What I would like you to do is to find a topic from what we have covered so far in class that you are interested in and search the internet for material on that topic. You might, for example, find people who are doing research on the topic, you might find web pages that discuss the topic, you might find youtube clips that demonstrate something related to the topic, etc. What you find and use is pretty much up to you at this point. But use at least 3 sources.
Once you have completed your search and explorations, I would like you to say what your topic is, how exactly it fits into the chapter, and why you are interested in it. Next, I would like you to take the information you found related to your topic, integrate/synthesize it, and then write about it. At the end, please include working URLs for the three websites.
Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Behavioral Project: elaborate
Let us know if you have any questions,
--Dr. M
During the last 2 weeks of class and blog activities the importance of applied behavioral analysis in changing regular behavior has shifted to an even deeper level importance in its use for improving the lives of those with intellectual disabilities, such as autism. Empirical evidence conducted over the past 40 years has indicated that ABA has a significantly positive effect on individuals with learning disabilities and behavioral problems (Source 1). Data has indicated that operant conditioning has been a most effective method for changing the behavior mentally disabled individuals in homes, hospitals and schools. It has also been supported as an effective assessment method and procedure for behaviors such as self-harm, aggression, stereotypical behavior etc.
The link between the environment and behavior is a just as important to treating mental disorders as it is for simple behavioral change like that we are currently involved in in class (Source 2). The environment acts as an antecedent to subsequent behaviors emitted by a mentally disabled individual, thus observing and understanding what increases or decreases a desired learning behavior is vital in changing the behavior of the individual. Applied behavior analysis is most commonly used to increase the behaviors of learning, listening, looking and imitating, along with reading and writing in mentally disabled individuals.
Overall, the effectiveness of ABA in the treatment of mentally disabled individuals is in its emphasis on the ABCs, the antecedent, behavior and consequence. The importance of recognizing the environment as a factor leading towards a behavioral outcome is only important if one can identify the behavior it leads to and the consequence of that behavior that will follow. The effectiveness of ABA also relies on how often it is reinforced. When we want to elicit a desired behavior, we have to continually reinforce the desired outcomes when they occur (Source 3). The same is true for those with learning disabilities. The effectiveness of ABA is much more pronounced with children who spend 40 hours a week in intensive sessions then those who only spend 10.
Understanding the importance of ABA in this sense motivates me even more to work towards a Ph.D. in psychology and be involved in such an important and effective field of the science.
TERMS: applied behavioral analysis, behavioral problems, environment, antecedent, emitted, observe, desired, behavior, consequence, reinforcement, elicit
Source 1
http://www.kennedykrieger.org/patient-care/patient-care-programs/inpatient-programs/neurobehavioral-unit-nbu/applied-behavior-analysis
Source 2
http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/treatment/applied-behavior-analysis-aba
Source 3
http://www.firststepsforkids.com/introduction/understanding-aba
A recent section we have read that plays a big role in everyone’s daily life and is very important to our society as a whole is the concept of Rule Governed Behaviors. These rule governed behaviors are things that we don’t forget, almost automatic behavior responses that we emit to different stimuli in the environment. These behaviors come from societal norms, morals, or rules/laws that we are expected to follow. Laws as a form of rule governed behaviors are one of the biggest components; for example, traffic laws. It is an automatic response that when a stoplight turns red, we put on the brakes and stop our vehicle. We know that if we don’t, it could result in a number of undesirable consequences. We can get a ticket or even run into oncoming traffic. Link 1 below describes a story of an 86 year-old man who failed to stop at a stop sign and was hit by oncoming traffic and killed. These rule governed behaviors are so often developed to protect us and keep our cities and society as a whole safe from danger. There is also an alternate video link directly below it shows some videos of cars running through stop lights and the result: an accident with oncoming traffic.
This rule governed behavior also fits in directly with the ABC’s of behavior modification. Relating to the situation listed above:
Antecedent = Lack of judgment
Behavior = Running red light
Consequence = Hitting another car
As the antecedent, it is as simple as a lack of judgment that can lead to an undesirable consequence. These signs are mostly simple, and don’t simply spell out what we are supposed to do; a simple phrase “STOP” is supposed to elicit a response that we are supposed to know by now. Link 2 shows a somewhat humorous comic strip that shows an example of a sign spelling out what to do. The sign says “Speeding Laws Occasionally Enforced”. We cannot expect to see this on traffic signs, or on any other laws for this matter. Our behavior and punishment is something learned though our various experiences. Deadlines was also a topic under rule governed behaviors, and it is something that can function as rule governed behaviors. Deadlines, as described by the text, are antecedents and discriminative stimuli as well. We are able to use them for behaviors that are time sensitive and may involve a consequence, whether it is negative or positive. These deadlines are especially important in the professional and academic world.
Rule Governed behaviors are also important to people as far as their “moral” standards. Link 3 below has an in-depth article about how certain people place moral rules in their life, and want to set themselves at a high moral level. This can mean a certain amount of things, such as quote doing the right thing or acting responsibly around others. This often stems from people’s religions as well, claiming that as Christians or Catholics it is important to act in a moral standard.
Link 1: http://www.semissourian.com/story/1902208.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEUcBnTT0VQ
Link 2: http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/rde0572l.jpg
Link 3: http://www2.fiu.edu/~pelaeznm/publications/files/18.Morality%20as%20a%20system%20of%20rule-governed%20behavior%20and%20Empathy.pdf
Terms Used: Rule Governed Behaviors, Stimuli, Emit, Undesirable, Consequence, Elicit, Deadlines, Discriminative Stimuli
Rule Governed Behavior
I chose to explore rule governed behavior because, for me, this was the most interesting subject we have covered so far. I didn't think about how laws and even signs govern our behavior (It's not something that I thought twice about). But now after taking this class it has made me realize how much our lives are governed by other things and we really don't seem to have as much "free will" as we think we do.
Rule governed behavior is all around us. Not only is it in the form of laws and signs, but other people can make up their own rules to abide by. Morals and religion even play a role in the behaviors we decided to emit. They also define what behaviors are pleasurable and what behaviors are aversive. A good example of how rule governed behavior works is a closed sign in a store. If someone walks up to the door and sees the closed sign, they will more than likely walk away and not try to enter the store. In the first link it shows how a store is closed and a man gets upset because he cant open the door. The door being locked and the store being closed "governed" his behavior to emit an aggressive behavior. In link 2 it demonstrates how rule governed behavior works and will dictate how the person responds to the antecedent. I enjoyed reading this "article" because it breaks down rule governed behavior into even simpler terms and is extremely easy to grasp and understand. The last link demonstrates a common rule governed behavior; speeding. This example shows that his behavior of breaking the law by speeding came along with the consequence of getting pulled over by the police. The speed limit is the rule governed behavior, and since this man clearly broke the law, he will more than likely get a ticket.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqRPOEa3P44
http://contextualscience.org/rule_governed_behavior
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLtM3tuxb08
Terms: rule governed behavior, aversive, pleasurable, consequence, elict,
The topic that I chose is extinction. This is something that we learned back in Section 2.4. I don’t remember it that well, so I thought it would be a good idea to write about it for this blog post. It will become especially important if I am successful in my behavioral change project. Once I have successfully changed my behavior by emitting my target behavior of teeth brushing in order to receive my reinforcement of an eBay purchase, I will need to be educated on the topic of extinction. I need to know when extinction is most likely, and how I would go about attempting to avoid it. I remember that extinction occurs when the reinforcer is no longer delivered. However, I don’t wish to have to reward myself for the rest of my life for brushing my teeth! I will want to eventually cease the self-directed behavior of delivering my own reinforcement.
In relation to my behavioral change project, the likelihood of my behavior going through the aversive extinction process relates to the different schedules of reinforcement. As of right now, I am using a daily reinforcer (continuous reinforcement). I am also using a weekly reinforcer (fixed ratio – every seven days). If I want to avoid extinction, I will have to eliminate the daily reinforcer, or at least reduce it. I will also have to transform my weekly reinforcer to be on a variable ratio schedule. This is because fixed ratio and fixed interval schedules of reinforcement are very likely to result in extinction if the reinforcer is no longer provided when the target behavior is emitted.
One of the cool new things I learned from reading my sources is that you can measure resistance to extinction! This also measures the strength of learning, or response strength. In order to do this, you withhold the reinforcer and see how many times the behavior is emitted in the absence of the reinforcer. However, I can see that this would be an aversive process, as extinction always is. For example, I could withhold the reinforcer of buying things on eBay for brushing my teeth. I think that the resistance to extinction would be fairly low for my target behavior right now, as I have just began to implement my intervention. You can see how this would NOT be very useful for me at this point. You could measure resistance to extinction this way, but you would then have to go back and re-learn the behavior if it was a desirable one! However, sometimes the behavior occurs again after extinction, even when there is no reinforcer present. This is called spontaneous recovery in one of my sources (1) and in our book, but it is called resurgence in another source (2).
I was also reminded of the extinction burst. During this time, the subject will emit the behavior repeatedly, and also emit variations of the behavior (called extinction-induced variability – source 2). It may seem that the extinction process isn’t working because the subject is emitting the undesirable target behavior MORE. However, this actually is a good sign and shows that the behavior is being extinguished. For example, if someone else was reinforcing my teeth brushing behavior and withheld the reinforcer, I might brush my teeth 6 times a day in an effort to obtain that eBay purchase! However, after a few days, I would quit brushing my teeth. This example might be more applicable for a child than for a college student, but still, you get my point!
I was also reminded of desensitization and flooding. We talked about desensitization in our previous readings. However, I also remember it from another class (Child & Adolescent Psychopathology). We watched a video of a woman trying to desensitize her daughter to the stimulus of flies (which she feared helplessly!). I wish I was able to find this video, but I searched youtube and couldn’t find the one Dr. Somervill showed us in class. We also talked about how flooding is usually not a very effective way of treating phobias. It’s basically overwhelming the person by exposing them to their feared stimulus (a person who fears snakes may be forced to lay in a tub full of them). It usually just makes them more terrified. However, gradual exposure (desensitization) is a very effective approach. I will relate this back to extinction through source 3, which claims that extinction can occur through “accustomizing.” This is what gradual exposure does; the person gets used to the feared stimulus, basically. This causes the fear response to become extinguished.
TERMS:
Extinction, self-directed behavior, reinforcement, target behavior, emitting, reinforcer, resistance to extinction, response strength, emitted, aversive, behavior, spontaneous recovery, resurgence, schedules of reinforcement, continuous reinforcement, variable ratio, fixed ratio, extinction burst, desensitization, flooding, extinguished, gradual exposure
SOURCE 1:
http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Extinction.topicArticleId-25438,articleId-25348.html
SOURCE 2:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extinction_(psychology)
SOURCE 3:
http://changingminds.org/explanations/behaviors/conditioning/extinction.htm
For this assignment, I chose to do a little bit more research on scheduled reinforcement and “leaning out” scheduled reinforcement and the implementation of a random schedule of reinforcement. This fits into the current chapter in regards to the ‘tweaking’ and redefining the contingencies in behavior modification.
Reinforcement works best when we are trying to change a target behavior in both ourselves and other people. Scheduled reinforcements are strict sets of rules that are used to reward, or sometimes punish a specific behavior, usually one in which we are trying to change. When looking at research in regards to scheduled reinforcement, there are multiple different ways in which someone can administer reinforcements to change a behavior including fixed and variable ratio schedules, continuous schedules, or random schedules of reinforcement. Fixed ratio schedules of reinforcement is when someone is reinforced after emitting a certain number of responses in a given time frame. Without the proper responses, no reinforcement will be administered. Variable schedules of reinforcement is when someone is reinforced based on an average amount of correct responses that have been emitted. Once again, if the correct response is not produces, no reinforcement will be distributed. Both of these forms of scheduled reinforcement are also referred to as partial reinforcement. Continuous reinforcement is when reinforcements are administered every time the desired behavior occurs. This type of reinforcement is most effective in the early stages of modifying a behavior and is usually transitioned into a different form of reinforcement once it has set a strong association between the behavior and the reinforcement.
In section 5.3, the reading talks about how changing and making adjustments to your scheduled reinforcement can be highly beneficial to changing your behavior. Looking at research online, I found more information on how scheduled reinforcement can be very situational. Take continuous scheduled reinforcement for example. This form or reinforcement works best when you are trying to teach a new behavior. Once the behavior is established, a change in the reinforcement is needed in order to still be beneficial to modifying the behavior. At this point it is best to switch to a form of partial scheduled reinforcement. Using partial reinforcement also serves the purpose of being easier to monitor for the fact you are not having to reinforce each time a behavior takes place.
Looking a bit more in depth on ways to change scheduled reinforcement has really helped me think about my behavior modification plan and how I will be able to ‘tweak’ different aspects of my plan to be successful at changing my desired behavior.
Terms: scheduled reinforcement, contingencies, behavior modification, reinforcement, target behavior, fixed ratio reinforcement, variable reinforcement, continuous reinforcement, emitting.
http://psychology.about.com/od/behavioralpsychology/a/schedules.htm
http://www.psychology.uiowa.edu/faculty/wasserman/glossary/schedules.html
http://www3.uca.edu/iqzoo/Learning%20Principles/lammers/schedules.htm
One topic that I found particularly interesting and very important in behavior modification is goal setting. Section 4.3 describes the importance of setting goals along with the criteria for setting achievable and realistic goals. This topic relates to our current chapter and project because it is the first step in self-directed behavior. I find this topic fascinating because although many people set goals, they often fail at them due to the goals being too broad, unrealistic, unmanageable, etc.
Researching the topic I found an experiment that tested the effects of goal setting on muscle gain. The study found that participants who set goals or who were assigned goals by their instructor made greater strength gains than compared to a control group. This experiment provided emphasis on the importance of setting goals and how they can help motive us and provide us with more desirable consequences. In another experiment on how goals affect performance, a professor had students create words based on a series of letters given. Some of the students are given specific, difficult goals (in terms of how many words to create in the time limit) while others are told to do their best. The results showed that those with the specific, difficult goal always outperform those with the "do your best" goal. Other researchers additionally found that over-emphasis of outcome goals may create anxiety and reduce performance. One way to help reduce the over-emphasis of the outcome goal is to create sub goals as stated in our text. It is less stressful and probably more achievable to set smaller goals in smaller time periods and build up to the final goal.
Another article I found introduced three behavior modification exercises that are helpful in modifying behavior to achieve a goal. These three exercises include mental contrast, mindfulness, and self-awareness. Mental contrast is imagining how you will feel when you reach your goal and reflecting on obstacles that stand in your way. I have used this exercise before in high school volleyball. My coach sophomore year had us lie down for fifteen minutes the day before a game and imagine ourselves playing our next match with superb skills and eventually winning. I always thought the exercise was a waste of time but the article found that this mental contrasting helps bring goals into focus and shows you what is required to make them happen. The next exercise is mindfulness which involves observing and paying attention to your internal and external experiences every moment. Modifying behavior requires more attention to detail in order to form the ABC’s and eventually a list of hypothesis that you will test. Finally there is self-awareness; in a study on the effects of self-awareness on smokers, researchers found that more smokers who were given more personal message (about someone else’s challenges with smoking, death of a family member, etc.) were more likely to quit than those given a general message about quitting.
Overall setting goals and clarifying the target behavior is important and the first step in modifying behavior. As research and studies have shown, people tend to excel better when they have specified goals than broad or no goals. In order for goals to be successful, one must meet the criteria as discussed in section 4.3 to set realistic, manageable, and achievable goals.
Terms: self-directed behavior, realistic, manageable, mental contrast, mindfulness, self-awareness, antecedent, behavior, consequence, hypothesis, observation, outcome goal, sub goals, target behavior
http://www.exrx.net/Psychology/Goals.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/428101-behavior-modification-exercises/
http://mgto.org/inclass-experiments-1-goal-setting-theory/
I chose to research more on positive reinforcement because I see it as possibly the most effective way to modify a behavior. It fits into the chapter because it(along with any reinforcement) is the foundation for behavior modification. This class seems to start from the bottom and keep adding on “layers” and one of the first things we learned about was reinforcers. Without the foundation, everything will fall apart. That is also why i'm so interested in it. Without reinforcing, changing a behavior can be extremely difficult. I also interested in when to use positive reinforcement and when to use negative reinforcement, which has a better result, and why.
The first website I came across was understanding positive reinforcement. It talks about recognizing positive reinforcement in every day life and distinguishing when it is given and when it should be given. It also talks about understanding negative reinforcement because it is important to be able to distinguish the two from each other.
The next website I found was why positive reinforcement is more effective than punishment. Positive reinforcement strengthens relationships and never leads to someone getting angry. Punishment is less effective because it can be confusing when something is new. For example, if a baby is crying because it wants the attention of his/her mother, the mother might ignore the baby(negative reinforcement) to teach the baby that isn't the way to get her attention but the child may be confused because it is a new thing to them and they may get more frustrated and cry even more. Negative reinforcement also can damage relationships.
The next thing I used is of course the scene from the big bang theory when Sheldon positively reinforces Penny to behave well(clean up, not sit in his spot, not talk as much, etc.) Sheldon uses chocolate to reinforce Penny. Penny likes chocolate and starts getting used to receiving chocolate when she doesn't bother sheldon so she starts having better behavior around him more often.
The last video I used is from the office with Jim and Dwight. Jim makes a sound from his computer and offers Dwight a mint. This keeps going and after awhile when the computer makes the sound Dwight automatically sticks his hand out for a mint. The sound of the computer is used as positive reinforcement for Dwight and when he hears it because he will then receive a mint. Jim later makes the computer sound and Dwight holds his hand out for a mint but Jim doesn't give him one. Dwight then says his mouth tastes bad all the sudden and doesn't know why he is holding his hand up.
http://www.wikihow.com/Understand-Positive-Reinforcement
http://www.larimerhumane.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=159&Itemid=15
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA96Fba-WHk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nE8pFWP5QDM
Hundreds of studies conducted in numerous countries and contexts have consistently demonstrated that setting specific, challenging goals can powerfully drive behavior and boost performance. Goal setting has become an important motivator in the lives of humans. By breaking down a major goal into sub-goals and reinforcing those as well, one can make the journey to the end result quicker especially for a person that needs a continuous reinforcement schedule. Being able to adapt your goal to the environment that surrounds you is also key. They must be flexible because life throws you curve balls. The key is to make it something that you really want and have the abilities to achieve. We have talked previous about the positives of goal setting, but are there any negatives?
Goal setting should be used in moderation according to Silverthorne. Goals cannot be seen as a “standard remedy to increase productivity”. According to the World of Psychology the problem people have when goal setting is they are focused on avoiding negative behaviors instead of promoting the positive ones. By doing this is actually creates the negative problems they were trying to avoid. As humans we try so hard to steer clear of negative behaviors that it in turn drives them directly into our laps because we are constantly obsessing over not doing them. People begin to see goal setting as a solve all. Specific side effects can be associated with goal setting, including a narrow focus that neglects non-goal areas, distorted risk preferences, a rise in unethical behavior, inhibited learning, corrosion of organizational culture, and reduced intrinsic motivation. One example that was given was a woman who was so worried about getting fired from a job, that she became so anxious and flighty all the time, this in turn caused her to get fired from many jobs. (Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Overprescribing Goal Setting).
Another side effect of strict goal setting is it can cause the increase of unethical behavior. People can become so focused and driven by a specific goal and time frame that they will do whatever it takes to achieve it. An example from When Goal Setting Goes Bad (2009) is, “the explosive Ford Pinto. Presented with a goal to build a car "under 2,000 pounds and under $2,000" by 1970, employees overlooked safety testing and designed a car where the gas tank was vulnerable to explosion from rear-end collisions. Fifty-three people died as a result”. If people are exclusively focusing on achieving a specific goal, and bad things happen if they fail, cheating goes up.
As humans, we goal set. We plan for the future, the present and wish to change the past. We are always trying to improve ourselves. In section 4.3 we discussed the important components of goal setting. As discussed above there are different consequences that can occur if not planned correctly. It’s critical that goals be positive, attainable and there are sub-goals that can lead to the achievement of the goal in a positive and rewarding way for the individual. Goal setting is something everyone has done in their life, that’s why I find it so interesting. It is something that isn’t really thought through on this basic level. There are specific steps and ways of going about planning a goal, than just saying you want to do something. Precise planning is involved.
Terms: Goal setting, motivator, sub-goals ,reinforcing , continuous reinforcement schedule, flexible, moderation, avoiding, negative behaviors, achieving, consequences
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.uni.edu/ehost/detail?sid=47e3c577-a652-486e-83fb-4e0ca0fa72ac%40sessionmgr12&vid=1&hid=26&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bsh&AN=37007999
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/08/24/the-paradox-of-goal-setting/
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5969.html
“If you want to change attitudes, start with a change in behavior.”
- William Glasser
I want to focus on what I really enjoyed most about this course which are the ABC’s of behavior modification with the primary focus on the “A”, the antecedent. I truly believe that it is the antecedent that will truly effect if a behavior change will occur or not. The “B” or target behavior is very important but is something that is already determined by the person who is trying to change their behavior or someone else’s. The “C” is fairly easy to figure out, it’s the consequence.
According to section 1.1 the Antecedent occurs before the behavior and according the encyclopedia of applied psychology the antecedent – based intervention – “any treatment/strategy that involves the manipulating environmental events prior to the target behavior occurring so that to increase or reduce the probability that the target behavior will occur again; these interventions are considered proactive preventive strategies.” When I read that definition it really clicked for me, again. Because when I looked back at my notes from that first week I did get the concept but now I really can see how different I have treated all the antecedents in my daily routine. Almost everything that now comes out of my mouth, almost, I try to filter it through my head but it is not because I want to see if I am saying it correctly or for any personal reason but for the mere fact that my words will determine the behavior and/or response from the other person. I have now realized that I can persuade someone to behave the way I want by manipulating the circumstances right before. I am now aware of the circumstance because of this behavior modification course and that it is not just or all about changing other people or a specific person but in fact changing yourself and your behaviors so that those behaviors will then bring out changes/behavior modification from another person and/or bring different consequences. As I continued to look over section 1.1 and my notes that I had put off to the side like clips or thoughts and possible behavior changes that I wanted for myself and those around me. I am proud to say that some of the behaviors that I wanted to change are now in the process of behavior modification. I mean I didn’t learn the behaviors over a semester so I don’t expect to be rid of them by the end either. But I really do have to admit, some of the behaviors are way better than they were in January.
I found an article written by Edward Thorndike from the Journal of Philosophy that was about the mental antecedents of voluntary movements. He described some of the most obvious situations but at the same time this was in early 1900’s, I really enjoyed it and found myself more intrigued with him than ever before. It really gave me yet another aspect of antecedents and their importance. The most interesting thing about I know about Edward Thorndike is his contribution to psychology through the Law of Effect, which is the belief that a pleasing after-effect will strengthen the action that produced it. And when I read that over and over again I really feel how that is also what an antecedent is – something or an action that you do so that the behavior you want is released, the consequences will bring reward and then hopefully every time you use the antecedent you get the target behavior and consequence that you want and you just keep doing it over and over and over again.
The next piece that I found in relation to my blog was a paper written about the social antecedents of adult psychological functioning. After reading it I could definitely see its attempt to point out a relationship between a person’s early life, his adult orientations, his morals, and the way he functions psychologically because of it all. Included in the paper was a study, methods used (which were five components: age, father’s education, rurality of childhood life, the region where reared, and their religion. It was a very interesting study whose results involved different dependent variables. The data reflected that being raised in a complex multifaceted environment does in fact produce an intolerance of external constraints, efficient intellectual functioning, and in increase in subjectivism. The research is conclusive with current finding as seen in the you tube video also included.
Another interesting piece is finding of another study used with mental patients. Its purpose was to find the antecedents that cause violence and aggression within psychiatric in-patients settings. Through this piece I was able to see how the workforce and the antecedents of a person merely just doing their job can have a psychological link to how a person will react. Mentally ill patients are definitely difficult to deal with even more so when they are violent. The ABC’s of behavior modification is so useful in a person’s personal life but also in the work place, social outings, family gatherings, especially. I am linking more and more one concept to another and it all stems or begins with the ABC’s. When determining my target behavior for our behavior graph/baseline project I definitely thought of different antecedents that would either be considered positive reinforcement or negative reinforcement. I even took into consideration my previous trials and errors. Taking the advice from the professor was also a great idea, “Set yourself up for success not failure”. I decided to make things easy for me the first time around. Get the basics, learn the graphing and ways to reinforce myself even if it is not 100% successful. If my behavior change was only 50% then I will be able to see where I fell short, create ways to fix it and then start again hoping this time it’s at least higher than 50% and moving up towards the 100% completion goal.
Terms: ABC’s, behavior modification, antecedent, target behavior, consequence, applied psychology, psychological, intervention, behavior, treatment, strategies, Law of Effect, psychological functioning, dependent variables, psychologically, methods, subjectivism, graph, baseline, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, trial and error, research and reinforce.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.2307/2010699
http://www.jstor.org/stable/2776498
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1600-0447.2012.01827.x/full
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22268678
http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=e70fe61f-baff-4750-997f-acaed12e0845%40sessionmgr198&vid=1&hid=125&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=eft&AN=508003003
For my topic I chose to look at positive reinforcement used in the criminal justice system. My passion is to work with juvenile offenders after college so it is only natural that I would apply what we have been learning in class to this area of the social work field. In the past, the correction system in our country has used a punishment based way of dealing with offenders. However, in recent years, there has been a shift in the direction in which correctional treatment is heading. I think a huge reason for this is that we see how simply punishing someone for a crime does not necessarily keep them from committing another offense in the future. Since we are dealing with those who have broken the law, there is a balance that needs to be achieved between the punishment side of corrections and the rehabilitation side. Rehabilitation in the criminal justice system usually refers to programs and educational structures that use positive incentives to help steer the criminal toward a path that will lead him/her away from the triggers that cause them to emit the negative behaviors that landed them in the joint in the first place.
I chose to look at how the prison systems have been slowly implementing these strategies so as to lower aversive situations within the prison. While I am all for locking up those who have committed serious offenses, I don’t believe in simply locking them in a cell with Bubba and leaving them there till their sentence in over. No human can function properly under those types of situations. That kind of prison system has been shown to have very negative effects on both the prisoners and those who operate the facilities. In order to promote an atmosphere that encourages the target behavior of rehabilitation, there needs to be positive reinforcers in place that encourage prisoners to work toward the goal of one day being able to live and function as a law abiding citizen in the real world.
Some of the things used as positive reinforcement for criminals may not seem very positive for those of us who are free to do whatever we want. However, one needs to remember that we are dealing with individuals who have broken the law. Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy is one way in which prisoners are taught to relearn how to behavior. While this might seem very positive too some, it is a much better method of working with offenders than just having them sit in a cell and think about who-knows-what. CBT utilizes a positive antecedent for the prisoner by meeting the individual needs of each inmate. They will formulate a schedule with activities geared specifically for that individual.
Another area in the prison system that is in desperate need of positive reinforcement is the drug rehab programs. Up until this point, the rehab programs have used punishment as the primary way to get offenders to comply with the program. In one of the articles I found that specifically talked about this topic, mentioned that positive reinforcement elicits a much higher chance of successful completion of the drug rehab program by inmates. However, they pointed out that the schedule of reinforcement tend to be intermittent and often don’t have the desired effect that continuous reinforcement would have.
The final way area of positive reinforcement that I wanted to share is a new trend in using mp3 players as a method to reward desirable behavior of inmates. Now this might seem like a silly thing to include but the results have been great. The article that mentioned this method talked about how it gives the inmates a chance to engage in meaningful content that is being heard via the mp3 players. It also lowers the amount of time they have to sit there and be consumed by negative thoughts. Each of us has had times where we sit in our rooms and steam over a bad situation that has come up. I know that throwing in some headphones can help take my mind off of the situation and help lower my negative emotions that I am feeling because of the confrontation. Prisoners are the same way. They are not suddenly different because they committed a crime. They still have emotions and thoughts racing through their minds. What better incentive then to offer them a mild form of escape from these negative thoughts.
Terms: Positive reinforcement, emit, elicit, negative, aversive, triggers, target behavior, punishment, schedule of reinforcement, intermittent reinforcement, continuous reinforcement.
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.uni.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=33848078-52cc-434f-8d66-6b2519ec3cd6%40sessionmgr11&vid=2&hid=1
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.uni.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=9b48777a-bd42-4623-8a0d-654eaa7f42a3%40sessionmgr10&vid=2&hid=1
http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy.lib.uni.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=19b006db-685e-4275-89ba-ce3ed4cdc7d6%40sessionmgr12&vid=2&hid=1
I picked the topic of extinction because I find it interesting; how you can use it stop an unwanted behavior in a different. You stop reinforcing the behavior, the behavior that was formerly reinforcing. It can mistaken for a punishment but it is meant to be something different from punishment. It can be worth it to try, however it can be difficult because the organism won’t understand why all of a sudden the behavior isn't being reinforced anymore. The organism will go through an extinction burst; this is when the organism tries even harder to receive the reinforcement again. They become desperate and do the behavior over and over again. This can be difficult but you must not give in and reinforce them or everything you have been working for will be ruined. The extinction burst can be aversive for both parties but it is important not to give up on trying extinction. The organism may also try Variability to get the reinforcement. This is when the organism varies their behaviors slightly so that they may be reinforced like they were before. Research has proven it to be an effect method of behavior modification. It can be used with animals, people and even people with special needs. It is also being researched to help with people who struggle with drug problems and how it might help them when they relapse or go through withdrawal. This research could greatly help clinical psychologists who need more effective ways to help their patients from relapsing. The desperation an organism feels when extinction occurs could be similar to what a person who is addicted to a drug goes through when they can no longer have that certain drug. Extinction is not the same as unlearning. The behavior is still in the mind and can be retrieved at any time if reinforcement it once again given. Also if a significant amount of time has passed since the behavior it can reoccur at any time. This is called Spontaneous Recovery. So even though it is called extinction there is the possibility that the behavior could pop up again. Anyone can use the method to help stop an unwanted behavior. Parents and teachers seem to have guide to help give tips on how to use extinction effectively. Behavior modification and extinction can be used to help anyone, you just have to know it’s there and how to use it effectively.
Terms: extinction, reinforcing, punishment, extinction burst, aversive, variability, reinforcement, spontaneous recovery.
http://www.benthamscience.com/open/toaddj/articles/V003/SI0055TOADDJ/57TOADDJ.pdf
http://data.psych.udel.edu/abelcher/Shared%20Documents/5%20Psychotherapy%20and%20Preventive%20Intervention%20(42)/bouton,%202004.pdf
http://www.txautism.net/uploads/target/Extinction.pdf
Indirect Behavior Assesment
We have been discussing the aspects of the behavior modification process throughout the semester. For our self-directed behavior modification projects we take part in direct behavior assesment and so we get a better understanding of what is all involved and the information that we can get from taking part in them. I chose to look deeper into indirect behavior assesment to be able to compare what we are learning with direct behavior assesment and understand more about the other form of functional behavior analysis.
Indirect behavior assesment is a functional behavioral analysis tool which information is gathered about the subject and their behaviors in ways that does not involved seeing the behaviors and recording them directly. These many times involves talking to or gathering information from those that are involved in the subject's life such as teachers, parents, and peers. Indirect behavior assesment can also include gathering information fromt the subject themselves. There are different forms that indirect behvaior assesment can take place. Surveys and interviews are the most common way to take part in indirect behavior assesment. Interviews can be done on a one on one basis or in groups. Surveys can be sent out and returned so as those taking them do not have to go anywhere or can be administered on site to the desired groups.
There are advantages to using indirect behavior assesment rather than direct behavior assesment.
This type of assesment gerneally takes less time than direct behavior assesment to gather enouch information to identify possible funtion of behavior, antecedents to the behavior, consequences of the behavior, and determing which type of manipulation to implement. This type of assesment also diminishes the need to train people in order for the assesment to be done correctly. Using this type of assesment allows for the administer to get a better understanding of what the desired behavior is and how to create it into a target behavior. One thing that this type of assesment gives the perspecitve of the subject specifically which can open up an understanding of the function of behavior that may not be so easily observable. Getting their perspective of the behavior they are emitting, why they feel they emitted it, and the consequences they believed comes from the behavior allows the administer to get a better understanding of antecedents and possible punishers or reinforceres that will be successful with the particular subject. This type of assesment also allows for the administer to ask about the behavior in a variety of settings so that they may have another way of determining an antecedent.
There are also disadvantages to using indirect behavior assesment. One of the major disadvantages is that people may feel obligated to tell the administer what they think that they want to hear. When dealing with the subject, they may feel the need to lie about their behaviors so that they feel better about themselves and do not feel judged. This methods is based solely on opinions of others, there is no way to use this method and collect actual direct evidence. One problem with surveys in particular is the nonresponse bias that comes with them.
Terms Used: indirect behavior assesment, direct behavior assesment, functional behavior analysis, antecedent, consequence, function, punisher, reinforcer, emit
http://cms.skidmore.edu/assessment/Handbook/indirect-assessment-methods.cfm
http://misc.lps.org/misc/forms/assets/SP0009-*Functional%20Assessment.pdf
http://www.addcentre.co.uk/BehaviouralAssessment.htm
The Skinner Box, or Operant Chamber is something that we have gone over in class that I have found to be quite interesting. It is essentially a box in which an animal is put with a lever or button attached to a system of reinforcers and punishers. It fits into this chapter very well in that it is crucial in the shaping of a behavior. There was a focus in this chapter regarding the observation of behavior and the antecedents and consequences of it as well. This is a major force of the functional analysis of behavior. However when being analyzed in the skinner box, they have to shape the behavior by reinforcing behaviors that are close to the target behavior. This means for our behavior modification projects, we would start small. For example, if we were trying to jog more we may start by reinforcing walks, then short jogs, then only reinforcing jogs and potentially intermittent reinforcement for this jogging schedule. I like this because the skinner box and the operant conditioning breakthrough that came along with it was very influential in the world of behavioral psych and it seems to explain the modification process quite in depth.
I have looked more into the skinner box this week with an interesting twist. With the virtual revolution upon us everyone finds themselves deeply committed to a little screen that they carry around with them in their pocket. The articles that I looked at chose to relate the skinner box to the newfound desire to digitize everything. The TED talks guy talked about how facebook itself is a virtual skinner box that at first reinforced every behavior of social disclosure which eventually leans out to intermittent reinforcement with attention being the reinforcer. He argues that it is essentially a pandemic that need be stopped. This makes sense as it steals one's attention and ambition and places it in pointless likes, shares, and comments. The angry blogger also shared his hatred of facebook by comparing it to the skinner box. His aim though was on facebook games and not the social aspect. He talks about how the aspect of levels and continuous growth and reinforcement keeps people on games such as farmville. Even the elderly got sick of hearing about farmville. Also corresponding with the current chapter and the virtual theme I found an app that is called skinner box. It is all about recording behaviors, antecedents, and consequences. They find that with continuous observation, recording, and reminders of reinforcement people are more susceptible to actually changes their behavior. The app skinner box is the positive side of the virtual endeavors of behavioral psych whereas facebook is aversive to people's attention and productivity.
Terms: Skinner Box, Operant Chamber, reinforcer, punisher, behavior, antecedent, consequence, functional analysis of behavior, target behavior, intermittent reinforcement, operant conditioning, leans out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAGjNe1YhMA\http://alligatortower.tumblr.com/post/342493599/mafia-wars-the-modern-day-skinner-box-or
http://www.martinmagnusson.com/skinnerbox/
For this assignment I chose to elaborate more on punishment. Punishment is a consequence that follows an operant response that decreases the likelihood of that response happening again in the future. Whether or not a change is or is not punished is known by its effect on the rate of the behavior, not by any hostile or aversive features of the change. A lot of the time punishment is confused with negative reinforcement, but negative reinforcement always increases the chances that a behavior will occur and punishment always decreases the chances that a behavior will occur. There are two kinds of punishment and those are positive punishment and negative punishment. Positive punishment is when we decrease the likelihood of a behavior happening again in the future followed by the presentation of an aversive stimulus. Negative punishment is when we try to decrease the likelihood of a behavior happening again in the future followed by the removal of a desirable stimulus. Punishment is effective in some cases, but in some cases it does not reduce a behavior. Punishment is more likely to reduce a behavior if it immediately follows the behavior. Also, punishment has greater results when it is consistently applied. Some drawback of punishment may be, when behaviors change from punishment it tends to be only a temporary change. The biggest drawback of punishment is that punishment does not offer any information about more appropriate or desired behaviors. While subjects might learn how to not perform certain actions they are not really learning what they should be doing instead.
http://www.psychology.uiowa.edu/faculty/wasserman/glossary/punishment.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punishment_(psychology)
http://psychology.about.com/od/operantconditioning/f/punishment.htm
Terms: punishment, negative reinforcement, desired/desirable, operant conditioning, behaviors, stimulus,aversive, consequence, operant response, decrease.
The most interesting section that we’ve read about so far has been Rule Governed Behavior. I think it’s interesting to figure out why we do the things we do. The rules and signs that govern our behavior are so funny to think about because sometimes we unconsciously go through the motions and don’t really understand or think about why we’re doing it. For example, Dr. Maclin used the example of taking the pizza out of the oven when it’s “done” because then it won’t burn. Nobody told you that you had to take it out of the oven; it would just taste better if you took it out when it’s done. We have signs all around us that cover how we are supposed to act. In my first link, it’s a video showing a bunch of cars that do not stop at a stop sign but they slow down. The stop sign is supposed to govern their behavior to make them stop but some people don’t get punished enough to actually follow the law. (Link 1)
I think it’s interesting to think about our own rules. We might think that it’s unacceptable to leave the house without make up on because we don’t want anybody to see you out in public looking bad. If that was the case you would even have to put make up on before you 6 am workout because that’s a rule governed behavior.
One of my articles deals with a dentist who breaks a rule of keeping his office unsanitary and tons of his patients were diagnosed with Hepatitis A, B and C. One of his patients even tested positive for HIV. This is still under investigation but I’m sure he will be in deep crap because his behavior was unsanitary and not a clean environment. (Link 2) In this instance and the last people were breaking the laws but they will have to deal with the punishment our government gives them, which can also relate perfectly with this class.
My final link has to deal with a man getting in car accident and days later his neighbor notices and comes in a panic for help. This is something that our country is very good at. In somebody is in need, especially after a tragedy we are always there for each other. Our governed behavior is ruled by helping and caring for other people. Nobody tell us we have to care for one another we just decide that upon ourselves.
In rule governed behavior the antecedent, behavior and consequence all play a big role in our behavior. If our house is burning down we immediately get out of the house because otherwise our consequence would death. Consequences are really strong motivators to do something to avoid something aversive.
Terms: Behavior, Antecedent, Consequence, Behavior, Rule Governed Behavior, Aversive, Punishment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZHCjDcYiRE
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/18/health/oklahoma-dentist-investigation/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/the-upbeat/loyal-dog-helps-owner-trapped-under-car-four-171711060.html
The most interesting section that we’ve read about so far has been Rule Governed Behavior. I think it’s interesting to figure out why we do the things we do. The rules and signs that govern our behavior are so funny to think about because sometimes we unconsciously go through the motions and don’t really understand or think about why we’re doing it. For example, Dr. Maclin used the example of taking the pizza out of the oven when it’s “done” because then it won’t burn. Nobody told you that you had to take it out of the oven; it would just taste better if you took it out when it’s done. We have signs all around us that cover how we are supposed to act. In my first link, it’s a video showing a bunch of cars that do not stop at a stop sign but they slow down. The stop sign is supposed to govern their behavior to make them stop but some people don’t get punished enough to actually follow the law. (Link 1)
I think it’s interesting to think about our own rules. We might think that it’s unacceptable to leave the house without make up on because we don’t want anybody to see you out in public looking bad. If that was the case you would even have to put make up on before you 6 am workout because that’s a rule governed behavior.
One of my articles deals with a dentist who breaks a rule of keeping his office unsanitary and tons of his patients were diagnosed with Hepatitis A, B and C. One of his patients even tested positive for HIV. This is still under investigation but I’m sure he will be in deep crap because his behavior was unsanitary and not a clean environment. (Link 2) In this instance and the last people were breaking the laws but they will have to deal with the punishment our government gives them, which can also relate perfectly with this class.
My final link has to deal with a man getting in car accident and days later his neighbor notices and comes in a panic for help. This is something that our country is very good at. In somebody is in need, especially after a tragedy we are always there for each other. Our governed behavior is ruled by helping and caring for other people. Nobody tell us we have to care for one another we just decide that upon ourselves.
In rule governed behavior the antecedent, behavior and consequence all play a big role in our behavior. If our house is burning down we immediately get out of the house because otherwise our consequence would death. Consequences are really strong motivators to do something to avoid something aversive.
Terms: Behavior, Antecedent, Consequence, Behavior, Rule Governed Behavior, Aversive, Punishment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZHCjDcYiRE
http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/18/health/oklahoma-dentist-investigation/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/the-upbeat/loyal-dog-helps-owner-trapped-under-car-four-171711060.html
Once you have completed your search and explorations, I would like you to say what your topic is, how exactly it fits into the chapter, and why you are interested in it. Next, I would like you to take the information you found related to your topic, integrate/synthesize it, and then write about it. At the end, please include working URLs for the three websites.
The topic I decided to do was punishment. Since that section I have been interested in learning more on punishment and how it can work both good and bad. This fits into our behavior modification process because some people choose to use punishment as their reinforcer. Punishment is an authoritative imposition of something undesirable or unpleasant. This can be caused by the removal of something. There are two types of punishment, negative punishment and positive punishment. Negative punishment is a concept first brought to light by B.F. Skinner. It involves operant conditioning. His main idea for this concept was to eliminate the behavior that is being punished. Usually the best way to approach this is to remove or take away something good or desirable which in turn reduces the behavior youre trying to eliminate. Skinner believed that the best way to have negative punishment work is to apply it immediately following the response. He also believes that it should be applied consistently to keep up the behavior modification process. A good example of negative punishment would be a young boy getting in a fight at school and his parents taking away his video game system for a week. This is an example of negative punishment. There are some flaws to this type of punishment. It doesn’t give good feedback or instruction to the people it just teaches them to decrease the unwanted behavior. Another type of punishment is positive punishment. This is another method to punish and still reduce the likelihood of a desired behavior. Positive punishment works by presenting a negative consequence after an undesired behavior is shown. This ideally makes the behavior less likely to occur in the future. The main goal for positive punishment is to present an unfavorable outcome following an undesired behavior. When positive punishment is discussed it seems a bit confusing because usually positive and punishment aren’t words directly correlated. In the scientific world the term can also be referred to as punishment by application. An example of positive punishment could be something as simple as touching a hot stove. The burn can be painful enough to cause you to avoid the stove in the future. The term punishment can range from good to bad and anything in between. Sometimes when trying to modify behaviors its best that punishment is used. Research suggests that different age groups handle positive/negative punishment very differently. Children between the ages of 3-6 tend to react best to positive punishment by learning from example. Children 7-12 tend to not get as much of an advantage because although its effective punishment it doesn’t give much direction or instruction to change the behavior. Each individual has different preferences on punishment. After reading the articles it was clear that there are definitely positive advantages to this type of behavior modification. The main idea of punishment whether it be positive or negative is to punish the behavior not the person doing the behavior. This idea is similar to the concept of reinforcement. The main thing that is agreed upon is that punishment disrupts the operant behavior. Disruption is another possible way to change or eliminate unwanted behaviors. This doesn’t punish anyone for their actions but rather interrupts the action which eventually stops. This could be a better alternative to either positive or negative punishment. Exploring these different options may be the key to finding a punishment that works for any to all unwanted behaviors.
Terms: behavior modification, punishment, positive punishment, negative punishment, B.F. Skinner, operant conditioning, response stimulus conditioning, reinforcement.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punishment
http://psychology.about.com/od/operantconditioning/f/punishment.htm
http://ezinearticles.com/?Positive-Child-Punishment---Behavior-Problems-Children-Display&id=3520091
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JA96Fba-WHk
Our last reading assignment covered the functional analysis of behavior and direct/indirect methods of assessing behavior. My topic includes the direct and indirect assessment when applied to teaching and how educators can use the assessments to help students in the classroom.
As stated in our reading the indirect assessment is commonly used when the individual is unable to communicate. Therefore the assessment is completed through interviews and questionnaires. Although autism was the example in section 5.3, I think this can be applied to students as well. A functional assessment’s purpose is to find the reason/function for a challenging behavior. I feel educators could integrate the same ideas to apple to students’ challenging behavior.
In a previous class, I learned about direct and indirect assessments of student learning. Direct student assessment is an analysis or student behaviors/products which they demonstrate how well they learn course material. Typically this is done by recording grades. The indirect assessment is an analysis of reported perceptions about student knowledge of course material.
This is all similar to what was in section 5.3. Direct assessment involves observation and recording of behaviors (grades) and indirect assessment contains reviews typically from outside observers.
In the same class we learned how to apply the direct and indirect strategies into the instruction itself; which would initially be the antecedent. Setting up the classroom and lesson plan to promote ‘good’ behavior. Direct instruction is when the teacher has structured lesson plans and the teacher is in control of the content/activity. Whereas indirect instruction is more based on limited teacher direction; the teacher is simply a facilitator while the students discover concepts and meanings independently.
Terms: functional analysis of behavior, direct assessment, indirect assessment, antecedent
http://assessment.aas.duke.edu/documents/DirectandIndirectAssessmentMethods.pdf
http://www.d.umn.edu/~hrallis/courses/3204fa04/planning/instr_strats.htm
http://www.tbh.com/educators/functional-behavior-assessments-fba/
I am interested in dealing with contingencies and loopholes that arise during a behavioral intervention. It is important to be able to recognize when a loophole is being exploited, so we can also learn how to close the loophole to prevent people from taking advantage.
In the first video that I analyzed, a young Homer Simpson is upset because he isn't allowed in the clubhouse. This is because it's called the "No Homers Club." When Homer Simpson points out that another boy named Homer was allowed in the clubhouse. At this point the boy guarding the clubhouse door emphasizes that the sign says "no homerS," meaning that no two persons named Homer could be in the clubhouse at any given time. For the sake of fairness, they should make the rule either all persons named Homer are allowed in, or nobody named Homer is allowed. However, I believe that the actual intention of this particular rule was to exclude Homer Simpson specifically.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdCq7HZ3zRE
In the following clip, Homer Simpson agrees to trade his soul to the devil for a doughnut. Homer immediately eats most of the doughnut right as the devil is declaring once he finishes the last bite, his soul becomes property of the devil. At that point, Homer realizes that he has beaten the devil at his own game...so long as he never finishes the doughnut, the devil will not own his soul. Before presenting Homer with the doughnut, the devil ought to have stipulated that he immediately became the owner of Homer's soul upon presenting Homer with the doughnut. However, due to the fact that Homer is an idiot, he eats the last bite of the doughnut anyway.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3ZcZ2h4Ths
I can't help but think that there may be some evolutionary advantage to bend the rules in one's own favor. This is where it is important to realize that if you don't want people to cheat, don't create an environment where cheating is the best/easiest option. The creators of The Simpsons certainly understand how humans find and exploit loopholes, and they also understand why. Let's hear what Mr. Burns has to say about loopholes and cheating:
"Mm-hmm. If you can take advantage of a situation in some way, it's your duty as an American to do it. Why should the race always be to the swift or the jumble to the quick-witted? Should they be allowed to win merely because of the gifts God gave them? Well, I say cheating is the gift man gives himself!"
http://www.snpp.com/episodes/4F10.html
I feel like I am now better able to identify loopholes as well as understand why people exploit them and how they justify it. This is an important concept to understand in behavior modification!
The topic that I choose to research was rule-governed behavior. I was interested in this topic because I feel as though a lot of the behaviors that we feel as though we should change are caused by a societal norm or feelings of inadequacy. I wanted to look at different research that showed how these behaviors can be learned and even effect our daily lives. According to section 5.2, rule governed behavior is a set of rules that are maintained by an order set up by norms, ethical, or morals of society. These rules are usually verbal, not having a set written record—usually can be interpreted from the antecedent. Rules of this nature are mostly adhered too except for those individuals who do not feel obligated to do so.
Governed behaviors have multiple sources some coming from established agencies like a government or religious affiliated program; however, some research that I found, states that rule-governed behavior can be established as simply as giving instructions to an individual—also found that it was harder for the individual to deter from those instructions once given. This was proven in a study that exhibited a light maze with individuals given instructions. Likewise a further study showed that when given strict instructions, individuals are willing to override their innate sense of rules, morals, and norms in order to follow those given instructions. Another study done by Cerutti shows how rule-governed behavior can be learned through imitation emitted usually from an adult or an authority figure.
Efficiency is key when talking about healthy behaviors that can be used to modify unhealthy or aversive behaviors. This also plays in how individuals follow instructions to elicit a certain amount or type of behavior set. Rules that an individual can learn though repetition can also be passed on or handed down to other people for a desirable reinforcement for both parties involved. Hayes et al. looked at how behaviors can be learned by examining studies done of infants and their interactions with other humans and animals; they found that even without language, the infants were learning from both animals and humans. The behavior is not only imitated but the schedule as well can be picked up and adapted to the individual’s own life.
As I said before, these rules are most definitely influenced by society and those who we consider to be the top one percent of the economy—i.e. if I see Carrie Underwood wearing a shopping bag as a shirt, I would think that that would be acceptable attire-etc. With this countries flood of fitness equipment and propaganda, it is hard not to be critical about yourself and want to better yourself to look more like what ‘society’ deems as an attractive person. There isn’t much you can do about an unattractive face without plastic surgery or a hell of a lot of makeup, but Hollywood has pushed the theory that everyone can be thin and fit and those that are not are just lazy. I realize that this is a very shallow way to look at life but being in shape has more benefits then just being a sheepl and looking like everyone else. Studies show that people who are overweight or do not exercise have a lower life expectancy as well have a lower level of self-contentment—now we can argue that the contentment and happiness level are due to the societal pressures but that is a whole other can of worms. This in mind, after doing further research and seeing that what I was basing my goal on was an imitation of what I was seeing others do, I looked into health benefits to sort of justify this rational instead of just paining myself as a narcissistic, follower.
Site #1
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1338855/pdf/jeabehav00029-0088.pdf
Site #2
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1348236/pdf/jeabehav00046-0006.pdf
Site #3
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1332789/pdf/jeabehav00090-0055.pdf
Terms: Rule-Governed Behaviors, Behaviors, Antecedents, Learned, Imitation, Emitted, Efficiency, Aversive, Elicit, Repetition, Handed Down, Reinforcement, Schedule
I chose to write about rule governed behavior, because I found it to be one of the most interesting topics we have covered thus far in behavior modification. Rule governed behaviors fit into this chapter because it has to do with people behaving in a certain way due to specific rules that are in place. People modify their behaviors due to many different things, and rule governed behaviors are one of them. This topic interests me because I think a lot of people are tempted to not follow rules. Some people’s rule governed behaviors involve buckling their seat belt because it’s the law, or slowing down around a corner because they know a cop might be sitting there waiting for them.
Rule governed behaviors almost come as second nature to us. We do them because we know something aversive will happen if we don’t. We follow the speed limits to avoid a ticket, we don’t punch people in the face to avoid going to jail, and we don’t run at pools so the lifeguards don’t blow their whistles at us. These rule governed behaviors can be anywhere, not just rules set out by law enforcement. I can set a rule in my house to my roommates not to park behind me in the driveway so I can get out and go to class. Usually they choose to abide by these rules. If they do not follow these “rules” they will experience some aversive consequences, like me waking them up early in the morning so they can move their car.
Some rule governed behaviors can even be emitted due to religion. Some religions have different “rules” or ideas about what is right and wrong to do. Some religions do not celebrate Christmas, others don’t allow you to marry certain people whether it be someone of the same sex, or someone from a different religion. For example, if someone is gay, and has fallen in love with another man, they may still date women and marry a woman in the end, because their religion will not allow them to fulfill their true desires.
http://contextualscience.org/rule_governed_behavior
http://journals.chapman.edu/ojs/index.php/e-Research/article/view/87/307
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9WyjNk3H0s
The topic I chose was self-directed behavior. I was curious to find out if this would work for certain psychological disorders such as depression. I found a website online that discusses this topic. The treatment options for depression include antidepressants and psychotherapy. One form of psychotherapy is self-directed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which has the same treatment goals as traditional CBT. Self-directed CBT requires less involvement of and assistance from health care professionals and can occur through the reading of self-help books (bibliotherapy) or through the use of computerized CBT.
The target behavior was: The clinical effectiveness of using self-directed cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of adults with a diagnosis of depression.
Conclusion: Overall, the evidence supported the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of self-directed CBT, as measured using clinical rating scales. One study provided evidence that CCBT may result in fewer visits to a general practitioner and mental health care specialist. The percentage of individuals completing the CCBT, however, was interpreted by the authors as low. In addition, self-directed CBT was generally recommended as a therapy option for individuals with mild-to-moderate depression.
The self-directed behaviors helped people with depression, proving that it does work! Self –directed behaviors however must be thoroughly thought out and recorded. A target goal must be identified, it must be recorded regularly, there must be a baseline, contingencies must be determined, and you must be flexible to implement or change them. Once you follow these guidelines you should be able to self-direct your own behavior.
Terms Used: self-directed behavior, target goal, baseline, contingencies, implement
Site #1
http://www.cadth.ca/products/cadth-overviews/vol-1-issue-4/vol-1-issue-4-25
Site #2
http://www.mhhe.com/cls/psy/ch14/behmod.mhtml
Site #3
http://www.marlenewinell.net/content/personal-goals-key-sel
Goal Setting and how it relates to section 4.2 Self-Directed Behavior Steps includes the steps to changing behaviors. The first is setting a goal. Setting a goal needs a degree of specificity concerning what you are trying to accomplish. Using specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-targeted target behaviors to specify a goal is the most efficient and sure fire way to achieve a goal. One pair of researchers in Chicago has an interesting view on goals. They say that focusing on your goals can get you excited and engages you to completion of those activities that you are trying to achieve but if you continue to focus on those goals the chances are that you will spoil the activities’ pleasures in which are needed to pursue the goal. This factor makes it more likely that you will drop out early and not achieve your goal. Evidence that backs this up is the researchers study in the gym. They asked over a hundred students a gym in one group what they were working out for and in another group what is your gym experience is like. Both groups were asked to focus either on their goal or their experience while they worked out that day. Interestingly enough the students who were focused on their goal worked out for a less amount of time than those students who were focused on their experience while in the gym. The theory of goal setting is that it can be an effective tool for making progress in an area in which you wish to improve or has causation to stop the behavior. Goal setting also sets the bar for what is expected and helps move towards those expectations. Also in goal setting ambitions play a big role. It has been proven in many studies that a more ambitious goal leads to higher performance which then leads to higher satisfaction levels for the goal setter. You should create a plan and start small, write it down, be specific, leave room for failure, track your progress and reward your success. When people define a goal, all too often people don’t know where they are going, what resources they’ll need and if something happens, who can help get you back on track. Creating a plan is important because then you aren’t waiting and waiting for that special day to roll around for you to start. Another thing that people do is overload themselves with things they want to change; not a good idea. You should really use a small goal, one that you know you can accomplish so you boost your inner confidence that you can achieve these goals. Setting a deadline to achieve your goal is also a very important aspect of goal setting. Keeping focus is a huge part of staying on track so if you write down your behaviors, simply the act of recording what you are doing can be influential enough to keep you dedicated. When developing a goal, leaving out words such as more or some is key. These words are to ambiguous and can lead you to stretch the truths of what you are accomplishing. Always and never are also big no no’s; nothing is ever absolute. Something that people commonly leave out now a days is the reinforcement after completing your desired behavior. Reinforcement makes the world go round and if you leave out this important step, what is your motivation to keep doing well in your behavioral modification?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goal_setting
http://99u.com/articles/7198/how-goals-and-good-intentions-can-hold-us-back
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=124
Terms: Behavioral modification, reinforcement, goal setting, attainable, motivation, self-directed behavior, setting deadlines, tracking behavior, measurable, specific, expectations.
Rule governed Behavior is the topic I choose to do further research on, this topic caught my attention because my mind could not stop thinking about different types of rule governed behaviors we all have. For example, religion for many individuals has formed social laws and rules that individuals have accepted and do without having to consciously think about doing it. For example when I was younger and would go to church with my grandmother, when the priest would gesture is arms upward and without any other word everyone in the audience would announce “and also with you”. This gesture was done every time I would go and before I knew it I was doing it without actually having to think about it, it was automatic. All religions have some kind of rule governed aspect to them, governing morals and motivations we emit.
http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/zlowenk/aba1999/rule-follwoing.html
The first source I found over rule governed behavior, was a website that went into more detail of what rule governed behavior is and how skinner coined the term. Rule governed behavior according to skinner is a verbal statement scpecifying all or part of an actual contingency of reinforcement. Although there are often problems with this formulation due to functions and subsequent stimuli that can alter the rule governed behavior. This website also brings up memory function, recognition function and response function. Memory function refers to the preservation of the effectiveness of the rule later in time. Recognition function, this is a concept in which the individual recognizes as some later time the particular event mentioned at some earlier time by the rule. An example of this is when the individual sees the cake rise, does not take the cake out and the cake then burns. When the individual recognizes the cake rising again at a later time he or she will remember to emit taking the cake out of the oven before it burns. This is response function, now after the individual recognizes a particular event as the one specified in the rule. The subject will respond to what the rule says, in this case taking the cake otu of the oven when it rises.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYcGUPU_Two
This video from youtube is very helpful in understanding what rule governed behavior is, it goes into to detail of the three different types of contingency of reinforcmement and command or threat, what the punishment would be if the rule is not followed. The bedeo also goes into detail the difference between contingency shaped behavior, behavior is controlled by the direct effects of consequences in those settings and rule governed behavior is controlled by the statement of the rule.
http://contectualpsychology.org/files/rulegoverned
This website is a quick and easy visual of how rule governed behaviors work, I really enjoyed this site because I am a very visual person and I thought it was an easy way to display rule governed behaviors in a less complex manner.
behavior modification, reinforcement, contingencies, rule governed behavior, skinner
The topic that will be discussed is Functional Assessment of Behavior. Functional Assessment of Behavior fits into chapter 5 because it is a great explanation of how to analyze the target behavior of the behavioral project we are doing. I am interested in this topic because I think the Functional Assessment of Behavior helps explain how important it is to recognize what the antecedents and consequences of the target behavior are. Also, after the antecedents and consequences of the behavior are discovered they should be changed to help be successful with the change of the target behavior.
The Functional Assessment of Behavior is meant to help develop a hypothesis in regards to the ABC’s of the target behavior. There are six steps to the behavior modification procedure. The steps are as followed: 1) Decide on a target behavior, 2) Figure out the consequences, 3) Figure out the antecedents. 4) Examine and analyze the ABC’s, 5) Develop new antecedents and consequences, and 6) Assess the result.
The first step is to decide on a target behavior that would like to be changed. This can be done by evaluating a behavior that is emitted by the individual that the person wants to increase or decrease. Depending on whether the behavior is being increased or decreased will determine what the target behavior is. After figuring out what the target behavior is the behavior needs to be described thoroughly so the antecedents and consequences can next be analyzed.
The second and third steps are to figure out and describe the antecedents and consequences of the target behavior. The antecedents are what happens right before the behavior is emitted, and the consequence is what happens right after the behavior is emitted. The antecedents and consequences are important because they determine the behavior. Also, the consequences are especially important because that is how the behavior can be reinforced to increase in the future. This also can be when the target behaviors schedules of reinforcement are analyzed as well.
Step four is when the ABC’s of behavior (antecedents. behavior, and consequences) are examined and analyzed. The antecedents and consequences need to be examined so they can be devised and changed to better the target behavior.
The fifth step is to change the antecedents and consequences so that they fit better in the behavioral projects target behavior. This is done because in order for the behavior to be changed successfully, the ABC’s need to be altered. The reinforcer should be chosen and decided how the schedule should be. The schedule of reinforcement should be made to fit the needs of the individual who is trying to change their behavior. The schedule of reinforcement can either be on a fixed ratio, interval ratio, fixed variable, or interval variable. The reinforcer and schedule of reinforcement is important and can be changed to help reinforce the target behavior, whatever works to be successful.
Step six is to evaluate and assess the outcome of the behavioral project. This is an important step because this is where the behavior is analyzed. This is where the behavioral project is evaluated to see if the behavior was changed successfully. This step is also where the individual can determine if their target behavior was changed.
Terms: schedule of reinforcement, fixed ratio, interval ratio, fixed variable, interval variable, reinforcer, reinforce, reinforcement, behavioral project, ABC’s, antecedents, consequences, target behavior, emitted, functional assessment of behavior, behavior modification, and behavior.
http://cecp.air.org/fba/default.asp
http://www.armstrong.edu/images/psychology/FunctionalAssessment.pdf
http://www.behavioradvisor.com/FBA.html
I chose to explore the term Rule Governed Behavior. The section explained it very sufficiently and gave great examples. People are constantly abiding by certain rules because society has established them. Although this term seems very obvious, many people don’t understand how many rules truly govern our behavior. These rules vary among cultures and countries. Religion is a prime example of this. For Monks, it is something that governs their behavior literally all day. With these rules, there are consequences that occur if they are broken.
In the first link, it describes rule governed behavior. “Rule governed behavior means that the person learns indirectly, without direct contact with the consequences. The person does not need to experience the consequence directly but learns by reading or learning from others.” This is a little bit different from how the section described but it discusses the same things eventually.
Stop lights are supposed to govern our behavior by telling us to stop because it’s the law. However, some people disregard the rules and break them. The consequence or punishment of breaking this law would be a ticket. Maybe the antecedent was that the driver was late which elicited the behavior of running the light which led to punishment of getting a ticket. In the youtube link, the man runs the stop light and gets arrested by the police officer. What elicited this behavior was that his wife was pregnant and he needed to desperately get to the hospital. Hence, there may be times when it is acceptable to break certain rules that normally govern our behavior.
In the second link, an experiment is going on with kids with autism. They control the antecedents by establishing the rules of using “if/then” statements to create a rule that governs their behavior. The children were observed for various amounts of time. The behaviorist monitored the experiment by presenting pictures of certain objects that would elicit a specific behavior such as waving. The experimenters saw great success and created rule governed behaviors.
Terminology: rule governed behavior, behavior, consequences, elicit, antecedent, punishment
http://positioningsystems.com/blog.php?entryID=124
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRlupwhAxpQ
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3139547/
I chose the topic of rule of governed behavior. I thought that this was a very interesting topic and wanted to further look into it. The rule of governed behavior is maintained by obligations where the antecedent is verbal. It is important for rules and their contingencies to be well defined so that they are effective. Behaviors can be the result of many things such as morals, social norms, and laws. Behaviors can change depending on where you are too, such as different states and countries have different norms or rules that will shape ones behavior. There are many articles an sources that deal with rule of governed behavior. One of the sources that I found talked about corresponding training. The experimenters concluded that the cause of the changed behaviors was from the rule of governed behavior. I also found an article about how the RGB can be very effective and helpful when working with people who have disabilities of any sorts. The last article that I found I found interesting because it talked about some RGB can have some aversive effects too depending on the situation you are in and how different things can can affect RGB such as psychological disorders.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1286079/
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3139547/
http://www.ijpsy.com/volumen8/num2/191/rule-governed-behavior-and-psychological-EN.pdf
terms:rule of governed behaviors, antecedent, contingencies, aversive, behavior change, psychological disorders
The topic that I chose to look more into was goal setting. I decided to look more into this because it is something that I kind of struggled with this semester. I had a hard time sticking to my goal at first but I am doing better with it now. I think it is an important aspect of this class. By searching the internet I am hoping to find different techniques for setting and sticking with a goal.
According to one website, setting goals gives you long term vision and short term motivation. It also says that setting a goal can help you organize your time and resources so that you can live your life to the fullest. This is something that I find to be very true. My goal of losing weight is keeping me motivated to eat healthier and exercise on a regular basis. If I did not have this goal I would probably not eat as healthy and I would probably not exercise as much. The website also says that when you start to set goals, you should first look at the big picture of what you want your life to be like in the next 10 years or so. Next it says to break down those big life goals into smaller more achievable ones. Finally, it says that once you have your plan it is time to start working towards your goal.
Another website that I looked at gave 5 facts about setting goals. The first fact that it gives is that specific, realistic goals work best. This is what we have learned in class and it is something that I am doing with my goal. I made sure that when I set my goal it was realistic. If it wasn't realistic I would be setting myself up for failure. The next fact says that it takes time for a change to become an established habit. I am at that point now with my goal. Next fact says that repeating a goal makes it stick. Another facts states that pleasing other people doesn't work and the last goal says that roadblocks don't mean failure. The last fact is something that I think is really important. So far I have not lost any weight, but I am still sticking with my plan. It is important to not get discouraged.
The third site that I found gave the do's and don'ts of goal setting. The site says do create a plan, but don't wait for "someday" to roll around. This is something that I did with my goal. I decided that it was time for me to start doing something about my health and I just started getting a plan together. The site also said do write things down, but don't forget to give yourself a deadline. The deadline for my goal is summer. Something else that the site said was do reward your success, but don't punish yourself for failure. This is something that I always keep in mind with my goal. I try not to beat myself up when things do go exactly as planned.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=124
http://kidshealth.org/teen/drug_alcohol/getting_help/goals_tips.html
http://www.mindtools.com/page6.html
Terms: goal setting, behavior,
A topic from this class that interested me is self-directed behavior. I find this interesting because I wonder if you over think it then it might not work or if it could work with people with conditions such as anxiety or anger problems. Since self-directed behavior relies on yourself to keep acountable to make it work I want to know how effective it can really be in modifying your behavior. In one of the articles 16 people with anxiety disorder were split up into two groups, self-directed and therapist-directed. The experiment was over twelve weeks and the therapist-directed met frequently over the time frame and the self-directed met 3 times to assign reading and answer questions. At the end of the twelve weeks there was no difference between the two groups showing that self-directed behavior is as effective as seeing a therapist. In my second article, self-directed behavior was used in parenting. Twenty four parents were divided into self-directed behavior conditions(SD) or a waitlist control group(WL). At posttest, the results showed that the parents in the SD reported increased levels of parenting competance and lower levels dysfunctional parenting practices in comparision to the WL group. They also reported less stress, depression, and stress compared to the WL group. The third source is an example of how to set up the experiment we are doing. This person is decreasing the amount of time spent on Facebook. It shows how he collects data, his goals, and all the things we have learned. I added this because it is a good example to build off of when writing about our own self-directed behavior modification.
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0887618596000102
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9337598
http://www.studymode.com/essays/Self-Directed-Health-Behavior-Change-1201984.html
Terms: self-directed beahvior,modify,goals
I choose to do more research on the topic of goal setting; this was discussed in section 4.3. This topic is important and relevant to what we are talking about in class because we are currently trying to change a current behavior that we have and if I am able to change this behavior then I will be reaching a goal that I have set for myself. I am interested in this topic because I know there are other areas in my life that I want to establish a goal for and be able to accurately follow through with it.
I like that there are clear cut steps to be able to complete a goal. One source that I read said that goals should be written down because once you write something down it is now not a dream but a commitment. Also when you have a written goal you are more motivated toward what you want to accomplish so you are more willing to work harder to complete your goal. Specifically referencing goals and exercising a study I read about said that when setting a goal for weight lose it is better to set behavioral goals instead of outcome goals, for example to tell yourself that you want to run on the treadmill for 30 minutes every day is more realistic and how has better outcomes then saying you want to lose 25 pounds in 3 months. But it is a good idea to set a specific date because then there is a commitment to the date and hopefully will reduce the possibility of procrastination and slacking. Certain goals that you set may involve the support and motivation from others. Exercising could be improved if you had a trainer or coach because most likely they have specific goals for you as well being their participant. I really liked the quote I saw while researching it said “people don’t plan to fail, they fail to plan.” This shows the emphasis on how goal setting takes time and a thorough thought process in order to complete a goal. In the work environment goal setting is beneficial in getting your employee’s to work harder and follow the rules because they will be motivated by the rewards of money, because most likely the reward in the workplace would be a bonus or a promotion also it could be an advance in the number of days you have off. A productive goal setting process evaluates the goal first by making sure it is achievable, realistic, manageable, and will not take over your life. Then from there it will be helpful to make a behavior diary and also to incorporate reinforcers or punishers in order to help achieve your goal. As in my experiment I am reinforcing myself with music I do my desired behavior. I choose to do a reinforcer instead of a punisher because I feel a negative intrinsic reward when I do not follow through with my specified behavior. So in order to accomplish a goal follow the appropriate steps and also have a realistic goal that is healthy and not unattainable that could have aversive outcomes.
Terms: behavior, reinforcer, punisher, experiement, rewards, intrinsic, goal, goal setting, aversive, desirable.
http://www.bluinc.com/news/theimportance.html
http://www.exrx.net/Psychology/Goals.html
http://www.brighthub.com/office/human-resources/articles/107630.aspx
I chose to do more research on Watson’s Little Albert Study. This relates to what we have learned because it discusses behavior chance and classical conditioning.
Watson wanted to take Pavlov's research further to show that emotional reactions could be classically conditioned in people. To do this, Watson experimented on a nine month old baby known as Little Albert. Little Albert didn’t seem to be afraid of the things that many other nine month old would be afraid of. Watson presented Little Albert with a screeching monkey, a rat, a rabbit and even a newspaper that was on fire but Little Albert did not seem bothered. Watson did come to find that loud, crashing noises frightened Little Albert to he used the noise a stimulus. This stimulus began as an unconditioned stimulus. It was a noise that had already naturally frightened Little Albert. The stimulus became conditioned when Watson used the noise to emit a certain response. In Watson’s experiment with Little Albert, Watson made a loud noise everything a while fuzzy animal like a rat or a rabbit was pretested. This cause Little Albert to be afraid of the white fuzzy animal even though there was no noise. Little Albert’s fear of the animals was a conditioned response. The conditioned stimulus was the loud noise. Watson found that humans, along with animals could be conditioned. Little Albert was never unconditioned because soon after the experiment was conducted, Little Albert and his mother moved away. It was later found that Little Albert died at the age of six on May 10, 1925 of hydrocephalus, a build-up of fluid in his brain. Much later in 2012, Beck and Alan J. Fridlund discovered that Little Albert was not as healthy as Watson described in his experiment. They found that Little Albert suffered from hydrocephalus since birth and suggested.
I chose this video because I thought it was beneficial to watch how Little Albert reacted and how he was conditioned.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xt0ucxOrPQE
I liked this site because it provided the most information on what happen to Little Albert after the experiment.
http://psychology.about.com/od/classicpsychologystudies/a/little-albert-experiment.htm
This website had a great overall summary of the Little Albert experiment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Albert_experiment
Terms: Pavlov, Watson, Little Albert, conditioning, conditioned response, unconditioned response, conditioned stimulus, unconditioned stimulus, classical conditioning
I chose to further research scheduled reinforcement since I am incorporating it into my behavioral intervention. When carrying out an operant behavior, reinforcement is used. There are different types of scheduled reinforcement; including continuous, fixed ratio, fixed interval, and variable interval. Continuous reinforcement means that each time a behavior is emitted, the reinforcement is carried out. An example on of the websites I read gave is that each time you put money into a pop machine, you will be reinforced my receiving a pop. Fixed ratio involves reaching a certain number of times the behavior is emitted to receive the reinforcement. This is the schedule of reinforcement that I am using for my own behavioral intervention since I have to run a certain amount of miles in a week to receive the reinforcement of getting a day to myself. Fixed interval and variable interval incorporate the amount of time between reinforcement.
The other two articles I read through were completely different examples of reinforcement, however, I found a common theme between the two. Repeating a behavior will reinforce your mind and body to become accustomed to what behavior you are emitting. The first article is basically a lay out of a successful behavior intervention. The woman found her lifestyle to be aversive and made a plan to change that around into a more energetic and productive life. She started by making sub goals such as getting more rest and incorporating yoga into her daily routine. She didn’t try and change everything at once but made small changes gradually throughout a nine-month period. The end of the article discussed steps in becoming successful in changing your lifestyle and it was all the exact same as the steps for behavior modification. The other article, written by a professor at UNI, discussed the importance of handwriting notes in order to better learn the material. He stressed the importance of how writing things down reinforces the brain to learn the material. If a behavior is repeated, time and time again, it is more likely that the body will grow accustomed to the new information.
Terms: Scheduled Reinforcement, Operant Behavior, Emitted, Aversive, Behavior Modification
http://woub.org/2013/04/30/how-change-everything-building-new-habits
http://wcfcourier.com/news/opinion/columnists/if-schools-drop-cursive-what-s-next/article_e735eadc-ae7e-11e2-a7af-0019bb2963f4.html
https://benchprep.com/blog/learning-and-conditioning-ii-schedules-of-reinforcement/
RBB
1) Which posts did you like the best? Why? The posts I liked best came from the Topical Blog because you get to use an area of your personal interest and write about its relationship with the previous chapters covered from class. I also like how you can use Youtube to search about your topic because visuals are good ways to learn after reading so much other material.
2) Were some posts better than others? Why or why not? For the most part, all the Topical Blog posts look pretty good. One of the only differences I notice are that some of the posts are quite a bit longer than other posts. With the exception of one post I saw, all other posts had 3 sources and all the terms listed that they used.
3) Has reading these posts changed your idea of what behavior modification is? Why or why not? These posts have changed my idea of what behavior modification is because before I came to this class, I didn't really have much of an idea on what it would be about. By reading some posts it looks like behavior modification can vary with a lot of different (and relatable) topics and I'm glad that we can work on an area of personal interest.
4) Based on these posts are there any specific topics you are interested in learning? I would specifically be interested in learning modifying my behavior with punishment and reinforcement in order to help me study more, complete assigned readings, and use my iPhone less. I think these would be interesting to learn because it would help with my college success overall.
1) Personally, I liked the best the topical blog. Each students had the opportunity of choosing their own topic according to their own interests and that is a way of expressing themselves. As topics were different it also gave me an idea of which topics will be covered in class and some topics like goal settings, really got my attention.
2) While I was reading different posts, I could noticed some students put more effort in their blogs than others. Some of them were more in depth of the topic and others gave just a simple explanation. I don't think some of them need to be consider better than others because we all have different interests. Some of us that are more interested in this topics will put more effort and time into it. Someone who actually wants just wants to pass the class won’t put that much effort and he or she will just meet the requirements.
3) Reading this posts have not changed the idea of what behavior modification is. Before I considered taking the class, I kind of had an idea of what the class was about. However, I am not completely sure yet because of the different topics that were discussed. There is definitely a big range of topics discussed that I had no idea that could be part of the course so that kind of increased my interest to the class.
4) The first topic that really gathered my attention is the goal setting topic. I always have had in mind different goals and some of them may take time. However, the post I was reading about this topic explained different ways we could achieve our goals without failures. Another topic that got my attention was punishment and how it may have different reactions and consequences depending on the situation, behaviors, environment, etc. This two topics got my main attention as I went through the comments and I am looking forward to learn more about them in class.