practicing behavior, I would emit a behavior of performing my song at the end of the month in front of my friends. This would be a good reinforcer because I love to perform.
Step 6: Determine Antecedents:
In order to elicit the behaviors I want to emit, I would keep my piano out in my room so I constantly see it and it will encourage me to practice. I would also put my Xbox away so I am not as tempted to emit a game playing behavior.
Step 7: Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
The only problem that I see occurring is that I won’t be rewarded enough. In order to keep me on my practicing schedule, perhaps I could use my love of gaming as another reinforcer. If I emit a practicing behavior for one hour on MWF, I would be able to play games for an hour afterwards, or perhaps two hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
1: Set a goal
-A goal that I would like to emit is to work out more to stay healthy.
2: Define/Specify the goal as a set of target behaviors
-There are many target behaviors that would go along with emitting this goal.
- The first target behavior I will emit is running on the treadmill at the WRC for 30 minutes Monday, Wednesday and Friday’s at 8:00am. I will start at 6MPH, and every week I will increase my speed by .2.
-The next target behavior I will emit is to do the “Insane Abs” video from the workout “Insanity” every Tuesday and Thursday at 4:00pm. After I do the insane Abs video which will take approximately 30 minutes, I will stretch for 10 minutes.
-Also, I will emit a behavior of setting my alarm for all of these times (ex: set my alarm for 7:00am, and 345pm)
3: Keep a record
-For emitting a writing behavior with keeping a record, I will emit a behavior of typing in information in my “notes” section in my phone.
- I will emit a recording behavior with my start and stop time, amount of time I ran, the speed I went, how many calories I lost, and my heart rate every time I go on my run at the WRC.
- For the Insane abs video I will record the start and stop time of the video, and also my pulse after the video.
4: Graph a Baseline
-I will emit a behavior of 2 graphs, one for my cardio, and the other for abs
-For the cardio graph I will use the Y axis for the distance I run, and the X axis for the days of the week
-While making a graph for my abs video, I will have the Y-axis be my pulse after the video, and the X axis will be the days of the week.
-By emitting a behavior of making a graph, it will elicit my to know what days I do better, and if my distance and pulse are increasing or decreasing.
Step 5: Determine Contingencies
-I will try to reinforce this behavior by doing a couple of things, first emitting a working behavior will hopefully put me in better shape, which will make me feel better about myself, which will act as a positive reinforcement
-Another reinforcement I will use for this behavior is every time I run 2 weeks straight (MWF for 2 weeks) I will treat myself to some chips and queso (most people would say ice cream, or cookies, but I love salt!! :)).
6: Determine Antecedents
-The antecedent will elicit my behavior, while means that it is very important.
-One thing that I will make sure to do is set an alarm or reminder/event in my phone (considering it is usually always with me), this will elicit me to get ready to go to the gym. Also, I will lay out my close before I go to bed on the nights before my runs, this way I will remind myself I am going to the gym.
7: Implement and adjust the contingencies
-One thing that I may need to change is my positive reinforcement. It could come to a point where satiation comes into play and I do not want any more chips and queso. This means that I will no longer have a positive reinforcement, so I may need to tweek that.
-Also depending on my class schedule and work schedule (which sometimes changes) I may need to change the times of going to the WRC and doing my workout videos.
1)Set Goal
I would like to emit the behavior of losing 15 pounds in 6 weeks.
2)Define/Specify the Goal
-I will emit the behavior of doing various exercises (running, lifting, ab work outs) for 60 mins 4 times a week.
-I will emit the behavior of cutting out junk food and monitoring how many calories I consume.
3)Keep a Record
I will emit the behavior of writing down what exercises I emitted and for how long and what I have eaten in a notebook.
4)Graph a Baseline
The x-axis will be the number of weeks (6). The y-axis will be how many pounds that I have lost. This graph will help show how many pounds I have lost each week.
5)Determine Contingencies
To help motivate myself to elicit a losing weight behavior I will use positive reinforcement. Every 3 pounds that I lose I will elicit a shopping behavior and buy one new article of behavior. Also if I lose the 15 pounds in the 6 weeks I will buy 3 new articles of clothings.
6)Determine Antecedents
To help elicit my losing weight behavior I will throw out all junk food so I won't be tempted. I will also have a work out buddy to help motivate me to work out and go hard.
&)Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
Some problems that I may run into is my busy work and school schedule, which may make it hard to fit in working out 3 times a week for that long in between classes, work and doing homework. So I may have to adjust the amout of time that I work out to possibly 30 mins and work out maybe 4 or 5 days then instead of only three.
New Year’s Resolution today: Stop impulse shopping.
Step #1- Setting goal- I want to emit a behavior of decreasing impulse shopping.
Step #2- Define/Specify the Goal as a set of Target behaviors- 1. I will no longer buy unnecessary $10 magazines, unnecessary sale items, and unnecessary make-up at any grocery/department store. 2. I will emit a behavior of not looking at sales bins when there are signs in the stores. 3. I will emit a behavior of not carrying extra cash with me to avoid impulse buying at the stores. 4. I will make a list BEFORE I go to the store and only put my necessary needs of food and drinks on the list.
Step #3- Keeping a Record A way to record my baseline performance would be to construct a behavioral diary that was discussed in section 4.2. I would keep my diary in my phone app “Notes” and tally up how many times I go to the store without impulse buying. Also, I will record the amount of money I save each week by only buying the necessary goods.
Step #4- Graphing a Baseline My graph would consist of the days of the week on the x-axis Monday- Friday, and the Y-axis would consist of the amount of money I save her week from $5-20.
Step #5- Determine Contingencies I will use the saved money to go on vacation. The reinforcing of “being excited I am going on vacation,” will increase my behavior of saving money. The reinforcement of saving money for a desired paradise vacation will make me achieve my target behaviors above.
Step #6- Determine Antecedents To emit my desirable goal target behavior I will organize my wallet and money and only bring one credit card with limited amount of money in my account. Also, I will go to a food “only” store to avoid impulse buying such as Fareway and Aldi. I also will take out my cash from my purse to not buy unnecessary products.
Step #7- Implement and Adjust the Contingencies I will have certain urges to buy impulse buying if I feel like I “want or need” it. I also, will think that it is “okay” to buy once in a while instead of saving that money for a desired vacation. A way I could adjust the urges would be to write myself a note inside my wallet that says “HAWAII” or my keychain on my wallet of Hawaii. I believe that my self-direct behavior would make me extremely happy to save money for a wonderful time on vacation.
My New Year’s Resolution would be:
1) Set Goal:
I would like to emit the behavior of calling my family more often.
2) Define/Specify Goal as a Set of Target Behaviors:
- Call my sister at least once a week
-Call my brother at least once a week
-Call my parents every other day
3) Keep a Record:
Wanting to succeed at this goal would elicit me to keep a record of how often I called my family members. Since I would be using my cell phone, there would be an electronic record of my calls. In order to make myself aware of the antecedents and consequences, I could emit a writing behavior on my phone to tell myself what was going on before and after each time I placed a call to them. Instead of only keeping a record of the total number of family calls I place, I will emit a record keeping behavior of how many I place to each family member, as listed in my specified target behavior.
4) Graph a Baseline:
The y-axis for my graph would be the total number of outgoing family calls. The x-axis would be the days of the week. The purpose of my graph would be to track the amount of outgoing family calls each day over at least the first week. Below my graph, I could also note what the antecedents/consequences of them were, so I have a clear picture of why some days are lower/higher than others. I would also emit separate graphs for each family member, as specified in my target behavior list. This way I can see if one particular member is receiving fewer calls than another.
5) Determine Contingencies:
I will emit reinforcement at the end of each two weeks if I have emitted the outlined number of calls each separate week. For my reinforcer, I would emit a behavior of going to Cold Stone each successful two weeks.
6) Determine Antecedents:
One way I could change my environment would be to place sticky notes on/around things I use frequently, such as my laptop. The sticky notes could say things like, “How is _____ doing?” This way I would emit calling the family member to see how they are doing, not just if I had a question or needed help with something. I could also set aside a specific time of day to call my family so that the time would become a discriminative stimulus.
7) Implement and Adjust the Contingencies:
A problem that might arise with my contingency is I may become satiated of Cold Stone ice cream. If satiation occurs, this would elicit me to find a new reinforcer. I also may begin to feel bad that I need an extrinsic reward to call my family members and once started, the feeling I receive as a consequence of calling them regularly may serve as its own intrinsic reward and reinforcer. I also may need to go back and change when I am getting reinforced; instead of being reinforced for any outgoing calls to my family, I could be reinforced for only outgoing calls placed for social reasons, not ones for questions or help. I also may need to emit a change of reinforcer for a specified amount of time a call lasts other than the call itself.
Resolution: Lose weight
1) Set Goal:
I want to emit the behavior of getting healthy.
2) Define/Specify Goal as a set of Target Behaviors:
- I will emit the behavior of drinking 8oz of water with each meal.
- I will emit the behavior of walking for an hour everyday.
- I will not emit the behavior of eating any fast food during the weekdays.
3) Keep a Record:
I will emit the behavior of keeping a chart and marking off every meal that I drink 8 oz of water with, every day that I walk for an hour, and every week day that I do not eat fast food.
4) Graph a Baseline:
Since my goals are not similar at all I would have to have three different lines on my graph. My x-axis would be the day of the week and the y-axis would be the number of 8oz. glasses of water I drink in a day. On the second line the y-axis would be hours of walking. On the third line the y-axis would be the number of times I eat fast food.
5) Determine Contingencies:
I will reinforce myself with a new outfit every two weeks that I follow the specific goals that I chose in step 2 in order to increase the frequency of me following the goals.
6) Determine Antecedents:
I will not the emit the behavior of buying other drinks so that I increase the frequency of drinking water. I will also walk to places such as school instead of driving to increase my walking behavior. I will avoid fast food places during the weekdays so that I am not tempted to break one of my goals.
7) Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
My goals do not really have anything to do with each other so it may be difficult for me to stick to them. Another thing that I might want to alternate would be the schedule of reinforcement because two weeks may be too long of a gap to start out with for the reinforcement.
1. SET A GOAL
If I decided to emit a self-directed behavior change, it would be to clean my car more often
2. Define/Specify the Goal as a Set of Target Behaviors
The target behaviors that I will need to emit in order to achieve this goal I will remove the trash, vacuum, and put away any clothes, shoes, etc. every Sunday afternoon at 3:00 pm.
3. Keep a Record
To keep track of my behavior, I will schedule one hour each Sunday afternoon to clean my car. Emitting the behavior of putting the task in my planner/calendar will improve the chances of a positive outcome and success.
4. Graph a Baseline
For this goal, the y-axis would be the number of minutes I spent cleaning my car, ranging from 0-60 minutes. The x-axis will be the Sunday’s week-to-week. The hope in making this visual aid is that the line will never meet a 0 on the y-axis, and that the time it takes to clean my car will decrease (less of a mess!)
5. Determine Contingencies
I will positively reinforce my cleaning behavior by treating myself to dinner with friends that evening, only if the cleaning was completed in less than one hour.
6. Determine Antecedents
Changing the antecedent will elicit a more successful cleaning behavior if I volunteer to drive more frequently. Knowing that others will be in the car with me will motivate me to emit the desired cleaning behavior
7. Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
My work schedule may interfere with the success of my self-directed behavior program because I often work Sunday nights. I may need to alter the day of the week in which I clean, or adjust my target behavior to state that any day of the week is acceptable.
1)Set Goal
I would like to emit the behavior of studying more
2)Define/Specify Goal As Target Behavior
I would like to emit the behavior of studying 2 hours a day.
3)Keep A Record
I will emit the behavior of keeping a record of how much I study everyday of the week.
4)Graph A Baseline
I will graph a bar chart of everyday of the week for a total of a week. When that week is up I will do the same for the next week and look for improvement.
5)Determine Contingencies
I will reinforce myself with going out on the weekend if my week has added up to a sufficient amount of 2 hours/day.
6)Determine Antecedents
I will avoid going out on the weekdays and staying in and studying. I will be aversive of noisy places where I can't focus and go to a quieter place such as the library.
7)Implement and Adjust Contingencies
My goals will be easy to do if I receive good grades and am able to go out on the weekends. The only problem with these goals is the factor of peer pressure. When your friends go out you will also be inclined to, it's just human nature. So in order to prevent this I can go out once a week if my studying is done.
#1) Set Goal:
I would like to emit the behavior of losing weight.
#2) Define/Specify Goal as a set of Target Behaviors:
To obtain my goal, I will run on the treadmill for 45 minutes six times a week. I will also eat 3 fruits and 3 vegetables a day. I will no longer eat at fast food restaurants.
#3) Keep a Record:
I will record everything I eat and how long I emit a running behavior for everyday. I will carry a journal around with me record it at the time.
#4.) Graph a Baseline:
On the graph the title would read minutes ran on the treadmill. The x-axis will read time and will have the days of the week at the bottom. The y-axis will read number of minutes and will go from 20-70.
#5.) Determine Contingencies:
If I emit an eating behavior consistent with my initial goals and run a minimum of 45 minutes a day, I will reinforce myself with buying $100 worth of clothing. I like purchasing new clothes so it would motivate me very well. I will not be reinforced with new clothes if I do not stick to my initial goals.
#6.) Determine Antecedents:
In order to emit the behavior of losing weight, I will throw away all unhealthy food in my house. This will prevent me from eating unhealthy things. I will also give plasma so I can afford a treadmill in my house. If I have a treadmill, I will be more likely to emit the running behavior.
#7.) Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
I think I will have to alter my amount spent on my reward. With eating healthier, I will have less money for other things. Fresh fruit and vegetables are more expensive, so I will lower the reward to $75. I also don’t know if I will be able to keep up 6 days a week because I will not want to get burned out or develop shin splints.
1)Set Goal
I would like to emit the behavior of studying more
2)Define/Specify Goal As Target Behavior
I would like to emit the behavior of studying 2 hours a day.
3)Keep A Record
I will emit the behavior of keeping a record of how much I study everyday of the week.
4)Graph A Baseline
I will graph a bar chart of everyday of the week for a total of a week. When that week is up I will do the same for the next week and look for improvement.
5)Determine Contingencies
I will reinforce myself with going out on the weekend if my week has added up to a sufficient amount of 2 hours/day.
6)Determine Antecedents
I will avoid going out on the weekdays and staying in and studying. I will be aversive of noisy places where I can't focus and go to a quieter place such as the library.
7)Implement and Adjust Contingencies
My goals will be easy to do if I receive good grades and am able to go out on the weekends. The only problem with these goals is the factor of peer pressure. When your friends go out you will also be inclined to, it's just human nature. So in order to prevent this I can go out once a week if my studying is done.
#1) Set a Goal-
I would like to emit the behavior of exercising more.
#2) Define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors-
- I will emit the behavior of working out at least 4 days a week
- I will incorporate a variety of exercises each time and include cardio and weights
- I will work out by myself the majority of the time, but if I ever start to lose will, I will work out with my friends
- I will increase the time of my workouts every week
#3) Keep a Record-
I will start a log in a word document in which after every workout, I will write the amount spent working out and what I did. I will also include dates, and watch for patterns on when I’m free and motivated.
#4) Graph a Baseline-
For my graph, I will use the x-axis as the days of the week Monday-Sunday. On my y-axis, I will have 10 minute increments starting from 0 minutes to 2 hours (120 minutes).
#5) Determine the Contingencies-
I will reinforce my behavior at the end of every week, if I completed my goal of working out 4 times a week. I will either let myself watch a movie or go shopping as reinforcement if I meet my goals.
#6) Determine the Antecedents-
To help elicit a behavior of exercising more often, I will leave my tennis shoes by my desk so as to remind me. I will also try to keep up on my school work so that I have extra time to go to the gym or for a walk.
#7) Implement and Adjust the Contingencies-
After the first couple of weeks, I may need to adjust my reinforcers and goals a little. For example, if I don’t feel like going to the movies, or want to save money and not go shopping, I may choose to read a magazine or watch some of my favorite shows with my roommate. Also, I work four days a week, so if there is a week that I cannot make my goal of exercising 4 days a week, I may need to just have longer workouts at a time. I could workout for an hour and a half 3 days a week for example.
My New Year’s resolution would be to save money to go to Italy this summer.
1) Set goal: The target behavior that I would like to emit would be to save $200 per month to be able to go to Italy at the end of July.
2) Define/specify goal:
• I will emit the behavior of taking $200 out of my paycheck each month and putting it in a different account until July.
• I will emit the behavior of reducing the amount of money I spend on going out to eat/ silly things by 2/3.
• I will emit the behavior of booking an airplane ticket and tour guide when I have made 2/3 of the money that I need or by April.
3) Keep a record: I will emit the behavior of keeping copies of bank statements each month that tells the exact amount that I have saved (it could be under $200 or over $200 or just $200, but preferably the last two options).
4) Graph a baseline: I will emit the behavior of taking the data that I recorded each month and turning it into a line graph showing how much money I have saved each month. This could be beneficiary to let me know if I’m actually saving money all together, but it wouldn’t really help me because I wouldn’t be able to see a trend until way later on, in which case I’d find out last minute if I wasn’t going to make enough money to go on my trip.
5) Determine contingencies: To reinforce the behavior of saving money I can’t really reinforce my behavior every month I save the money or that might defeat the purpose of me saving money. However, I will ultimately be reinforced in the end when I have saved up enough money to be able to go on my vacation to Italy.
6) Determine Antecedents: Ways that I could work with the environment to change my behaviors are to do shopping less, cook more at home and avoid spending money that I don’t need to spend. I can check out websites that offers deals on airplane tickets and on tour guides. Doing research on Italy will also keep me motivated on the goal of saving the money to go.
7) Implement and Adjust Contingencies: I could run into a problem when I emit the behavior of trying to save money but my car decides to elicit an aversive response and break down on me. It could also happen that I may have to spend extra money on something sudden. It could happen that the trip might overall cost more than expected or that I might not be able to get the time off work to go to Italy. These things would make me have to emit the behavior of adjusting my target behavior and goals.
Step 1- Set a goal
I would like to emit a behavior of increasing the number of hours I work out a week.
Step 2- Define/Specify the goal as a set of target behaviors
1. I will emit a behavior of running on a treadmill 3 times a week for 20 minutes
2. I will attend my kickboxing class three times a week: Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday
3. I will do strength training for an hour after kickboxing practice on Mondays
Step 3- Keep a record
I will emit a watching wearing behavior to help track my times. This will allow me to record in my phone how long I worked out and what I did accurately. This will let me look back and make sure I’ve done what I needed to do for each day.
Step 4 - Graph a baseline
Emitting a baseline reading of my abilities and amount of time I naturally spend working out will give me a great starting point. The best way to measure my targeted behavior would be to graph the amount of time working out compared to the amount I originally worked out.
Step 5 - Determine the Contingencies
The contingencies for this self-directed behavior modification will be positive reinforcement for every time I work out on my schedule. I will reinforce myself with cooking a food I am craving at the time.
Step 6 – Determine the Antecedent
I will emit a spending money behavior and rejoin my kick boxing class. I will also find the gours out that the Wellness and Recreation Center is open so I can perform a working out behavior to fulfill my goal.
Step 7 – Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
I may have to adjust for working or class schedules as well as the difficultly and length of time working out. I can see my reinforcer not being strong enough as well. When I am beginning to resent going to work out I will reevaluate what I find to be a good reinforcer and use that instead.
If I were to emit a behavior of setting a New Years resolution it would be to elicit a behavior of quitting smoking. (again)
Step 1.
I would like to emit a behavior of quitting to smoke.
Step 2.
I will quit smoking by March 1. From January 1 to April 30 I will progressively cut my smoking down (from half a pack a day down to one a day on a progressive sliding scale)
I will also go to my physician and get a prescription for Chantix.
Step 3.
For this set of behaviors I will write down exactly how many and when I had a cigarette. I will also write down when I wanted a cigarette and did not have one.
Step 4.
The y axis for my graph would be how many cigarettes I had. The x axis would be the days of the week as well as the month.
Step5.
I will emit a rewarding behavior if I smoke 5 less cigarettes a day at the end of month one. The reward will be to go out to dinner at my favorite restaurant in Chicago.
Step 6.
In order the change the consequences of my environments I will not smoke in my car, nor keep my cigarettes in my car anymore. (I smoke the most when I am driving to and from school as well as to and from work)
Step 7
The one thing I will have to adjust would be to take the money I would spend on cigarettes and put that money away in a jar so to reward myself at the end of month one and so one. This will keep a more reinforcing behavior at the forefront of my mind.
Step 1 - Set A Goal
I would like to emit the behavior of saving my money so I can go to Nicaragua.
Step 2 - Define/Specify the goal as a set of target behavior
-Put at least $20 of my paycheck into my savings account for Nicaragua.
-Not eat out as much.
-Do not carry any cash on me so I don't have the urge to spend it.
Step 3 - Keep A Record
I will emit the behavior of writing down in a notebook everytime I add money to my Nicaragua account, that way I will be reinforced to save more money.
Step 4 - Grap A Baseline
I would graph how much money is put into my savings account each month, although a graph wouldn't be the best consequence in this case. My y axis would be how much money I've saved and the x axis would be the months.
Step 5 - Determine Contingencies
In order to emit a rewarding behavior for saving money, I can't reward myself with something that causes me to spend my money. So instead, I will reward myself each month with something simple, such as going for a walk or just giving my brain a break.
Step 6 - Determine the Antecedent
In order to decrease the frequency of spending money, I will eat at home more, avoid buying things that I don't need, not get anymore parking tickets and look up information about Nicaragua.
Step 7 - Implement/Adjust the Contingencies
I already experienced decreasing the frequency of my desired target behavior because my car's breaks decided to go out. I had to pay a big chunk of money to fix it, but I'm also going to start doing small things to earn some extra money. If anything else were to happen where I need to pay for something, my target behaviors and goals would change again.
1) Set goal. Emit a behavior of getting straight A’s.
2) Set of target behaviors.
My first target behavior that will aid me in reaching my main goal is to set aside an hour every day to review any new information learned in class.
My next target behavior will be to take at least 2 nights a week to go to the library for a minimum of three hours each.
Lastly, I am will only allow two hours a day of television and social networking.
3) Keeping a record. To keep record of my behaviors, I will keep a diary with time sheets. I will keep these straight by recording my time in the library, studying and tv time directly after doing it.
4) Graph. I plan to keep track of what days and times I get the most studying done by graphing my hours. I will use day of the week as my x-axis and number of hours studying in the library as y-axis.
5) Reinforcer. If I meet my hours every week I will reward myself with going out to eat or taking a night out with my friends. I will reward myself with new shoes if I get straight A’s at the end of the semester.
6) Determine antecedents. To make sure I elicit my target behaviors to happen I will have my roommate hide my remote control, and if that does not work I may take my cable chord completely out of my room. I will stay on campus an hour after my classes to quickly review notes so I will retain the information. I plan to make a schedule with a friend to go to the library at certain times in the week.
7) Implement and adjust contingences. I will make sure I keep my target behaviors, and if they are not working, I will add hours on to my time in the library and take away hours of television time.
1. Set goal: I would like to emit the behavior of catching up in class and staying caught up.
2. Define and Specify goal as a set of target behaviors
a. Finish all missed/late bog assignments
b. Finish all late reading assignments
c. Complete future assignments on time
3. Keep a record: For this step, I will make a list of all the assignments I need to finish; and cross them off as I do them. I could also look back and get a more lengthy record from when I posted my completed assignments. This would also work as a form of reinforcement for me, as I feel accomplished when I can cross things off my list.
4. Graph a baseline: My graph would have a y-axis labeled assignments. My x-axis would be labeled by the due date. I would measure assignments by percentage completed for that day, grouping Tuesday’s assignments with readings. This graph would serve the purpose of listing what I have completed thus far. It could also help me keep track what I have and have not done through out the remainder of the course.
5. Determining Contingencies: I will emit a reinforcing behavior when I am caught up in class. My reinforcer for each completing each assignment or reading would be some sort of sweet treat. My reinforcer when I complete all of the work would be treating myself to a manicure and pedicure.
6. Determine antecedents: To emit the behavior of catching up in class, I will make a complete list of all that I need to do and place it on the back of my bedroom door. This is a place in my field of vision quite often at home and hopefully I will it elicit the behavior of doing an assignment. I will also make it a priority to spend at least an hour in the library every day with class work.
7. Implement and adjust the contingencies: Some problems may arise with working on things daily for an hour. In order to do this I may need to adjust the time for each day. I would need to establish this time before hand and treat this time like an appointment. Another problem that may occur is satiation in regards to too many sweet treats. To fix this I may have to switch to an intermittent schedule, as completing the assignments would become reinforcement as well. I may also have to switch up my “treat” reward as well, just to keep things interesting.
Step 1: Set Goal
I would like to emit a behavior of losing 50 pounds within a year.
Step 2: Specify Goal as a Set of Target Behaviors
- Eat 1500 calories per day, most calories consisting of vegetables (at least 2 servings per day) and fruits (at least 2 servings per day). Fats will be limited to 200 calories per day.
- Exercise weekly with a regimen of Core (abdominal and oblique) muscle training (pilates) for 60 minutes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and Strength training (weightlifting) for 60 minutes on Tuesday and Thursday. Saturday will have 60 minutes of Cardio (dancing, running, or playing sports), and Sunday will be used for rest and recuperation.
Step 3: Keep a Record
- I will emit a behavior of keeping 3 records. One will be a record of my daily calorie intake. The other will be a log of what exercise I emit daily.
Step 4: Graph a Baseline
- I will emit a behavior of creating a "Weight Loss" graph. The y-axis will track how many pounds I have lost. The x-axis will have weekly dates. I will measure weight loss weekly for this graph.
Step 5: Determine Contingencies
- I will reinforce my behavior every week that I successfully lose weight. Reinforcement will be on a fixed weekly schedule and the reinforcer will be one Dove milk chocolate bar.
Step 6: Determine Antecedents
- I will emit a behavior of changing my antecedents by purging my living space of empty calories and snack foods. Also, I will go to the WRC to encourage working out, possibly by assembling a group of people to work out together.
Step 7: Implement and Adjust Contingencies
- The problem with my selected reinforcer is that it is counter-productive to my goal. Therefore, I will reinforce my behavior by alternating between a reinforcer of chocolate and a reinforcer of buying new clothes.
An example of a New Year’s Resolution would be to study more for tests.
1. Set Goal:
I would like to emit a behavior of studying 6 to 7 hours a week.
2. Define/Specify goal as a set of target behaviors.
Study on Tuesdays and Thursdays study from 8:30 to 9:00
Instead of going home after last class on MWF go to library for an hour and study
Do homework in class a day ahead instead of day of
3. Keep a Record:
For this I will emit a behavior of writing in a daily scheduler the exact times I will study and all assignment and tests that are coming up in each class.
4. Graphing a Baseline:
For this part I will design a graph to calculate hours I’ve studied and the days of the week I Study them Y being the days of the week and X being the hours.
5. Determine Contingencies:
I will then emit a reinforcing behavior at the end of the week if studied for more than target hours which can move up as well by treating myself with a meal of my choice at a restaurant.
6. Determine Antecedents:
I would unplug the TV and wake up every morning at 8 regardless of class time. I would also emit a behavior of using my schedule as a fixed lifeline and put sticky notes on my door.
7. Implement and Adjust the Contingencies:
I believe a big problem will be going off schedule or procrastinating and in order to stick to my goal I will have to make mini goals to achieve the main goal such as if I go study I can have a frappechino.
1. Set Goal:
I would like to emit a behavior of saving a minimum of one hundred dollars per month to add to my 401k.
2. Define/Specify goal as a set of target behaviors:
• I will emit a behavior of taking a minimum of $50 out of each paycheck; I am paid bi-monthly.
• I will work out a fixed monthly budget to minimize emitting behaviors of unnecessary spending.
• I will avoid emitting a behavior of frequenting bars and shopping malls because this is where I emit the majority of my spending behaviors.
3. Keep a record:
I will emit a behavior of keeping a bank register so I can visually see each deposit into my account. The register will eventually elicit a saving behavior as I continue to see it grow.
4. Graphing a Baseline:
For my graph I would the x-axis would be time, shown in months. The y-axis, or the dependent measure, would be dollars, shown in increments of 100s. The purpose of the graph would to be to track my monthly deposits. Each deposit has a minimum of $100, but I am able to emit a behavior of depositing more if allowed.
5. Determine the Contingencies:
As I emit a behavior of reaching my goal each month, I will reinforce my behavior with a $50 free spend at the end of each month. If I start to become satiated, I will edit my reinforcement technique to $50 free spend every two months. This procedure will continue on as satiation increases to a point where the behavior will no longer need to be reinforced.
6. Determine Antecedents:
I would alter my environment to elicit success by determining my monthly budget. Factoring what must be paid and determining what was not necessary to survive on. I would emit a behavior of cancelling all credit cards and emit a behavior of only using cash for purchases. I would also emit a behavior of setting up a maximum amount of money that could be withdrawn per day at my bank.
7. Implement and Adjust Contingencies:
As I continue to emit the behavior of saving $100 per month to be put towards my 401k there may be things that will need to be adjusted. My reinforcer may need to be adjusted as I become satiated. I also am aware that there will be unexpected financial situations that may arise, for example if my car breaks down. If my goal is unable to be met, I will need to redefine my target behavior to make up for the money that was not saved.
News Years Resolution Example: Get Good Grades: Get at least a 3.75
#1) Set Goal:
I would like to emit the goal of getting at least a 3.75 GPA
#2) Define/Specify Goal as a set of Target Behaviors:
-1. Read all assigned pages in each class’s textbooks thoroughly
-2. Outline the pages in a separate notebook for each class before and after class
-3. Set aside 3 hours a night from the hours of 8-11 to study
#3) Keep a Record:
I would emit the behavior of keeping an amount of the hours I spend working on each subject in my planner.
#4.) Graph a Baseline:
The y-axis for this graph would be hours. The x-axis would be the days of the week. This graph would show how I am coming along with studying and hopefully be positively reinforcing
#5.) Determine Contingencies:
I would reinforce my studying with a time of relaxing each night after studying by watching tv. This would definitely be positive reinforcement. The final goal- getting a 3.75—I would buy myself a new outfit.
#6.) Determine Antecedents:
I could make some changes to the antecedents which would make it easier to emit my target behaviors. I could turn my computer off so I don’t get on facebook, or I could go to the library with no distractions. I would not be able to study by the TV either.
#7.) Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
Some problems there could be are 1) sickness, 2) emergency causing time missed studying/missing class 3) having certain things during the time of 8-11PM. I could make sure I have a backup plan if I can’t study from 8-11. For example, I could split up the time if it doesn’t work.
An example of a New Year’s Resolution would be to lose weight.
1) I want to emit the behavior of losing 10 pounds by Christmas.
2) 1)Eat no more than 1400 calories per day
2)Run 3 miles per day at least 3 times a week
3) Drink at least 8 8oz glasses of water each day.
3) To keep a record of this goal I will emit a behavior of keeping a log of when and how long I exercised each time. I will also emit a behavior of keeping track of my calorie intake each day.
4) The x-axis for this graph would be the days of the week (time), and the y-axis would be the calorie intake for each day. The purpose of making this graph is to keep track of how many calories I consume each day in order to make sure I am not emitting a behavior of consuming more than 1400.
5) I will emit a reinforcing behavior at Christmas time if I have lost 10 pounds by then. The reinforcer for this behavior will be emitting a behavior of going on a shopping spree.
6) I would avoid eating at fast food restaurants and choose only to drink water throughout the day. I would also make a set schedule of when I would work out each week to ensure I have enough time in each day.
7) Since the goal is set for 2 months, I could possibly get discouraged if I am not losing weight fast enough or if I am beginning to get tired of the target behaviors I will emit. To change this I could come up with other reinforcers along the way, or change the times that I am working out to mix up my schedule a little.
Topical blog #9
The behavior I would pick if I were making a New Year’s Resolution, I would pick to quit drinking caffeine beverages.
1. Set goal: Stop drinking caffeine beverages.
2. Define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors: Don’t buy caffeinated beverages for my home. Don’t bring cash with me to school and work so I don’t have the temptation to buy pop in the vending machines. Order water or lemonade at restaurants when I go out to eat. Carry a refillable water bottle with me so I don’t have to buy something to drink because the temptation is stronger to buy pop or coffee at a gas station than water. No one likes buying bottled water. And last I would buy water flavoring so water doesn’t become boring and bland.
3. Keep a record: I would keep a little note book and record the times when I am craving caffeine the most and what I was doing at the time. I would also record any slipups I might emit going against my target behavior.
4. Graph a baseline: I would graph my data from my note book. I would put the time of day at the bottom and a scale from one to ten on the side of my graph. One is showing no cravings at all and ten shows a relapse in the target behavior.
5. Determine the contingencies: the contingencies or reinforcement I would use in emitting my target behavior would be to allow myself a treat, like Scratch Cupcakes or dessert when we go out to eat, every two weeks I go without having a caffeinated drink.
6. Determine Antecedents: the antecedents I would use would be to change my environment. I think this would be the most effective way to elicit the behavior I want to emit. I would drink hot chocolate instead of coffee and buy juice for my home.
7. Implement and adjust the contingencies: I would look at my data and change the environment I’m in when I crave caffeine the most. I also may need to adjust my reinforcement when I start getting fat.
MAKE-UP BLOG
Topical Blog Week 9
1) My goal is to eat healthier. I want to have at least one serving of fruit and one serving of vegetables with lunch and dinner. I also want to drink 8 8oz glasses of water a day. I want to stop eating any sweets at all.
2) I will emit the behavior of changing my eating habits by,
a. Eating 2 servings of vegtables a day
b. Eating 2 servings of fruit a day
c. Drinking 8 8oz of water a day
d. Eating no sweets
e. Keep a written journal and graph all my activities every day
3) I will keep a written record complete with graphs, notes, what I ate that day and any other things that I feel are necessary to my success in achieving the goal of eating healthier. I will write things down as they happen and I will carry my journal everywhere and be on my person at all times.
4) I will graph my initial base line. On the x axis I will put days of the week and on the y axis I will graph amount of health portions eating this includes fruits and vegetables. I will also graph the glasses of water drunk a day and how many sweet I consumed.
5) I have tokens and when I achieve 7 tokens I will treat myself to a chocolate milkshake. Each token is awarded after one day where I drank all my water and ate all my servings and had no sweets. After each month of completing my regime I will buy myself a new book.
6) I will be getting rid of all the unhealthy food in my room and replacing it with salads and fruit. I will also not skip any meals so I do not feel the urge to snack .
7) I may have to change the reinforcement of chocolate shakes because of money and the token system may not be as effective as I am hoping because I feel I have too many loopholes.
1) Set Goal
I to start studying more
2) Define/Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors
I will write myself a reminder and stick it on my white board every day.
3)Keep a record
I will write down on my white board how many hours I study per day and I will try to increase this number throughout the week.
4)Graph a baseline
The x axis for this graph will be the day of the week. The y axis for this graph will be number of hours studied for that day.
5)Determine Contingencies
For emitting the target behavior of studying more each day, I will reward myself with a small snack everyday if I reach 2 or more hours per day. If I do not complete this task of studying more than 2 hours then I will have to wait until tomorrow to try and elicit this behavior.
6)Determine Antecedents
In order for me to effectively study I have to put my mind toward what I am going to accomplish. Once this is thought out, I need to be in a quite place such as the library or my room.
7)Implement and Adjust the Contingencies
I have noticed that while studying, I usually have the television on, my computer or my cell phone by my side in order to text. As I am counting the hours away a lot of this time is me stopping my studying in order to attend to these three things. I will adjust the reinforcement of receiving a snack by only giving myself one if I can make it two or more hours without electronic distractions.
I am actually doing very well with this target behavior. My last behavior from my week 9 post is to cut down my swearing. I have done really well with that and noticed as well as graphed that my swearing has been cut dramatically. As for how the studying is going, I have set goals to motivate me to study consistently each day. One thing that does get in the way of my studying is working on that particular day. In order to keep this from cutting into my schedule, I will wake up early or go to bed later in order to accomplish the number of hours studied. If I could do anything differently I may focus on something that is good for my health versus academic work.