Reading Activity Week #11 (Due Tuesday)

4.3 Importance of Goals
In this section the text explains why goals are so important and guidelines for them. When setting a goal we need to be realistic and consider all of the angles associated with that goal. Since we as human being interact on a very social level we rely on the input and support of others to encourage and drive us in the directions we want to go. Sometimes when others see our goals as unrealistic they are less likely to say things that would otherwise encourage us to move forward. For example a person who is in rehab for serious alcohol and drug abuse may have the goal to never drink again. However, counselors and their peers whom talk with them during group meetings will tell them that that isn’t good enough. Their goals need to be specific and attainable for their lifestyle. Many people who have these kinds of addictions surround themselves with friends who often possess the same kind of problems as they do making the likelihood of them returning to that lifestyle high. There also needs to be a realistic set timeframe for a goal to happen. Referring back to my previous example, alcoholics and drug users often do not set realistic timeframes for themselves to gain sobriety. They’ll say “I don’t need to be here for 3 months, I’ll be fine after a week!” Sobriety is a large goal and therefore needs more time and sub goals.
Another aspect of setting a goal is setting sub goals. This means that when you have a large goal that seems difficult to attain it is often easier to break it down into a smaller series of goals all working towards the “big” goal. Sub goals for an alcoholic would be to attend rehab and gain peers who have a similar goal to yours, regularly attend AA meetings, stay away from friends who drink etc. A big part of setting goals are asking yourself if they are achievable, if you have the ability to achieve them, and if they are manageable. If they are then you need look into how you are going to maintain those goals once you achieve them. A good way is to plan in advance way in which you may fail and then setting a backup plan for yourself of what you will do when that day arrives. A support group can be super helpful when trying to achieve a goal especially support from people who have already made the same accomplishment.
5.1 Measuring Behavior
Once we define our behaviors just like everything else in psychology we need to be able to measure what we are doing so that we can study it. Going back to the functions of behaviors we need to remember that all behaviors have different functions and knowing the function of a particular behavior could assist in the changing of that behavior. Using the concept of topography in behaviors, the variety of ways a behavior can be carried out, along with the functions of behavior and behavioral classes we are able to determine how we measure behaviors. It isn’t until we pick out what behavior to modify and then what function or functions it serves that we are able to understand and record that behavior quantifiably. It is best to record a behavior right after it happens and record the number of occurrences in a notebook so the information is accurate and easily retained. Another thing that is important when recording a behavior is understanding the context in which it happened and to record it. If you know the context in which a certain behavior occurs this will enable you to execute the procedure of behavioral intervention much better.
The behavior that I wanted to change or increase was eating healthier. I measured my behavior by setting a goal and transcribing it into a more precise and attainable target behavior of eating 5 or more vegetable per day. When eliciting the target behavior of eating vegetables I would record the context in which it happened and the number of vegetable I consumed. I then constructed a line graph before and after I implemented a behavioral intervention to show me the changes in a visual illustration of quantifiable data from my elicited behaviors.

Section 4.3

Three things I will remember:
1.Goals need to be realistic; if goals are not realistic, they most likely cannot be achieved and will leave us disappointed in the end. For example, being able to finish a triathlon without taking the time to train is a very unrealistic goal. However, if you dedicate yourself and put the work in every week, it is a very achievable goal. The same applies to grades that we want to achieve. We can’t set a goal to get straight A’s if we don’t want to put in the time to study; we have to be more realistic than that.
2.Timeframe – I will remember this because it applies to what I wrote above about goals being realistic; timeframe has so much to do with whether or not a goal can be achieved. For example, how I said if one wanted to run a triathlon, they could not just start training the week before. It would take training and hard work months and months in advance in order to be successful.
3.Disruptive – there are many different types of goals that are disruptive, and in my own opinion I think that almost all goals are going to be disruptive in some way in order to completely achieve them; in order for me to study I have to give up some of the other personal things I enjoy doing, such as playing xbox.

I really enjoyed this section because it is something that completely applies to my life, especially at this stage. Every single week I have new goals, or Sub Goals just like they were mentioned in the section. At the beginning of this semester I told myself I wanted to achieve at least a 3.7 or higher this semester as my GPA. In order to obtain this GPA I can’t have any weeks off from studying hard or competing my assignments on time. Thus, I create sub goals for myself on a daily and weekly basis in order to achieve what I need to get done. I also really enjoyed the quote at the beginning of the reading: “If we don’t specify exactly what we want, we have no reason to complain about what we get or where we find ourselves”. I thought this was a great quote and is something that can and can’t be applied at the same time (we need goals in order to get where we want but at the same time any road can eventually take us to where we need to get to).
There was nothing specific from this section that I really disliked at all. Because my main goal is to achieve a 3.7, some behavioral goals I have had is to study more; more specifically, close to 4 hours a day if possible. I have found this to meet all of the guidelines thus far (achievable, timeframe, etc).

Section 5.1

Three things I will remember:

I like how this section went back and revisited topography and functions of behaviors, along with measuring behaviors. I didn’t really like that much of this section was thinking about my own examples, which makes me sound really lazy because I enjoy reading examples that are provided (not just because it is easier, but also because they are usually good examples). However, these exercises will help me when logging and journaling my behavior changes for the behavior modification process.

Three things I will remember:
1.Baseline – a record of the amount of the behavior of interest that we are currently emitting; for example, if I want to give up mountain dew and I drink 3 cans every day, 3 cans a day would be my baseline that I am working with.
2.Even though there are many different aspects of a behavior on a topographical level, they all still serve the same function. For example, in the text it gives the different examples of how we are going to save our money, such as putting a penny in a piggy bank, depositing money into a savings account, and so on and so forth. All of these different behaviors all serve the same function: saving money.
3.All behaviors have a function; the text gave a good example of eating junk food and the different functions, such as it is cheaper than real food, or it is easy to prepare or obtain. In all of the goals that we set there are many different functions, but there will always be one no matter what.

I am still using the behavior that I want to change from last week, which is decreasing the amount of TV that I watch. The function of this behavior would be that it is entertaining and that it is relaxing. Topography of this behavior would be sitting down. I am still struggling to figure out what type of contexts would be used for this behavior. As far as measuring this behavior, I am still leaning toward what I proposed last week, which is to set a sleep timer each time I am going to watch TV and watch for the entire sleep timer time span, and record this in a journal, this way I have physical data and am not tempted to watch more than the desired time.

Terms Used – Sub Goals, Realistic Goals, Timeframe, Achievable, Disruptive, Baseline, Topography, Emit, Function, Context

Section 4.3-

1. Goals- If I do not have realistic goals I will not have any support for them and also have a hard time completing them. The trick to goals is to also break them down so that they are not too overwhelming.
2. Using reinforcement is much easier for most people then it is for them to find a punishment themselves. If a behavior is being rewarded with a reinforcer, it is more likely to elicit an adaptive behavior so as to successfully fulfill the desired goal—especially true when using a DRO.
3. Being realistic about what your body and mind can actually do is very important—i.e. I am never going to be six foot tall so it is unrealistic for me to make that my goal. Knowing yourself, what you can do, and how you will respond to a reinforcement schedule, can change how you go about finding a goal.

I enjoyed how this section broke down different aspects of how to be successful while completing a goal. By breaking down a major goal into little sub-goals and reinforcing those as well, can make the journey to the end result much smoother: especially if you are a person that needs a continuous reinforcement schedule. Being able to adapt your goal to the environment that surrounds you is also key—must be flexible because life is unpredictable. That in mind, the end result must be an unwavering realistic beacon in your brain—something that you really really want and have the abilities to achieve (plus a good support team). I didn’t like how the concept of a goal being disruptive was discussed. Depending on the support system, the goal, and the level of disruption, no matter what you want to achieve, people can talk you out of it. If you would have to move across the country of even out of the country for a job, your family can play the guilt trip card and make you stay. Or if changing your own diet effects those who eat around you, the others can become very aversive and may even not hang around you or have you make their food. Environmental factors, which according to this section we are suppose to adapt to, can take us off course and even change our goals because our original ones were so disruptive—in my opinion there is nothing wrong with changing a goal as long as you are not going to regret it in the future.

As far as behavioral goals and ideas that came to my mind while reading this section, I began to think about how I have changed my career goals a hundred times and still do not know what I want. I do know what degrees I want and how long I will have to be in school, but as far as what I do with them, I have no idea. I also thought about how school has become the ultimate procrastination and caused me to have to abandon my workout routines many a time over. Hopefully I can work on sticking to a stick schedule with the help of family and friends and jump over that hurdle to get to my goals.

Section 5.3-

I liked how this section really was just about one thing—how to measure your goal. Measuring your goal is important because with that knowledge, you will not know when you are succeeding and when you are failing. To start out, you must have a baseline and a way to record your actions that pertain to achieving your goal that is not malleable like human memory. For my goal of working out more, I think that I will use a line graph with the days of the week on the horizontal axis and hours on the vertical axis—I would ideally like to work out for an hour or more three to five times a week (variable due to school work). If that does not work however, I would like to use my calendar and a colored star system to mark the days that I do workout and then write down my work out time. There really wasn’t anything that I didn’t like about this section, it was short contrite and got to the point while providing examples of dos and don’ts when measuring activity. For the most part, if one has a specific enough goal, or sub-goals, it should be rather easy to emit a measuring behavior.

1. Topographies- Different topographies of a behavioral class lead to a difference in how people view and obtain their goals. While all of the different topographies within a behavioral class cause a different perspective of a similar goal, they all may serve the function of reaching that goal.
2. While different topographies can be used to serve the function, the context or antecedent of the current situation can change which topography of behavior is used—i.e. waving, smiling, saying hello as forms of greeting another person.
3. One behavior causes another to happen as sort of a chain reaction. Each choice in word usage, nonverbal, and physical activity causes a reaction from those around that can therefore impede on your goal achievement and change the way that you get to your goal.

As stated above, I believe to start out with; I would use a line graph measuring the time spent working out while also observing the day of the week. If I find that I am forgetting to graph this, I can resort to my calendar that I use everyday to elicit a sort of colored star system as well as the times/length of my workouts marked down.

Terms: Elicit, Reaction, Goal, Topographies, Serve the Function, Context, Antecedent, Behavior, Behavioral Class, Baseline, Emit, Sub-Goals, Reinforcing, Reinforcer, Reinforcement, Continuous Reinforcement Schedule, Environment, Realistic, Disruptive, Aversive, Punishment, DRO.

SECTION 4.3

1. The importance of the time frame in constructing realistic goals. If an individual has a large goal, say making a million dollars, it is most realistic to say this goal may take years, as a opposed to trying to make a million in a year. Smaller goals are easier to achieve but less satisfying then larger, however, they lead to the bigger more satisfying goals, such as getting into grad school which will lead to a ph.d.

Ability is important in achieving your goals. If you don’t have the ability to push yourself, or the genetic ability, then goals become unachievable. I also liked reading that ability concerns how honest one is with themselves. I often convince myself I can do this or that, when in actual fact I can’t, and I wasted the time trying to prove otherwise.

Maintenance is a verb my mother told me right before moved to the US. You can move country and all to chase your goals, but you must maintain them for anything to come of it. She is right, just as the text emphasizes the importance of maintenance. You can’t be good at a job, sport, relationship etc unless you can maintain certain standards.

2. Reading about sub goals. I recall 6 years ago in Year 12, the senior year coordinator consistently harping us kids with the idea of eating an elephant. Year 12 would be hard and to be successful one must take a bite out of the workload one step at a time. I often forget this and want to eat the whole elephant right now! This is unrealistic, lacks a time frame, is not manageable, and probably not achievable because I don’t have whiz kid ability.

3. I didn’t dislike a thing! It is such a great advantage to be taking this class. I feel as though it is subtly helping me to reorganize parts of my life I’d left a bit of a mess, goal wise.

4. The idea that anything, anything is possible to achieve if you can list out the steps needed to get there. Unless you were unfortunately born with difficult genes and really don’t have the physique needed for some sport, most goals are within reach if you have a realistic, manageable, achievable and the ability to achieve it.

5. To finish the tasks I set myself. Ie. If I start reading a new book, I must finish it before I start another. I find myself at times simultaneously reading three novels. I can do this by leaving one book near my bed and reading a few pages per night. If only one book is by my bed and I read a few pages a night, I will definitely finish the book in whole.

SECTION 5.1

1. Understanding the importance of measuring a behavior. You cannot successfully emit a new desired behavior over time if you cannot measure whether the actions you are taking to produce the behavior are successful or not. One needs to measure what increases and decreases the desired behavior. Of the behaviors that can be emitted to produce the desired behavior change, one must understand that not everything will help, a distinction needs to be made between what doesn’t work and what does; what serves the function?

2. There was nothing I disliked about this section. The review helped.

3. There are many functions of specific behaviors. For example, smoking is not only a social habit, but is also a de-stressor and curbs your appetite. Thus, each behavior may have many outcomes. Another example is drinking coffee. It increases energy but also acts as something to hold onto, a social cue etc...

The topography of behavior is controlled by what is typical to the organism emitting the behavior. For example, opening and automatic car door. You can either press a button, ask the driver to press the button, or unlock the door and pull it open yourself. I pull it open myself whilst others would press the button. A variety of behaviors are emitted to achieve the same result, opening the door.

The importance of recognizing the current baseline of a behavior. In order to change a behavior we must understand what level that behavior is currently at before we embark upon behavior change. Doing so allows us to measure the increase/decrease of the behavior change and whether or not it is going as planned.

4. Saving money example would be a personal behavior change I would make. I would measure that behavior by putting money away in places I wont want to access, such as a new bank account or a simple tin piggy bank/jar. Another behavior I want to increase is writing in a diary. I measure this by graphing the sentences I put in after each week.

TERMS: time frame, realistic, ability, maintenance, manageable, sub goals, unrealistic, measurable, emit, desired, behavior, increase, decrease, functions, topography, baseline, graphing

4.3
I will remember the pros and cons of joint goals because the example in the book happened to me. I really liked the wellness center when I attended Buena Vista University. It was small but had everything I needed to get fit. They had times posted where groups or sports organizations would be in there so you could easily find a time slot if you like to work out with more privacy. My friend wanted to lose weight and I wanted to maintain a healthy weight so we started working out 3x a week together. It was great because having someone to work out with me motivated me to not only work out but to quit smoking and make other healthy lifestyle choices. She was a Biology major and when her class load started getting stressful she cut out working out to have more time for homework. After about 3 times of working out by myself and not successfully finding someone who was willing to go with me I gave it up entirely for the rest of the academic year. I liked the section about breaking larger goals in to smaller goals(sub goals) because my goal for my last blog post was to get organized. In order to become more organized there are a lot of little things that need to be done to reach the end goal. There isn’t one” cure all” answer for almost all of our goals and achieving one goal at a time makes me feel accomplished. I also remember the part where it talked about a support system. I feel like many of the people I meet in rehabilitation centers for drug usage or criminal offenses fall short of successful program completion because of the lack of a proper support system. Perhaps a loved one or family members are encouraging them to become productive but the company they keep in the center or out of it tempt them to go back to drug or other criminal related activity. Sometimes they don’t even have a supportive family so they may successfully complete the rehab program but then when they have nowhere to go or nobody to turn to they fail because there was no longer a strong support system to keep them towards their goal. I feel like the last two sections have really focused well on achieving self-directed or other-directed behavior goals and ways to realistically help you succeed. If there is anything I disliked it was just that I felt it could have been organized better with our homework. I feel like asking us to make a blog post about setting a goal right away or changing a behavior right away before we finish all of the sections about goal making is slightly frustrating. So the idea I had while reading this was to rethink my plans for the previous goal.
Goals: Stay organized with school, complete my B.A., and be more patient with my boyfriend when he makes decisions I disagree with.
What are three things you will remember from what you read in the chapter? Why? What was one thing that you really liked that was in the chapter? Why? What was one thing that you disliked that was in the chapter? Why? What were some ideas that came to mind when you were reading the section?

5.1
I remember that one way to measure something is by frequency of occurrence. One way to make sure you are being specific about a target behavior is thinking about it in terms of how you can measure the target behavior. A variety of behaviors may be emitted which serve the same function, so we can think about what function does this behavior have. So when I talked about patience I need to think about when I get impatient. And when I get impatient and lose my cool it’s usually when someone is being irresponsible. I don’t agree with whatever occurred and it usually leads to me thinking the other is being irresponsible. And I measure what I consider irresponsible by the administration of legal action or social punishment. So I am counting the number of legal punishment or number of times a parent or job or whatever social organization implemented a penalty. So I am measuring the frequency of occurrence and then I have to think about the function of what I consider to be irresponsibility. Figuring out the function of these behaviors may help me figure out how to modify both parties behavior. If what worked in the past often dictates future behavior I need to sit down and think about will the behaviors I am trying to elicit serve the same function? I think DROs is important because suppose the function of drinking beer is to socialize, but drinking under age has led to legal issues. If the function of drinking is to socialize then trying to extinguish drinking behaviors won’t be successful unless there is some other social reinforcement to take its place. So reinforcing occasions where socializing occurred without drinking may be a good idea. Or perhaps alcohol serves the function of relaxation in order to socialize. So then I need to consider what other things lead to ease of nerves without legal repercussion? So if the behavioral class is socializing then we can start to think about what are the different behaviors we emit within socializing which may include going out to eat, going to the bar to drink, playing games with friends, dancing, whatever the case all of these different behaviors may serve the same function within a behavioral class. Understanding the function leads to modifying the behavior. I liked this section because it talked about behavioral intervention, serving a function, and measuring behavior all things very important when trying to reach a goal or modify a behavior.

So last Thursday I talked about staying organized and how could I measure the frequency of occurrence with organization. Well I talked about putting stickers next to each day I finished all of the tasks on my planner. So I would be measuring the number of days per week I stayed on task but there are a LOT of things to do in any given day and sometimes I may get discouraged if I don’t get everything done. So perhaps I should put a sticker next to each single task I complete in a given day (the sub goals) that way I can measure how well I stayed on task each day and it isn’t so “all or none”.

Terms: elicit, emit, sub goal, reinforcement, punishment, serves the function, behavioral intervention, target behavior, DROs, behavioral class, frequency of occurence

Chapter 4.3 was an extensive discussion of goal setting. The three things I will remember from this chapter come from the goal setting guidelines and include the following for the fact they really have helped me think of my own behavior in which I want to change.
1. Be realistic- The first goal mentioned was the importance of setting a goal in which is realistic for you. For instance as a 21 year old with no gymnastic experience, setting a goal to compete in the summer Olympic gymnastics competition is a goal that will not be obtainable for me to reach. It is important to not set yourself up for failure when setting goals.
2. Sub Goals- When working at reaching a goal, creating sub goals can be highly useful for accomplishing your overall goal. For instance, I have a goal to get a masters degree. In order to do that I have set sub goals to help me graduate college, get accepted into a graduate program, and finally obtain my masters degree. Sub goals help make a overall goal more manageable and more achievable. Sub goals can also be a basis for reinforcement of your overall goal.
3. Maintenance- Maintenance refers to the ability to maintain a specific behavior depending on the environment in which you are in. When it comes to setting goals and changing a behavior, the environment plays a huge role in whether or not we will accomplish our goals. When setting a goal, it is important to think about how different environments and antecedents will affect your behavior and how you will handle those changes.

Overall I really enjoyed this chapter for the fact it really broke down the goal setting process and gave be a better understanding of how to set a goal that is achievable. There really wasn’t too much about this chapter that stuck out to me that I didn’t like. Some things that came to mind while reading this chapter were how I could apply the context of the reading to the behavioral goals I have in my own life, as well as how to use these goal setting guidelines in my everyday life. Some behavioral goals I have include eating healthy, in which I focus a lot of the information I have learned in this class towards, as well as being a better student and studying more for my classes.

The thing I liked most in section 5.1 is the review as well as the review from previous sections along with how the concepts from earlier sections was integrated into the new concepts we are talking about in this section. The thing I liked the least was the discussion of topography of behaviors because I found it somewhat confusing and really didn’t comprehend the material very well.

Three things I will remember from this section include:
1. Functions of Behavior- All behaviors have a function. This means that with every behavior we emit, there is a reason for doing so. For each behavior, there can be multiple different functions depending on the antecedent in which the behavior occurs.
2. Context- Context is highly important when it comes to changing a behavior. Before you can make changes to a behavior, you have to look at the context in which the behavior occurs. The behavior can look different in different context which is important to take into consideration when setting a goal to change a behavior
3. Measuring Behavior- Before you even start to think about changing a behavior, you must measure the behavior and create a baseline for that behavior. Without the baseline, you have no real idea of how to go about changing a behavior. The best way to measure a behavior is by using a journal of some sort, simply memorizing the behavior is not reliable enough!

The reason these topics will stick out the most for me is the fact they also really help in making a goal to change a behavior and can easily be applied to my own goal setting practices.

When looking at my behavior in which I want to change, eating healthier in the dinning centers on campus, I plan on measuring my behavior using my cell phone to take picture of what I eat at each meal. I always have my cell phone on me and this way of measurement would fit best with my lifestyle.

Terms: realistic, sub goals, reinforcement, maintenance, antecedent, functions of behavior, emit, behavior, topography of behavior, baseline

Section 4.3: Importance of Goals
1)If you want to set a goal that can be reached it must be: realistic and fit the situation. If it is unrealistic than others will not be very supportive of you. Your goals must also be achievable and you need to ask yourself- do I have the resources and support?
2)Your goal must fit into an appropriate timeframe, and you must realize that you will have to make smaller steps and reach subgoals to reach the larger goal. Your goal must be manageable and you need to ask yourself if you have the time and energy in your daily life to reach it. It is possible you will need to make alterations to your time schedule to accommodate.
3)You need to think of the consequences of changing your behavior. Will it disrupt your life? Quitting drinking/smoking could eliminate spending time with certain friends/family/ partner. You also need to consider how other factors could affect the success of reaching your goal- it could be staying up too late or drinking and having a hangover which makes you too tired to get up and workout the next morning.
One thing I specifically liked about this section was how it was organized. Each heading had a paragraph or two going more into depth. It was easy to understand and follow and the example boxes helped me as well. There really wasn’t anything I disliked about this section. Some ideas that came to mind when reading this section, was that I realized I already talked to my friends about being supportive. I told them at lunch the other day to hold me accountable for drinking water instead of pop.
Terms Used: subgoals, unrealistic, disruptive, realistic, manageable
Section 5.1: Measuring Behavior
1.)Behavior classes are too broad for goals.
2.)It is important to figure out how exactly you are going to measure, what you’re going to measure with and how often the behavior you measure will occur.
3)It is important to identify what contexts the behaviors will occur and the topographies that go with that specific behavior.
One thing I liked about this section was the various boxes at the very end. It helped me visualize my behavior and identify what aspects of it could cause problems. I found this chapter a little confusing to follow and I wish it would’ve been organized like section 4.3.
For my behavior, I will measure it in ounces because during the day I usually drink bottles of water that have labeled ounces and because I can estimate how many ounces are in the cups at the dining center.
Terminology: behavior classes, topographies, context

The first thing I will take from section 4.3, which has also been mentioned in the past, is to make sure that your goal is not too broad. I feel like I hear things like this is my everyday life. I have a friend who is always thinking of different educated careers that he wants to do but yet he dropped out of school last year. It is like some people think something is just going to happen for them. They do not realize that you must set goals and sub goals to get the position that you ultimately want. If you are uneducated and lazy, getting rich is not really a realistic goal. You must take the proper steps to get to that point.
The second thing I will take from this chapter is to set smaller sub goals. I see this is my life because my goal is to get to grad school. I started by graduating high school, graduating from community college, and then transferring to UNI. These different sub goals gave me some sort of satisfaction as I accomplished each one to get to my long term goal of getting into grad school.
The third thing I will remember is that maintenance of your goal is extremely important. For college students especially, our environment is always changing. It is hard to get into a good routine because there are so many other factors and things that spring up. It is important to try and plan around these obstacles and manipulate your environment to get you to keep emitting the behavior. Setting good antecedents is a huge step in continuing a behavior.
The thing I like most about this chapter is that it takes a seemingly simple concept, a goal, and breaks it down into different aspects. Being aware of these aspects such as maintenance, sub goals, and achievement, can make us a lot more successful in completing our goal. I thought all of the information was very useful in trying to complete a goal, this is why I feel that there wasn't anything I disliked. The whole time I just kept thinking about how people set such unrealistic goals and do little to try and achieve them. It really bothers me because these same people are the ones complaining that nothing is happening in their lives. I kept thinking how these people could benefit from reading this section. A couple of goals that I have are to eat and cook healthier and to do more cardio. I think the combination of both will make me a much healthier person inside and out.

Section 5.1

One thing I really like about this chapter is that is served the function of reviewing some of the concepts that we learned in the last couple sections. It reminds us to be specific in our goals and make sure that the behavior is recordable. If you have to think if the behavior occurred, it is probably too broad. I think that this is a really good way of thinking about it. I like that we are reinforcing the things that we have read in the past. It makes them easier to commit to memory. One thing that I did not like about this chapter is that is sort of jumped from concept to concept. It was a little hard to follow at times. I found myself having to go back and read a couple parts several times to truly understand the point trying to be made.
The first thing I will take from this chapter is the importance of recording the behavior right away. We may think that we can remember everything but in reality that is not the truth. You need to be very accurate in recording these behaviors which is why it is important to record right away. This way there is no dispute. I like that we are told how we can manipulate different antecedents to make sure that we are recording the behavior.
The next thing I will remember is that every behavior has a function or functions. We do things for a reason and when we can figure out those reasons, it will be easier to manipulate our environment so that we are more successful. Obviously if we know why we do something, we can change antecedents so that we are not motivated to emit these behaviors.
The last thing I will remember is that context matters. It is important to record the context so that you know why and when you are failing. By recording this, it will be way easier to make a connection and figure out why you are failing at a certain aspect of your goal. This can help you modify your plan so that you can, in the end, reach your goal.
I really want to drink pop less. I find that I emit this behavior a lot at work because I work right next to the fountain pop and it is free. It will be important for me to record how many drinks of pop I had because it would be almost impossible to figure out how much in a day if I was not recording it immediately. Most of the time my mind is on the customer and how busy we are so there is no way I can keep track, in my head, how many little cups of soda I have drank.

Terms: function, serve the function, context, environment, emit, goals, sub goals, maintenance, recording, antecedents

Three things I will remember:
1. The story at the beginning of the section- this man had no direction on where he wanted to go and did not have specific goals. Goals need to be specific. Saying “I want a big house” is too broad, a big house for a person making minimum wage is not going to be a big house for some one making millions of dollars. Goal are usually too broad, poorly defined, unrealistic and beyond our ability to achieve them.
2. Timeframe. Setting a timeframe for your goal can help accomplish your goal by giving you a desire to work for it. If someone says they want to gain 15 pounds of muscle and work out once a week, they might gain that in the next 2 years but if you give yourself a timeframe of 6 months then you will probably work a lot harder to reach your goal to get that self satisfaction. The timeframe needs to be realistic though. It would be impossible to gain 15 pounds of muscle in a week, even if you take all the steroids and supplements that are out there. Setting a timeframe to short is just setting yourself up for failure. Setting a timeframe too long can also set yourself up for failure, you may forget about your goal or not work for it as hard. If you have a very large goal using sub goals could help a lot. Make individual timeframes for each sub goal.
3. Ability. Some people just simply dont have the ability to achieve goals that they would like to. A goal that everyone has is to be rich. Not everyone is going to achieve that because not everyone has the ability to. You may not be smart enough or athletic enough to make millions of dollars. Kids dream of being in the NFL or NBA when they are older but unless they grow up to be 6'6'' 250lbs of pure muscle and are incredibly athletic then they probably wont achieve that goal. Money is also a big issue for ability. Everything has a price. If you want to learn how to play the guitar you need money to buy a guitar and buy lessons.
One thing I liked about this section was the timeframe and ability section. Even I make goals for myself that I dont make a timeframe or sometimes dont even have the ability to achieve the goal. Those sections will help me in the future when making goals for myself.
One thing I didn't like was the support base section. Personally, all my friends and family are supportive of my goals and decisions and always help me and I am very self driven so that has never been an issue for me but I realize that having a good support base is a huge issue for a lot of people.
Ideas came to mind when reading these sections about some goals I want to put a timeframe on and goals I want to add. I work out everyday for about 50-60 minutes. I would like to make it a goal to extend that to 70-80 minutes. An extra 20 minutes can make a huge difference. A goal I would like to add is to start running 3 times a week for 30 minutes. I lift weights but thats it.
5.1
Three things I will remember:
1. Functions of behaviors. Many different behaviors can be emitted that have similar functions to get a desired behavior from something or someone else.
2. Topography of behaviors. Different physical movements can be emitted in order to get a certain behavior. Example: opening a door. You can twist a handle in a circle, pull a handle down, push on the door, pull on the door, or simply walk in front of a door for it to open. All of those behaviors are different but they end up getting the same thing- the door opens.
3. Measuring behavior. Measuring behaviors is important to do when trying to get a specific behavioral response. For me, I have tried to stop chewing tobacco many times. I have tried just chewing gum a lot but it always comes back to the want to put a dip in my lip. I tried tobacco free chew that worked for awhile because I liked the feeling of having a “dip” in my mouth even though it was tobacco free but then I was craving tobacco again. Measuring how long it took me to crave tobacco again after using the non tobacco product would have been smart for me to do.
One thing I liked about this section was that it revisited things we have learned in the past. It is always good to reread something and be reminded of it especially in behavior modification where everything works together.
There was nothing I did not like about this section.
Terms: Goal, timeframe, ability, sub goal, function of behavior, topography of behaviors, measuring behavior

Section 4.3

1.The first thing I will remember about this section is on the importance of being realistic is my goal setting. There is no reason to set unrealistic goals. The whole point of positive reinforcement of a target behavior, aka our goal is that we are reinforced or encouraged to continue to emit the behavior. If we set an unrealistic goal for our target behavior, we will not be able to be reinforced; instead we will become discouraged because we are not reaching the goals. This leads to the extinction of the target behavior altogether.

2.Along with having realistic goals for ourselves, there needs to be good time management as we strive to achieve our goals. By this we mean that we need to have a realistic time-frame for when we will reach our set target behavior. If we have an unrealistic time frame we will again become discouraged in the pursuit of our goals.

3.I think maintenance or maintaining our target behavior is the most important part of the behavior modification process that often times does not get talked about. When a goal is reached, there should be great caution to make sure that the goal is sustained. It is too easy to feel like we have a handle on a bad habit or what have you, but then suddenly slip back into the bad cycle. Having good maintenance skills in the pursuit of behavior modification goals is an extremely important character trait to have.

I liked how the huge topic of setting goals was broken down into smaller points and looked at in great detail individually. By breaking the topic of goals down in this fashion, it made the idea of choosing realistic goals seem possible.

The one thing I didn’t like in this section of the text was how little of time was spent talking about what happens after we successfully achieve a goal. This is the most positive part of behavior modification and I feel like it should be talked about in some depth when this subject is approached in the reading. Hopefully more attention will be given toward this part of behavior modifications latter in the reading.

The ideas that came to mind while reading this section, dealt mostly with setting realistic goals for myself when deciding to modify a behavior. Having success in little areas of one’s life can lead to future success in other areas. Taking small realistic steps in modifying behaviors in one’s life is central to the overall success a person experiences in reaching their set goals.

Section 5.1

The one thing I liked from reading this text was how simple they made it to understand measuring behaviors in terms of behavior modification. When I hear the term measure, it doesn’t sit well with me because I associate measuring with math and I prefer to leave the math to others. However, this section of the text made it easy to understand. Measuring things in terms of behavior modification was much similar after reading section 5.1.

The one thing I didn’t like about this section was how much seemed to be repeated or “revisited”. Some things are good to review but after a while it can get redundant and this started to become the case with this section of the reading.

1.The first thing I will remember from this section is that the function of a behavior may have similar behaviors within its behavioral class that can serve similar purposes.

2.Along with this is the fact that all behaviors have a function. Deciding if the current function of our behavior is good or not is the first step in deciding if we want to modify our behavior. Function is an important part of the behavior modification process that must be understood well in order to be able complete the said process.

3.The context in which a behavior is emitted is another important aspect of behavior modification. I thought it was interesting how this section of the text points out how these contexts often go unnoticed. We react to them subconsciously because they are almost an automatic process.

As this section relates to my previously stated target behavior of not watching TV, Netflix, or movies, I believe I will have to measure each item separately because they all serve the similar function of wasting time consuming viewed media via an electronic screen. These behaviors are emitted in similar contexts, those being while I am in my room or at a friends or relatives house. I will need to closely monitor my time spent in certain antecedents in which the undesirable behavior is likely to occur.

Terms: Behavior modification, emit, undesirable, target behavior, positive reinforcement, antecedents, goals, context, behavioral class.

4.3
I will remember the importance of defining goals, as they are just as important as specifically defining the target behavior. I really liked the analogy of eating an elephant one bite at a time. Sub-goals are just as important as milestone goals, if not more important.
I feel like this is a great tool to have when trying to modify my self directed behavior.
I really appreciate the fact that this section addressed the issue of joint goals. I have tried to achieve goals with others, and most of the time it just left me feeling like I can't rely on anybody but myself. Although I would steer clear of joint goals altogether, I like the book's advice on having several friends of all levels of accomplishment work together towards the same thing.

5.1
I like this section because it involves trying to find any possible loophole in the definition of the target behavior and then trying to close that loophole. I am very detail oriented, and actually find this step enjoyable.
I really needed the review on the topography of behaviors. As I read, I am mentally applying these definitions to the self directed behavior that I would like to modify. My ultimate goal is to get into better physical shape by means of exercise. A sub-goal is to lose 5 and then 10 pounds. I have defined the specific measurable target behaviors such as running on the elliptical for 10 minutes, riding the bike for 20 minutes, and doing X amount of curl reps with 20 lb dumbbells. Once I find myself completing these tasks with ease in under one hour each session, I will modify my workout to be more challenging.
On top of the reinforcements I will give myself for completing the weekly exercises (relaxing on Saturday and doing something fun), I will also reinforce myself when I accomplish the sub goals that are measurable in the amount of weight I lost.

Terms:
Goals, Target Behavior, Sub-Goals, Milestone, Modify, Self Directed Behavior, Joint Goals, Loophole, Topography, Measurable, Reinforcements.

Three things I will remember from section 4.3 are goal setting characteristics. These characteristics include: being realistic, sub goals, and maintenance. It is important to make realistic goals so you don’t set yourself up to fail. If I want to lose weight for instance, I would not make a goal of losing 30 lbs in a week. This goal is very dangerous and I will most likely not achieve it. Once I fail I might lose hope in losing weight altogether and give up. I should instead make sub goals. I will remember sub goals by the example in text about eating an elephant one bite at a time. Instead of losing 30 lbs in one week I could make sub goals of losing a pound a week and ultimately losing 30 lbs over several weeks. Finally the last characteristic I will remember is maintenance. Maintenance refers to keeping up with your goal despite changes in the environment or new antecedents. I think one way this could be achieved for losing weight is joining a fitness class and having exercise equipment at home. Joining a fitness class will help motivate you by making you feel obligated to go (since you paid). Having equipment at home (even a workout video) can help you maintain the weight loss goal by allowing you to still exercise despite environment changes such as bad weather.

One thing I really liked about this chapter was its explicitness in how to define and set goals. It provided many characteristics that people should be aware of when setting goals along with a detailed description of each characteristic. One thing I disliked about the chapter were some of the cheesy examples. They did make me smile but some were pretty goofy such as how do you eat an elephant; one bite at a time. I have never thought about eating an elephant but I get the idea.  Some ideas that came to mind while reading this section are past goals that I have failed at. Looking back many of goals failed because I failed at meeting/considering the characteristics mentioned such as being realistic or even having the ability. I think I will be more likely to success after learning these characteristics and implementing them into my goals and behaviors.

Some behavioral goals I have that are fairly broad include: making the dean’s list, finishing my BA degree in psychology, passing the GRE, getting my Master’s degree, getting married, and running a marathon

One thing I liked about section 5.1 was that it provided many helpful examples that increased my understanding of the content. One thing I disliked about the section was that it discussed information that was covered in a previous section. A review can be helpful, especially when the material is applied to new content however it was too explicit in the information I have already learned. Three things I will remember from this section are: topography, all behaviors have a function, and that context matters. Topography refers to different behaviors that serve the same function. I will remember this by the door opening example. You can emit behaviors such as kicking, pushing with hands, shoulders, etc to all serve the same function of opening the door. It is important for me to remember that all behaviors have a function. I will remember this from one of the three laws of motion, for every action there is an opposite and equal reaction; for every behavior there is a function. Finally context matters, this refers to acknowledging the context of a situation when considering topography. I will remember this again by the door example. If the door has a handle on it instead of pushing it, the behaviors change although the function does not.

My behavior I want to change is to increase my gpa from 3.2 to 3.5 to be on the dean’s list. I will measure this behavior by recording and graphing my grades in each subject based on categories (homework, tests, projects, assignments/papers, attendance). After a few weeks I can deliberate where my trouble lies such as procrastination on papers and find a way to alter my behavior such as using reinforcement as motivation to work on papers.

Terms: sub goals, maintenance, realistic, behavior, antecedents, topography, function, context, emit, behavior, environment, reinforcement

4.3
I liked that this chapter was very informative and helped to make a clearer understanding of what is most important when making goals. This information can be important in making our goals something we can stick with and end up achieving. There wasn't really anything I didn't like about this chapter; I think it will be very useful and handy when trying to change unwanted behaviors I have. Three things I will remember are 1. Be realistic: this is important because if you reach too high then you will feel very let down when you can’t reach it. This might cause you to give up on something important. Also it might be hard to get the support you need when no one believes there is any way you can reach that goal. 2. Sub goals: If you think perhaps your goal is too big to achieve you can always break it down into sub goals. These are littler goals that will make it easier to reach the biggest goal you have. 3. Ability: You have to ask yourself if it is really something that you would be able to achieve. Do you have the money or patience or even time to reach this goal? If you don’t have steady hands you won’t be able to become a surgeon. Once again you have to be realistic and ask yourself if you have the abilities to meet your goal. When I was reading this section I really like the idea of sub goals. I think a lot of the time we can get ahead of ourselves and just make one really big goal. If we made a plan and had several smaller goals to reach first I think a lot of us would be more successful and feel more encouraged. Some behavioral goals I have are to try and be healthier. I am trying to eat at least one serving of fruits and veggies a day. I would also like to get back to the gym sometime. I stopped going when it got cold and snowy because winter makes me want to hibernate. So yeah those are my goals, I should also watch less TV but that’s not going to happen.
5.1
One thing I liked about this chapter was how some of it was a review. It’s always good to go over important information again so that we can make sure we fully comprehend that information. Some of the information had kind of slipped my mind so I think it was helpful to have that information presented again. One thing I didn't like about this chapter was topographies; I just don’t enjoy thinking of multiple ways that a behavior could occur. I think it’s something we don’t really think a lot about or pay attention to so it’s difficult to think of how we do such simple behaviors like opening a door. Three things I will remember. 1. All behaviors have a function: why do we do certain unwanted behaviors? It isn’t without a reason. We might eat unhealthy foods because they make us feel better when we are stressed or sad. By knowing why we might emit these behaviors we can better understand how we might go about changing them. 2. Measuring behavior: it is important to measure the behavior, so you can determine if you are meeting your goal or not. You also want to make clear which specific behaviors you want to either increase or decrease. 3. Always make sure you are recording behaviors, as they are happening. If you just try to write down everything at the end of the day chances are you will have forgotten something. Keep something on you to record behaviors as they are occurring that way you won’t forget and can get a better understanding of how you are doing in your self directed behavior modification.
I would record each time I ate either a serving of fruit or a serving of veggies. I’m making up my own guide lines of what a serving is because I’m not planning on carrying a measuring cup into Rialto, people would give me some pretty judgmental looks. It will be easy to record these healthy behaviors because I either ate a fruit or veggie or I did not.
Terms: Self-directed behavior modification, behavior, emit, sub goals, realistic, abilities.

4.3
I will remember that when setting goals it is important to be realistic. If your goals are not realistic you will be much less likely to achieve them. I will also remember that time is an important component to consider when setting a goal. Your goal should have an appropriate time frame to also ensure that your goal is going to be achieved. Lastly I will remember that it can be very beneficial to break down larger goals into sub goals. Sometimes it is easier to take one step at a time and helps keep us focused on the larger goal at hand. These are all important to keep in mind when setting a goal. They will help make achieving your goal that much easier.
I really liked that this section focused on ways to make goals easier to achieve. They were all great tips and are things that I will definitely keep in mind when setting future goals.
Although the section gave good tips on achieving goals, I did not like taking the time to read it because I feel like most of it was pretty much common sense. For the most part everything I read were things I was already aware of. Obviously I am not going to set the goal to become a famous singer when I am terrible at singing and getting into that industry is nearly impossible.
A few ideas that came to mind when reading this section were just some of the goals I have for myself. I checked things off in my head if my goals contained each of the goal setting guidelines. I feel like my goals for the most part follow these guidelines.
Some behavioral goals I have for myself are spend less money and lead an overall healthier lifestyle.
5.1
I liked that this section went back and revisited topography of a behavior. It really refreshed my memory. Now all I need to remember is to think of a topographical map that shows how the surface looks of the map area.
There is not really anything that I disliked about this section.
I will remember topography of a behavior, functions of a behavior, and measuring a behavior. These are all things we have talked about before and are basically just review now.
The behavior I want to change is to stop spending so much money on things I don’t really need. I will go about measuring this by first writing down how much I spend on things such as clothes, going out to eat, alcohol, the movies etc. After I record that I will just have to spend a lesser amount on those things than I did previously.
Terms: behavior, topography of a behavior, functions of a behavior, sub goals, graph

4.3

This section of our text explains the importance of goals when trying to make an improvement or change something in our behavior. First thing I will remember from this section is that if i want to be successful in my goal it has to be realisting. If i set an unrealistic goal like losing 20lbs in 2 weeks, I will be setting myself up for failure because there is no way I would be able to achieve that in a healthy and safe manner. Which in turn will only give me less motivation to continue to lose weight. I will also remember to keep a time frame for example when I first started to cut down my cigarette consumption, I limited myself to 4 cigarettes a week. With a time frame that in a month I will be moving down from 4 cigarettes a week to 3. I knew that with an average of smoking 6-9 cigarettes a week it would not be a realistic idea to cut down to 2 cigarettes a week. When talking about time frames it is important to mention that some goals will have longer time frames than others. Although decreasing the amount of cigarettes is months in between, my time frame for completely stop smoking cigarettes is by the end of the semester. Lastly I will remember that there's more success if you do it with a friend (joint goal), for example my friend Stephanie and I have a goal to lose 5lb in the next two weeks. We eat most of our meals together and work out at least 4 times a week together, it is easy to plan our meals out and keep each other motivated to workout.
I enjoyed the review over differential reinforcement of other in this section. I would agree that DRO are better ways to reinforce a behavior or reinforce the reduction of an unwanted behavior better than a punishment. The pros of using reinforcements and DRO than opposed to punishments, if a behavior is being rewarded some way whether it be something of value or verbal praise the individual is more likely to keep emitting the behavior.There wasn't anything in particular that I disliked about this section.

While reading this section, my mind was running with thoughts of ways to implement realistic goals to other aspects of my life for example getting my work done and studying for exams in a timely manner.
Section 5.1
Three things I will remember
1) Base line- is a measure of the target behavior before you implement the behavior modification. For example, I kept a daily tally of how many cigarettes i smoked daily before i decided how much I will limit myself a week.
2) Context- not only is it important to measure the target behavior, but also write down the context in which the behavior occurs. For example when I first got the baseline for how many cigarettes I smoked, I noticed that I smoked more when I was out drinking in a social setting. Or when i was stressed during exam week.
3) It is important that you narrow down your target behavior so that you know exactly what you are going to measure.
The behavior I chose to change is to completely stop smoking, I have been working on this since the beginning of this semester. I went from a baseline of 6-9 cigarettes a week to only 2 cigarettes when I am in a social setting and out drinking. I would like to take the next step and completely stop. I am a little unsure of what type of DRO I can apply and I hope I could get a few ideas from students in class this coming Thursday.
Terms: (DRO, reinforcement, punishment, target behavior, behavior modification, emitting, baseline, goals, time frame, realistic, joint goal, baseline

Section 4.3

This section covers material focusing on the importance of goals. Three things that I will remember include, when getting a goal make sure to be realistic with your goal. If you make an unrealistic goal then you are just setting yourself up for failure. If your goal is to get straight A’s but you never show up to class and never turn in assignments then chances are that’s an unrealistic goal for yourself. By setting an unrealistic goal you will not gain support from the people around you because they probably believe it’s unrealistic as well. The second thing I will remember from this section is that you need to give yourself an appropriate time frame. If you want to become a millionaire by the time you’re 23 and you’re 22 when you graduate college, that’s not enough time to give yourself to achieve your goal. It’s possible because you never know what could happen. You could invent the next big thing. However, most of the time you need to allow yourself enough time to find a good job, and get some experience because you start bringing in the big bucks and become a millionaire by the age of 23. Finally, the third thing I will remember is if you have a big goal such as, becoming a millionaire, you should make some sub goals that will keep you motivated throughout the process of becoming a millionaire. A few sub goals could be graduating college, finding a job, getting a promotion, etc. That way you can still be on track to achieving the end goal and also using smaller sub goals to remind yourself what you’re end goal is.

One thing I really enjoyed from this section was as a whole this was a good section to review when I’m making a new goal. I need to remember to keep my goal, realistic, achievable, and manageable. I need to make sure to allow myself enough time to achieve the goal. Something that I think is something that people don’t often think about when setting a goal would be to actually think to their selves if they have the ability to achieve their goal. Sometimes that can be heartbreaking to think about. If I’m a 5’5’’ female and I want to play in the WNBA, I just don’t foresee that happens. My odds are very low, so I shouldn’t make that my goal because I just don’t think that’s in my ability. Some people don’t think about their abilities.
With this section it’s hard for me to find something I disliked. This content that we’re covering comes in very handy and it’s easy to apply to my life. Some ideas that came to my mind when covering this material was that I need to start giving myself better time frame. I often procrastinate too much and then I tend to stress myself out. I can’t fulfill some of my goals if I keep everything until the very last minute because then I don’t be satisfied with the outcome. This section really got me thinking. Some of my behavioral goals include, becoming more physically active, getting more hours of sleep at night, saving money, eating healthier, trying to find a job after graduation, I think I could go on forever. I’m enjoying this class and trying to apply these strategies to my daily life.

Section 5.1

One thing I really liked about this section was that many of the topics we read about were review. For example, we talked about topography previously. I liked it because reviewing these terms that we have learned before reinforces my memory and helps me store them into my long term memory. One thing I disliked about this section was all the flling in the boxes involved. Between the two sections, my brain is tired of coming up with examples and I’m not very good about thinking of examples in the first place. I disliked this because I’m not good at thinking of examples.

Three things I will remember from this section are when setting a goal and target behavior make sure you can measure it. Your goal needs to be specific enough so that you can tell whether you fulfilled your goal today or you didn’t fulfill your goal today. Did you floss your teeth today or did you forget to floss your teeth today? Make sure you can measure it. I will remember that all behaviors have a function. I will remember this because of the great example about junk food in the reading. Some of those functions that describe junk food relate to many reasons why I eat junk food and I think that’s why I will remember that, all behaviors have a function. Finally, I will remember that context matters. I liked the example about opening the door in the book and I thought that explained the information pretty well. I understood what was being said and that’s why I will remember that the context of the situation matters.

One behavior that I’ve been trying to increase is flossing my teeth before I go to bed. I love brushing my teeth, but I’m just really awful at flossing my teeth because I don’t feel like it. I will measure how often I floss my teeth for about a week to find my baseline. Then I will keep a notepad by the bathroom sink and write down every down that I floss my teeth. That’s how I will measure my target behavior.

Terms: Context matters, Topography of Behavior, Baseline, Target Behavior, Goal, Realistic, Timeframe, Sub goal, Achievable, Ability, Manageable, Measuring Behavior, Functions of Behavior

Section 4.3

I enjoyed reading this section because it laid out the tools necessary to accomplish your set goals. I will remember the following:

1. People who set goals need to set a strategic time frame that is realistic. If you set time frames and establish exactly when you want to accomplish your sub goals, it will allow you to be more successful.
2. Large goals should be broken down into smaller sub goals to help you track and manage your goals. This made me think of a goal that I had to be Valedictorian of my high school. My smaller sub groups were to get an A in every class each and every semester. Having these sub goals allowed me to emit the correct behavior (studying and working hard) to achieve this goal.
3. If you set a goal, it needs to be able to fit into your schedule. While this may seem obvious, I believe so many people don’t realize how many unforeseen circumstances can come up so it ruins their pattern, habit, and ability to complete the goal.

I really enjoyed all of the examples used in this section to describe goals, especially the very first anecdote. It made me realize that many people have no idea where they are going and that is usually where they end up. People need to be specific and have a plan if they wish to be successful.

One thing I did not like was the discussion of ability. The section states that if you do not have the persistence, patience, smarts, dexterity, then you cannot accomplish certain goals. I think these factors stated are behaviors that can be changed either through punishment or reinforcement. If these behaviors are changed, then I believe anyone can accomplish these goals.

Some ideas that came to mind were setting professional goals in my career. I have a goal to make 6 figures within three years. I will do this by setting sub goals and tracking my progress. Also, I will work with my mentors to help me achieve this goal.

Some behavioral goals I have is to floss three times a week, talk to my sister twice a week, and eating healthy at least 5 days a week.

Section 5.1

One thing I really enjoyed was the recap of some of the terms such as behavioral classes, topography of behavior, and context matters. I enjoyed this because it was a good review of the material to help me achieve my goals. It made me realize that there are many things behind the scenes in my individual goal that I need to think about. The text discusses calling your parents which is very similar to my goal of calling my sister twice a week. It made me realize that I need to be very specific about what I discuss with her so I can measure it more effectively. I need to control the antecendents by making notes in my phone and reminders.

For the most part, I enjoyed this section. When the example was given about talking to your parents more often, I wish there was an example given of how to effectively track the effectiveness of the types of conversations.

Three things I will remember:

1. I will remember what serving the function is because of the cigarette example. The way the text discussed the difference between the effectiveness of the patch and the gum made this clear.
2. I will remember that a baseline is a record of the amount of the behavior of interest that we are currently emitting. The way the text discussed how it is a snap shot for a before and after comparison made this easy to comprehend.
3. I will remember to set reminders in my phone and not just give take the notes at the end of the night because of the description in the last section. It discusses how are memories are not the best so it is more effective to take notes immediately because it serves the function.

Like I have discussed in these sections, I wish to call my sister twice a week on Wednesday and Sundays. I will measure this behavior by setting reminders and taking notes immediately after our discussions to see what exactly we discussed. If I accomplish this each week, I will reinforce myself with an ice cream cone on Sunday.

Terminology: emit, behavior, reinforcement, serve the function, behavior classes, topography, context, and antecendents.