Please go to the following blog page:
http://www.psychologicalscience.com/bmod/abcs.html
Please read sections 4.1 (Need for Self-Directed Behavior) and 4.2 (Self Directed behavior Steps)
After
reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.
1) What did
you find interesting in the section? Why?
2) What
did you find least interesting? Why?
3) How
does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
4) Based
on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your
life? How so?
After
reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did
you find interesting in the section? Why?
6) What
did you find least interesting? Why?
7) How
does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
8) Based
on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your
life? How so?
9) How
has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about
behavior modification? How so?
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you
might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that
behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class?
Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a
behavioral class.
10b) How
might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the
behavior?
10c) How
might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water
drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for
the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology
you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
Let us
know if you have any questions,
--Dr. M
Section 4.1
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I enjoyed reading about specific target behaviors, because it was interesting to recognize that the examples provided could be measured by placing a check mark whether it was complete or not. In order to change behavior defining a good target behavior that can be reinforced is most likely the most important step. I liked this the most because it is a crucial step in behavior modification.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
In this section I disliked reading about differential reinforcement of other (DRO) the most, because it did not provide much of a refresher on what it means or any examples. Therefore it was difficult for me to determine how to redefine alternative behaviors in a way that it may be reinforced, but it was something I was able to figure out.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. From this section I will remember the difference between self-directed behavior and other-directed behavior. Other-directed behavior is necessary when managing a classroom or safety in the workplace. Self-directed behavior occurs when an individual exerts his or her free will to select the behavior that should be increased or decreased and allows for structure own behavioral interventions and contingencies.
b. Several behaviors, especially New Years Resolutions, are likely to result in punishment, because the person wants to reduce the frequency of the behavior. It is important to remember that differential reinforcement of other (DRO) consists of reinforcing incompatible behaviors rather than punishing the individual for the behavior they want to decrease. Converting a behavior from one that would typically be punished into one that can be reinforced is typically more desirable rather than aversive.
c. When someone wants to reduce a behavior, it is important for him or her to consider whether to quit all at once or do a gradual reduction. This could impact determining and defining the target goal and the method of measurement of the behavior, in addition to the likelihood of maintaining this goal.
Section 4.2
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked about this section was the portion on determining contingencies, because it is where the behavioral intervention occurs and determines the whether or not the behavior should be reinforced. I found it interesting that behavioral change project does not require continuous reinforcement, like I was originally expecting, but can use other schedules of reinforcement, such as fixed ratio or variable ratio schedules of reinforcement. When and how often a person is reinforced depends on what the reinforcer is. I liked this part, because it allowed me to expand my beliefs on when reinforcement can occur during my own behavioral change project, and it might allow for more success in my future self-directed behavioral project.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
My least favorite part about this section was on keeping a record, because it is where I had the most difficulty in regards emitting the behavior of writing down the amount of water I had throughout the day for my previous behavioral change project. It is something a person should do right away, otherwise he or she could mistakenly write something down wrong or are unable to reconstruct the antecedents. Although I did not like keeping a behavioral diary, I do see that it is beneficial in allowing the person to acknowledge the ABCs of behavior. I realize there are other ways to keep track of behavior, which I might like better than regular pen and paper, such as using my cell phone. This may appear as less of a nuisance.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. I will remember the steps involved in self-directed behavior modification. These steps include: 1. Set goal, 2. Define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors, 3. Keep a record, 4. Graph a baseline, 5. Determine the contingencies, 6. Determine the antecedents, and 7. Implement and adjust the contingencies. This will be valuable for my behavioral change project and future behavioral interventions I would like to complete.
b. Also in this section, I will remember how to construct a graph, and that it is typically line graphs that are customary for graphing behavior. Also, the y-axis (vertical measure) is for a dependent measure that we are measuring. Forming a graph is an essential skill and can help a person collect and analyze data regarding the target behavior.
c. Another thing I will remember is that antecedents are powerful if they are used correctly. They may aid in controlling the environment. This could include the use of an alarm as a discriminate stimulus going off at a certain time the behavior should occur. This is something I will remember, because I plan to use this in my next self-directed behavior project.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
My behavioral goal is to exercise more. I have joined a new fitness class in addition to the one I am currently enrolled in. This semester I am doing a Pilates workout class for 50 minutes twice a week, and for the rest of the semester I will be in a spin class twice a week for 75 minutes. Enrolling in these classes where I pay money for them is likely to elicit the response of attending the sessions. My goal is to attend each of these sessions, except for every other Monday where I am required to attend Senate. On the days I need to be at Senate I will substitute spin with a workout video in my room or going to the WRC. My goal is to work out for at least 50 minutes a day for 5 days a week. This is precise, manageable, measureable, and something I can fit into my life.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will keep a record of this by putting it into my planner and scheduling time for it in there. Having specific times written down will help guarantee I follow through with this goal. To keep track of the days I follow through with this task, I will be sure to include check marks of the days I complete my workout, as well.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
This could look similar to the water drinking graph, because I could use a line-graph the x-axis would include the days of the week. The title could be “Amount of Exercise.” The y-axis label might be “Minutes of Exercise,” and the x-axis would be “Days of the Week.” Otherwise, I may determine how many minutes of exercise I would like to complete in a week and the x-axis would be the week numbers.
Terms: target behavior, behavior, reinforce, differential reinforcement of other (DRO), self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, behavioral intervention, contingency, punishment, frequency, punish, desirable, aversive, continuous reinforcement, fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement, variable ratio schedule of reinforcement, reinforcer, emit, behavioral diary, ABCs, baseline, antecedent, line-graph, y-axis, dependent measure, discriminate stimulus, elicit, response, x-axis
1) One thing that I liked about this section is how it helped clarify how it would be much easier to change our self-directed behavior if we were just more specific in the behavior we want to change. I think that defining the behavior better instead of using a target behavior will definitely make it much easier for all people to be able to change a behavior that they find undesirable.
2) There really was not anything in this section that I disliked. I felt that all of the information presented is very valuable especially to those who want to change a behavior.
3) One thing that I will definitely remember from this section is how important it is to be more specific when defining a behavior if it is a behavior that you want to change. This will make it easier to modify the behavior. I think this is important to know and something I will remember because it is not just something we have focused on in this section, but also previous section. Another idea that I found memorable was other-directed behavior. I found this interesting and memorable because sometimes behavior directed by others makes it easier to modify our own undesirable behaviors because we are no longer in control of them. Another idea that I found memorable was that many of our goals and aspirations to modify and undesirable behavior do not happen because we are trying to punish instead of reinforce.
4) One thing that I really liked about this section was how it laid out specific plan to follow in order to achieve self-directed behavior modification. I think each of the steps was broken down very well and were explained in a way to make it easy for most to understand and be able to carry out.
5) One thing that I liked the least about the section was step number three or keeping records. I understand that this is a very important part of changing a behavior because one needs to make sure they record the behaviors they are performing, however, this is a task that I have difficulties doing whether it is just from being lazy sometimes or completely forgetting.
6) One thing that I will remember from this section is that it is important to remember to decide what you will reinforce yourself with so you have some sort of initiative or reason to continue your behavior modification. Another idea that I found memorable from this section is how important it is to record your behaviors. Without records of your behavior you will not be aware of how many times you engaged in it which will make the entire process of modifying your behavior completely useless because you will have nothing to go off of. Lastly, remembering to establish antecedents that will help elicit the desired behavior I also found to very memorable. By doing this it will make the behavior modification process that much easier because the environment you are putting yourself in will help reinforce that desired behavior.
7) 1)Set goal: Less snacking between meals
2) Target behaviors: eat more healthy meals, eat at meal time and not weird hours (8,12,6) drink more water
3) Keep records: write down what and when you eat and keep track of how often snacking occurs.
4) Make a graph: graph the first week or baseline which does not include reinforcement and then once reinforcement starts graph the following few weeks to see if a difference occurs. Then try and continue the behavior without reinforcement and see if the desired behavior stays or returns to baseline.
5) Determine contingencies: after 3 days of limited snacking reward self with something enjoyable. (Going out with friends, a massage, get nails done)
6) Determine antecedents: try and create an environment that will enforce the desired behavior. Buying healthier foods or not being in certain places that will elicit snacking behavior.
7) Implement and adjust contingencies: tweak or change the contingencies if needed. Possibly see how the process goes for a while and change anything if necessary.
I would go about measuring the behavior just by keeping track or counting how many times it occurs. I would keep track of it by keeping a diary or just writing down how many times the behavior occurs somewhere.
For the graph title it could be called baseline and reinforced snacking behavior. A good label for the y-axis could be number of times snacking occurred and a good name for the x-axis would just be days.
8) Terms: elicit, reinforced, target behaviors, undesirable, desirable, self-directed behavior, others-directed behavior, contingencies, antecedent
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked about this section was the analysis of failed new years resolutions in relation to behavior modification. I thought that there was a lot of valid points made. You cant just say you're going to change a behavior without implementing an action plan.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing I liked least about this section was the example of converting a behavior that would normally require punishment into one that can be reinforced. I thought the example was vague and not explained well and immediately followed by an example box to fill out. This process will be something that takes practice, so it would have been nice to be given more examples.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember from this section is that it is always better to use reinforcement rather than punishment. We have previously learned this in earlier sections, but I feel that it makes a lot of sense in the context of self-directed behavior. Punishing yourself is never a good option, especially when trying to modify a behavior that is very difficult for you. You may become discouraged and give up if you continually punish yourself.
Another thing I will remember from this section is that when converting a normally punishable behavior to one that can be reinforced must still function to reduce undesirable behaviors. This is called differential reinforcement of other (DRO). I will remember this because it goes against the definition of reinforcement, which is to increase behavior, but in self-directed behavior you are typically trying to decrease and undesirable behavior.
Lastly, I will remember the four reasons to change, especially the first and second (behavior bothers us or others) because they are what most often causes us to want to self-direct and change our own behavior.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I liked about this section was the clear, defined steps to take to modify your own behavior. I like how the section went into detail about each one of them and also said potential challenges one could face at each phase of self-directed behavior.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I liked least about this section was the graphing part of the section. I liked this least because it was assigned to us to read after the fact we already had our water graph assignment due. Being assigned this reading before turning in our graphs would have greatly helped the class.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember from this section is that target behaviors must be not only precise and manageable, but measurable and fit within our daily lives as well. I liked these criteria because it helps us set more realistic goals for ourselves as opposed to be set up for failure.
Another thing I will remember is that when making a behavioral diary, it is a good idea to write it in the context of ABC's. This way if the behavior is not changing, one can go back and look at what happened before and after the elicited behavior which can help us tweak our reinforcement or antecedent to result in a better outcome.
Lastly, I will remember the 6 steps to self-directed behavior because we have already done a small assignment exemplifying this with our water graphs.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) Set goal: Reduce nail biting
2) Target Behaviors: clip, file, paint, get fake nails/manicure instead of biting
3) Keep a record: Keep a pocket sized notebook and keep track of how many times and in what setting I bite my nails.
4)Graph a Baseline: After a week of recording I would graph my data to see how often I actually bite my nails.
5) Determine the Contingencies: After one full day without nail biting reward myself with something enjoyable such as watching a movie or putting aside time to draw.
6) Determine the antecedents: after keeping a diary I would know when and where I bite my nails most often and could then avoid those situations and/or find something else to preoccupy myself.
7) Implement and adjust contingencies: See how this works for me for a while and adjust reinforcements/antecedents as needed.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would keep a pocket sized notebook with me and mark every time I bite my nails.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of the graph would be nail biting. The y-axis would be days of the week and the x-axis would be how many times I bite my nails per day. Good titles would be days and nail biting.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms: Behavior Modification, action plan, punishment, reinforcement, self-directed behavior, differential reinforcement of other (DRO), target behavior, elicit, behavioral diary, ABC's, antecedent, contingencies, y-axis, and x-axis.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked the part where the target behavior in resolutions is often too broad to provide reinforcement or punishment after the behavior is emitted because there are no check lists. It is like the resolution is more qualitative than quantitative. I noticed that I often resolve to “lose weight” or “get fit,” and now I know why I can never follow through.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I disliked the lack of new information given. I felt like there were maybe only three new terms. I like when there are a lot of new ideas introduced so I can have a lot to choose to discuss.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the idea of self-directed behavior just because I never think of “deciding to change something about myself or actions” as a form of behavior modification. I mainly just saw behavior modification as the manipulation of others’ behaviors.
I will remember coming to the realization just how broad most people’s resolutions are and it making a difference in the success of the change. It seems obvious after reading it. How can you reach goals without having clear ones? How would you know you reached it?
I will also remember finding it difficult to think of target behaviors for “enjoying life.” That is something hard to measure into one behavior. I figure it is different for everyone, though.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked that there was a 6 step method involved in changing a behavior. I like when things are set out rather than it being jumbled up or in one’s own order. This gave order the process of self-directed behavior.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I disliked the discussion of a behavioral diary. I find that to be too much effort into the record process with having to pay attention to the ABC’s of every target behavior. It just doesn’t seem realistic. I may pay attention in my head, but writing it down involves more writing than the actual process of changing my behavior.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the idea of baseline performance because I spent quite some time figuring mine out for my target behavior (losing weight). I wondered how often I work out now SPECIFICALLY and how well I ate SPECIFICALLY. The longer I spend thinking about a term, the more it stays in my head.
I will remember the line graph showing Kyle’s results. It just made me curious why Monday, Thursday, and Friday were peaks in his goals to write more. What occurred on those days to elicit more writing?
I will also remember step number five. Behavioral intervention is something that makes you realize that you need to go a certain amount of time before implementing the change so you can set attainable goals. People are always trying to cold turkey things but that won’t work because you don’t know if you can attain that. The process is much more valuable if you take note of your own abilities.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1.) I want to change the way I eat. This is broad so I am going to set a goal to eat fruits and vegetables at every meal. 2.) I can see that this goal is precise enough to notice the behavior occur. It is manageable because I am surrounded by fruits and vegetables in the cafeteria. It is measureable because I can record whether or not I have fruits and vegetables or not. It also fits into my everyday life because I eat every day. Some days I might eat more or less but I can still have fruits and vegetables at every meal I do eat. 3.) I may not be able to make a diary because it doesn’t seem manageable for me. I may take note in my cell phone if I miss fruits or vegetables or both at a meal. 4.) I could make a chart easily by going a week or a certain amount of meals recording my fruit and vegetable intake. 5.) I will notice when I’m weakest and when I’m strong with the intake of fruits and vegetables. I will then decide to reinforce myself weekly if I eat both at every meal (roughly 21 meals). I would like to order a pizza for reinforcement, but I’d like it to relate to my goal of eating healthier. I will reward myself with a new article of clothing every two weeks. This way I’m not spending too much weekly and I will continue to eat healthy to fit into the size I buy. 6.) I plan to change my antecedents to help me. I will not purchase snack foods and limit my eating location to the dining center because I know they always have fruits and vegetables.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would measure the behavior by tracking when I forget to eat either food. I will notice more when I forget to eat something and I can take note of it in my phone and record what I missed on paper weekly.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I might record how many meals I ate both fruits and vegetables. My title would be Fruit and Vegetable Meal Count. My y-axis would be titled Meals ranging from 0 to 21. My x-axis would be titled Week ranging from Week One to Week Four.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms: behavior, target behavior, emit, reinforcement, punishment, self directed behavior, behavior modification, baseline performance, behavioral diary, elicit, line graph, behavioral intervention, reinforce, behavior
1 a&b) I found the section about New Year’s resolutions to be interesting because it pointed out a few ideas that made me more aware of why so many resolutions are unsuccessful. I didn’t realize how concise your resolution needs to be in order for you to be able to achieve it. So many people make really vague goals and they often don’t really formulate a plan to change their behaviors either. I was also surprised to think about how many resolutions require punishment rather than reinforcement which we know immediately makes it that much harder to accomplish.
2) I didn’t like the section about differential reinforcement as much because I wasn’t sure at first what it meant to reinforce incompatible behaviors. That seems backwards to me so at first I thought this section was a little confusing or it just didn’t make sense to me. However, after reading further the rest of the reading seems to clarify this topic a bit.
3 a,b&c) This section will help me to remember the importance of keeping behavioral goals very concise and it will also help me to remember that as a way to check it’s conciseness we need to see if we can actually make a check every time that we successfully complete the behavior. This helped me to fix a lot of vague statements I had made because many behaviors we think we want to change we wouldn’t be able to check off until the entire behavioral plan was over due to it not having any small, specific goals. This section also helped me to better understand how to change a goal like “quitting smoking” which would require punishment, to a goal that would be more reinforcing like chew gum when craving a cigarette.
4 a&b) I liked that this section gives the steps to changing a target behavior. It really clarifies and sets up a good structure so that we only have to insert our goal and what we want our reinforcer to be and we are good to go. The goals also help to keep your behavioral plan in step with actually succeeding.
5) I have to say the section I disliked the most was the part about graphing the data because I just dislike graphing in general. The section was easy to understand however, but I still am an anti-graph person so while it was interesting, I disliked it the most.
6 a,b&c) I will remember the importance of making the target behavior manageable so that you can actually fit it into your schedule and implement it in your life. I also will remember the importance of using a good reinforcer. The text says to try and make the reinforcement something that relates to the actual behavior you are trying to change. And the last thing I will remember is that it is very important to make your goal something that can be easily measured. This will help to obtain the goal as well as to record your progress and be able to graph it later.
7a) 1) I want to read my Bible more often; 2) I want to read my Bible every night up to 75 verses; 3) I will record when I read my Bible; 4) After a week of data I will graph my baseline; 5) I will be using a reinforcement method by letting myself sleep in 10 extra minutes the next morning; 6) I will keep my Bible next to my bed and/or set an alarm on my phone
7b) I will be able to make a checklist and just check it every night if I am able to obtain my goal. It will be easy to keep track of the behavior because I will do it at a set time every night (right before I go to bed) and I will have everything I need to record things right by my bed.
7c) The title of the graph would be Bible Readings, the y-axis label would be “# of verses,” and the x-axis would have the days of the week on it.
8) Terminology: concise, vague, formulate, punishment, differential reinforcement, incompatible behaviors, goal, behavioral plan, graphing, checklist
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
What I enjoyed most from this section was how it described how exactly self-directed behavior works and how it is differs from having another person modify our behavior. It was nice to see how it is about being specific with our behaviors and not vague when looking to change something.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Something I did not necessarily like with this section was how all of the information was slightly vague and there was not a whole lot of new information beyond self-directing behavior. The old information that was presented was also done without much of a recap or given with examples.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing I will remember from this section how it is more important to redefine alternate behaviors that are able to be reinforced but still influence the reduction of the target behavior. Another thing I will remember is the difference between other-directed behavior, which is what we have previously learned in past section, and self-directed behavior. This is important because it describes the different motivations between the two. The last thing I will remember from this section will be how many new year’s resolutions are not fulfilled because they lack a clear and concise target behavior.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
What I enjoyed most about this section is how it broke self-directed behavior into six steps and then went into detail about each one so all points are made very clear.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There is not anything from this section I disliked because all of the information was very important and provided a good explanation of the material.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing I will remember from this section is that if you are wanting to increase a behavior using this six-step process you should always find a baseline to show improvement. I will remember this because we are currently doing graphs with baselines for our water consumption experiment. The second thing I will remember is that in order to do this you must set it up in accordance to the ABC’s and determine when as well as how you will reinforce yourself. The last thing I will remember is how when you follow this method it is not set that you must follow it completely and there is room for tweaking at the end when you know what works and what does not.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1)I want to do more pull-ups. 2) I want to add 20 pull-ups to every workout. 3) I will keep make note of how many pull-ups I do each workout and how many sets it takes me to get the full number. 4) After one full week I will graph a baseline based upon my notes. 5) As a reinforcer I will reward myself with an extra minute of sleep for every pull-up I can do past 20. 6) To help with my goal I will always start every workout at the pull-up bar and will not move on until I reach my goal each day.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will be able to measure my behavior by taking note of the number of reps or pull-ups I complete each day in my fitness journal.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of my graph would be “Pull-ups,” the label for the y-axis would be number of pull-ups completed, and the x-axis would be marked by the corresponding workout of the week.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
self-directed behavior, target behavior, other-directed behavior, baseline, ABC’s and reinforce.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I like how they broke down the two resolutions: spending more time with family/friends and getting fit. I liked this because it implemented the terms behavioral class and target behavior and the significance of the difference. It makes sense why a broad resolution like hanging out with your family more would be hard to behaviorally reinforce because there is no specific target behavior, which you can measure or reward yourself for.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I did not like the order of the first two pages of information. I did not like this initially because the second page gave more of the exact definitions and examples of self and other-directed behavior, while the first page kind of gave more context information, so I was kind of confused about the terms when I started reading.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the main reason resolutions fail is not defining a target behavior, because there is no way to measure or reinforce/punish a broad resolution. I learned this through resolution examples.
I learned how to use differential reinforcement for self-directed behaviors that usually use punishment to reduce the frequency of behaviors. I learned this because I connected the information that it is easier to modify a behavior with reinforcement, and it makes sense to be able to have a behavior that doesn’t allow the other behavior.
I learned the difference between self-directed and other-directed behavior being that other-directed is when you are managing someone else rather then yourself. I learned this because of the examples provided really made it easy to understand.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked how this section was laid out in general. I liked this because this chapter broke down each one of the steps in their each individual segment, which would have been more understandable then if it were all-together.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I did not dislike anything about this section. It was split up nice, it gave step-by-step instructions of self-directed behavior, and it supplied one very easy continual example of the writer.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the importance of a diary. This is because it allows you to record your baseline and determine the quality of results of the behavioral intervention and contingencies.
I learned about how goals need to be manageable and need to fit into your life. I learned this because I have previously known the importance of the preciseness, but it only makes sense that it needs to fit into your life also, which makes it apparent to me that you need to think about your target behavior in that context.
I also learned that you might need to change your contingencies around a bit after you see your results. Behavioral modification does not always work right away; you might need to change around the reinforcers and when they are delivered.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) Set goal: Work out more
2) Set target behaviors: Going to the gym after class each day, do every workout on the days workout plan, stretch every day for 20 minutes after my workout.
3) Keep records: Have a notebook of my workouts each day, and figure out how much I lift before I start the reinforcement (baseline).
4) Make a graph: Graph this baseline of the days I lifted, the percent of the workouts completed, and what days or how long I stretched after my workouts.
5) Determine Contingencies: The effective reinforces I would use is after each week of fulfilling all my target behaviors; I can go out to eat that Friday of being done lifting.
6) Determine the antecedents: The antecedent I would use would have a pre-workout drink made for me in the morning, and have it in the fridge. This would remind me to drink this, when I have my lunch after class to give me energy to lift.
7) Implement and adjust the contingencies: See how successful my self-management project is going, and if the contingencies are not working find a more effective reinforce or delivery time.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I can keep track of this behavior by having a lifting plan set up, and crossing out every lift I am supposed to do on each day. This can be recorded by how many days a week I lift, and percent of lifts accomplished.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I would have to make two separate graphs most likely, and it would look the same as the drinking graph. The title would be Lifting Pattern. Y-axis would be labeled days lifted, and percent of lifts accomplished. The x-axis would just be the days of the week.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in
your post.
Behavioral class, target behavior, reinforce, self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, differential reinforcements, punish, diary, baseline, behavioral intervention, contingencies
1. I really liked the overall appeal of this section. Instead of reading sections of behavioral and historical information, it was exciting to see how each section we have read has built a solid foundation for us to self-direct our behaviors. It is fulfilling to be able to apply all of the knowledge we have learned from the previous sections into increasing or decreasing our target behavior.
2. I did not dislike anything in this section. It was an easy read and did not pose any problems.
3. The first thing I will remember from this section is the difference between self-directed behaviors and other-directed behaviors. Teachers will often use other-directed behaviors if a student is misbehaving. Often times as adults if we use other-directed behaviors in a noticeable fashion, it can appear as if we are attempting to manipulate another person. However this can prove to be beneficial in some instances. Self-directed behavior is exactly as its name implies, directing behavioral changes on our own. Secondly, I have further understood the importance of making goals/behaviors specific. If we simply say I want to exercise more, we are not really on the right path to achieving our goal. Sure we have identified a behavior we would like to increase but the other variables involved are either absent or too vague. How much do we want to exercise? What counts as exercise? These are questions we need to answer before proceeding. Lastly, some behavioral changes are more linked to punishment. It is important to isolate those behaviors and reinforce whenever possible. If this cannot be done then it becomes a priority to identify alternate behaviors that are incompatible with the target behavior. Reinforcing the incompatible behaviors will naturally serve as a deterrence from the behavior we would like to decrease. Quitting drinking was an example in the text. Let's say an incompatible behavior of quitting drinking is hanging out with friends and family members who do not drink. Every time we attend a gathering where people are not drinking we reinforce ourselves.
4. Again I truly enjoyed this section because it was basically a comprehensive approach to self-directed behaviors. Everything we have learned up to this point is reflected in the work I complete going forward. I liked how Dr. Maclin had us read a sample behavioral intervention while we developed ours as well. I was able to see what problems might arise in the example intervention and how I can avoid those in my own self-directed behavioral intervention
5. There was nothing in this section I disliked. It was an easy read and I learned a great deal about developing proper behavioral intervention strategies
6. I will not forget how important it is to establish a baseline before we begin reinforcing. If we forget this crucial step, it becomes nearly impossible to see if a reinforcer is actually doing what its supposed to do. First establish a baseline and graph it on paper so that we can factually see how our behavior fluctuates. In addition, I understand the importance of keeping a diary to record our behaviors. Also we should record each time we reinforce our target behavior and what environmental factors may have aided or hindered our behavior from occurring. The more information we know about our own behaviors, the better we can get a feel for what reinforcer is working. The last thing I will not forget about this section was how important the schedule of reinforcement is on our behavior. The example in the text was perfect. If we want to increase our writing behavior and we reinforce with a chocolate chip cookie, it does not make sense to eat the reinforcer before we emit the behavior. Eating the cookie while we are writing will also not result in the strengthening of the behavior and reinforcer. It may seem obvious to some but nonetheless it is the most important strategy in effective self-directed behaviors, use reinforcement after we finish emitting a behavior. The association between the two will be the strongest.
7A.
1. I will exercise 20-30 minutes per day
2. I will reinforce with free time and music listening upon completion of the goal
3. I will first graph a weeks worth of baseline data and then begin reinforcement
7B.
I will keep track in a diary I purchase. The diary will consist of the time the behavior occurred and when the reinforcement was delivered. One problem I may come across is having to wait until I get home from the gym to reinforce the behavior.
7C.
The title of the graph would be exercise adherence. The dependent measure would be minutes exercised (y-axis). The x-axis would consist of the days of the week. I would use a simple line graph to see the daily fluctuations of my behavior.
terms: target behavior, punishment, reinforcement, self-directed behaviors, others-directed behaviors, alternate behaviors, emit, schedules of reinforcement, baseline, dependent measure
Section 4.1
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked hearing about New Year's resolutions and the critiques that were made about them from a behavioral standpoint. It helped me to further grasp the importance of having a clear and concise target behavior and how most New Year's resolutions are focused on a behavioral class, rather than a specific behavior.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Some of the items for making specific target behaviors (like for "get fit") were a little hard only because I was afraid that I wasn't being specific enough about the target behavior.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a)self-directed behavior: I'll remember this concept because it involves the word "self," which makes it easier to conceptualize as a behavior in which I will either reinforce or punish by my own free will, therefore eliciting the behavior to be emitted more often, or by failing to reinforce the behavior, thereby causing extinction of the target behavior.
b)other-directed behavior: I'll remember this because it's sums up every persons childhood and primary education because someone else is handling punishments and reinforcement by determining whether your behavior had the appropriate consequence.
c)Differential reinforcement of other (DRO): I'll remember this because it is basically reinforcing any behavior except those behaviors that are interfering or aversive, like reinforcing behaviors that are desirable and ignoring those that aren't. I will admit that this topic is still a little sketchy for me, though.
Section 4.2
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked learning about the different steps of self-directed behavior modification because I was a little fuzzy on how exactly to go about this Behavior Change Project and how to make sure that I was being detailed enough about my target behavior. This section helped to clarify.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The only thing that I'm worried about is labeling my graph adequately. I feel like I could name them better, or have a better plan for implementing the data into the chart.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a)Step 2: Make sure that the target behavior is: "1) Precise, 2) Manageable, 3) Measurable, and 4) Fitwithin the practical scope of our daily lives." I'll remember this because I had a few ideas for the Behavior Change Project that didn't meet one or more of these 4 criterion.
b) Behavioral diary. I'll obviously remember this term because I kept a behavioral diary for the water-drinking reinforcement period, and I'll need to keep one for the target behavior I decide on for my Behavior Change Project.
c) Behavioral Intervention: I'll remember this because once I collect the baseline (normal) recordings of my target behavior, I can then implement a behavioral intervention that includes a reinforcer and self-evaluated criterion for whether or not I performed the target behavior to a degree in which it should be reinforced.
Behavior Change Project
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
I would like to change my behavior of driving to school everyday and modify this behavior to walking/riding my bike to school every day that I have classes (Monday-Friday).
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would need to keep a behavioral diary of every day I have school, and record the days that I walk or ride my bike to school versus driving there.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of the graph would be "Alternative Transportation to School." A label for the x-axis would be "Method of Transportation." A label for the y-axis would be "Days of School." Some limitations include: the data would have to be coded (for example, walking/riding bike could be coded as a '1', and driving to school could be coded as a '2', that way it could be presented on a line graph appropriately). The days of school would have to exclude weekends and holidays, so there would only be 5 days per given week or weekends and holidays would need to be coded as '0' and listed on the x-axis.
Terms: modify, behavior, target behavior, behavioral class, punish, reinforce, self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, elicit, emit, extinction, consequence, alternative behavior, differential reinforcement of other (DRO), aversive, desirable, self-directed behavior modification, behavioral intervention, baseline
1.) One thing I liked about this section was learning more in depth of self-directed behavior and setting your own goals that you want to modify.
2.) One thing I liked least were coming up with so many examples for the resolutions and their target behaviors.
3.) Three things I will remember are that New Year's resolutions fail because they're too broad. They also fail because they involve punishment instead of reinforcement. Lastly, I will remember that differential reinforcement of other, since these are new things I learned and are interested in learning about.
4.) One thing I liked about this section was learning the six steps for self-directed behavior.
5.) One thing I liked the least was about graphing the behavior since graphing is boring to read about, and already know how to make a line graph.
6.) Three things I will remember most are the six steps, record daily and right after you have done your behavior so it is credible, and make sure the target behavior is precise, manageable, and fit in with your daily life. I will remember these since it is crucial for these steps to be used when doing the project.
7.) Step 1- Goal- Emit more cardio in my workouts.
Step 2- Target behaviors-Run every other day on the track or the elliptical machine. Do the cardio workouts on my Billy's Boot-camp DVD. Try and run a mile in 7 minutes or less.
Step 3- Record my cardio time and distance in a notebook.
Step 4- I will graph daily of my results using a line graph of how long I did cardio every day of the week.
Step 5- The effective reinforcement at the end of the cardio duration I will allow myself to lift free weights after I complete the cardio, since I only lift and do not do any cardio.
Step 6- The antecedent would be my gym bag and Ipod laying on my laptop so I won't decide to get on the internet and go run instead.
Step 7- I will evaluate if this form of reinforcement is working, and if not, then I will change my reinforcer to a different one, or change my antecedent to remind and push me to go run.
To measure my behavior I will take my notebook and record the time and distance I ran for on the track and also take pictures of the elliptical summary with my phone. Then graph it on my line graph.
This line graph would be titled as Cardio Duration. The Y-axis would be the time of cardio I completed in minutes. The X-axis would be the days of the week.
8.) Self-directed behavior, emit, target behaviors, differential reinforcement of other, reinforcement, punishment, 6 steps for self-directed behavior, antecedent
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? I really liked that the section talked about changing our own behaviors because we haven't really discussed this yet and it is something I feel like a lot of people can use and relate to
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? I didnt really dislike anything in this section, I thought that it was all pretty relevant information that I could relate to
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
- I will remember that maybe the reason peoples new years resolutions fail is because they are have too broad of a target behavior
- I will remember that self directed behavior deals with changing your own behaviors
- I will remember other directed behavior because it is like in elementary how you got rewarded or punished by another person
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? I liked that it broke down the process into steps so reaching the final goal seems more achievable and reasonable.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? Again with this section there wasn't really anything I disliked. I thought that the breakdown of the steps was clear and easy to remember
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
- I will remember the steps starting with set a goal because they are simple steps and seem like they would really help in achieving a target behavior that you need to accomplish
- I will remember that establishing a baseline is important in the process
- I will also remember that keeping a record of your data is important so you can track your progress and see the little changes you are making that will eventually get you to the end goal.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Step one (set a goal): Drink Less pop
Step Two (Define Target Behavior): Drink only one pop a week instead of a few a week like I am now
Step 3 (record): I would record how many pops I drink during the week and maybe on what day/time
Step 4: Graph a baseline and data of how many pops I drank. X axis would be pops and y would be weeks
Step 5 (contingencies): Reinforcers may be things like spending the money I would normally spend on pop on something else I want
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior? Keep a piece of paper on my fridge or somewhere handy and mark every time I have a pop and on what day.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis? It would probably look opposite of the water drinking because with water we were trying to drink more, but with the pop I am trying to drink less. Title would pops per week. Y axis would be weeks, X axis would be pops
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Self directed behavior, other directed behavior, reinforcers, punishment, target behavior, 6 steps for self directed behavior,
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I like this section cleared up the role of DRO. I didn’t remember it from previous sections, so it was a nice refresher in this section.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn’t dislike anything in this section, because the section was helpful, clearly understood and I feel like it will actually help with achieving my goal for the project.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember that where (or more directly “who”) the direction in regards to goals impacts how we perceive them. Other directed goals come from outside ourselves and can seem like orders/being controlled-which people generally don’t like. While self-directed goals come from within ourselves and are therefore seen as using our own free-will to do what we want-not what somebody else wants. The second thing I will remember is a goal must be specific if it will be possible to meet. A goal that is too broad could be mistaken for a behavioral class instead of a clearly defined behavior. The third thing I will remember is that if a goal doesn’t work the first time, redefinition could result in alternative behaviors that will still meet goal-jus in a different way than expected. These are all important concepts to apply to the project and to goals in general.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how this section gave us a list of steps for completing self-directed goals. The whole reason I took this class was that I hoped it would cover self-directed goals.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn’t like step 4. I don’t like excel because it is hard to use, and this means that excel will be involved in the project.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the steps involved in self-directed behavior: set goal, define target behaviors based on goals, keep records of changing behaviors, graph baseline, determine contingencies, and determine antecedents. The second thing I will remember is that the 6th step is very important because that is when the circumstances (aka antecedents) will be defined as a way of helping elicit desired behaviors. The third thing I will remember is behaviors should be recorded as soon they are completed, waiting to record them could result in mistakes that mess up the results. These are all important concepts in goal setting.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Lose weight(as in become physically slimmer).
2. Go to Gym every day and eat two salads a day for meals
3. Make a chart where I can check off when I went to gym and ate salads
4. Use this week as base line.
5. Reinforcer will be adding 1 dollar to jar (I can only spend money at end of specified time period) and saving money until I have enough money to buy new pair of shoes.
6. Bring something to pass time at gym (iPod, book)
7b) how might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Make a special chart for gym visits and salads ate.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The first graph would be more of chart labeled “Gym visits”. The y-axis would be the dependent measure and would be called “Date”. The x-axis would be simple row of where I could place a “x” indicating I went to gym.
The second graph would be a line graph labeled “Salads Consumed”. The y-axis would be labeled with “number of salads ate”. The x-axis would be labeled with the days of the week.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
DRO, Goal, direction, Other directed goals, self-directed goals, behavioral class, behavior, redefinition, alternative behaviors, baseline, contingencies, antecedents, elicit, desired behaviors, graph, chart, y-axis, x-axis , dependent measure.
4.1
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked reading about the New Years resolutions and the critiques on them. Because it made sense that you need to focus on a clear target behavior and not just a behavioral class
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
i liked least coming up with examples of resolutions and there target behavior, just because it took more time
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a-New Years resolutions fail because they are too broad lacking in specific target behaviors. Because of having to come up with examples of resolutions and target behaviors
b-that it is better to redefine alternative behaviors that can be reinforced, but will still
function to reduce the original target behavior. This is referred to as differential reinforcement of other (DRO)
c-Behaviors can be directed by others or by ourselves.Because i thought it was interesting that when others direct behaviors,it can feel manipulative.
4.2
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how this sections was broken down in steps on how to change a behavior because it was easy to follow
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
i liked least filling out the box just because it takes more time
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a-that goals are typically broad and usually reflect a behavioral class rather than specific behaviors.Because of the example of writing more.
b-that when possible when setting a
goal we should try to base it on increasing a desirable
behavior rather than decreasing an undesirable behavior to avoid the need for punishment.
c-that target behaviors that are precise, manageable, and fit within the scope of our daily lives will typically be easier to achieve.because of the example of writing more and narrowing it down to writing more creative stories
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
step 1 watching less TV
step 2 only watch 2 hours of tv a day, do not have tv on unless actively watching it, write down every day how many hours and mins spent watching tv
step 3 everyday write down the time i sat down to watch tv and than write down the time i turned the tv off
step 4 have a line graph showing how many hours spent watching tv
step 5 the reinforcer will be having one day a week to watch as much tv as i want
step 6 record tv shows that i enjoy watching and save them to watch on the one free day of tv watching, have other activities to do besides watching tv like a good book or spend more time with family
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
writing down every time i watch tv and recording what time i stopped
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
a line graph similar to the one we did on water drinking. The title would be tv watching y axis would be days and the x axis would be the number of hours
8)target behavior, behavioral class, reinforcement, differential reinforcement of other DRO, punishment
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really like that this chapter was very easy to read! It feels like were really getting into the material and starting to apply it. I really like that this chapter got me thinking about ways to specifically help my goals.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn't anything that I disliked, the chapter was enjoyable to read!
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the difference between self-directed and other-directed behaviors. Self-directed being that we modify our behavior ourselves, and other-directed is where others direct your behavior (simply put). I will also remember that in order to change a behavior it has to be a specific behavior and not be something vague. Also that you have to have to know how you want to achieve that goal. Such as quitting cold turkey, doing so gradually, etc..
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I have been telling myself that I am going to workout 3 times a week for almost 4 months now. I really liked this chapter because now I know how I can accomplish my goals. I know how to lose weight (diet-wise and exercise), it's just a matter of putting all of the pieces together and seeing results.This chapter gives me a step by step solution on how to work towards me goal!
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Again, have no complaints.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember to record things. Part of the reason I struggle so much is that I don't want to take the time to write down all of the calories I eat in a day, but I think that if I start to graph things out I will see that I will (hopefully) be losing weight which will give me motivation to do so. Which leads me to the second thing I will remember which is graphing it. The third thing will be choosing a reinforcer. Every time I get myself to workout, I reward myself with a delicious treat like ice cream to make myself feel better for being so out of shape. (I understand that working out in the first place was practically useless). From this I know that I need to choose a better reinforcer such as free time or tanning.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) Lose weight/get fit
2)Lose 15 pounds by graduation
3)Use 'notes' from my phone to keep track of calories
4)My graph will contain my weight which will be charted every week. (line graph)
5)My reinforcer will be being able to tan at Planet Fitness/hanging out with friends
6) I will use my phone to journal my progress, keep workout clothes in my car, and have my fiance go grocery shopping with me- this is because he doesn't let me buy unhealthy food, when I go alone that is when I buy ice cream and cookies!
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will log my weight every week, and also have a different chart with caloric intake.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
For logging my weight I am hoping that it will steadily decrease! The title will be weight progress, y-axis will be weight, and x-axis will be time
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
self-directed, other-directed, reinforcer,
1. What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I really liked in this section was the examples. The examples actually take place in real life and were not just made up. The examples were also explained in depth which really helped me understand this section.
2. What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I liked the least in this section was the lack of examples for converting a behavior that would be punished into one that could be reinforced. It would have been nice to have an example given before the box to fill out so I could check and make sure I was on the right track.
3. What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing I will remember is other-directed behaviors. They are behaviors that are controlled by others. I will remember this because it makes sense. I will also remember self-directed behaviors. Self-directed behaviors are behaviors directed by ourselves. I will remember this because it makes sense. I will also remember that reinforcement works better than punishment. This is important when making goals because some goals need to be changed in order for a reinforcement to be given. An example of this would be to quit smoking. This is a goal that would involve punishment so it is best to change the goal to something that you could do instead of smoking that would be reinforcing. This is also called differential reinforcement of other.
4. What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how this section laid out all of the steps in an easy to understand way. I liked how specific each of the steps was. I also liked how it followed the same example for each of the steps.
5. What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The one thing that I didn’t like in this section was the part about making a graph. This was information that I already knew. We also went over it in class and I already knew the information then so I didn’t need it a third time.
6. What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the first step for a behavior change is to set a goal. This is an important step because it provides a target to work towards. The goal also needs to be specific so that you know when it is met. The second thing that I will remember is that step 3 is to keep a record. This can be done by keeping a behavioral diary. This is where you keep track of the behavior and what the antecedents and consequences for the behavior were. The third thing I will remember is step 4 which is to graph a baseline. A baseline is what you normally do when the behavior is not being reinforced. This is important because you can look back and see if the behavior changed.
7a. Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Set Goal: Exercise more
Define/Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors: I will ride a bike 3 times a week for at least 30 min.
Keep a Record: I take notes on my phone.
Graph a baseline: After one week I will graph how many times I rode the bike.
Determine Contingencies: After riding the bike for 3 times during the week I will reinforce myself with setting aside time to play XBOX.
Determine Antecedents: After looking at my notes I will be able to know when I rode the bike and what the antecedents were.
Implement and adjust contingencies: I will see how this works and make changes if necessary.
7b. How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will measure the behavior in number of times a week I ride the bike for at least 30 min. I will keep track of the behavior using my phone.
7c. How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I think this would look similar to the graph we did for the water drinking but it will stay high at the end instead of dropping off. A good label for the y-axis would be times that I rode the bike for at least 30 min. A good label for the x-axis would be weeks.
Terms used: other-directed behaviors, self-directed behaviors, reinforcement, punishment, differential reinforcement of other, behavioral diary, antecedents, consequences, baseline, contingencies
1.Something I really liked about section 4.1 was when it talked about New Year’s Resolutions and changing our behaviors and why we aren’t doing it now! I liked this because it was interesting to me to read about the most common resolutions and how most of the time, people don’t stick with it. I worked at a gym in high school and we would always be so busy at the beginning of January- a month later, we weren’t busy at all. It’s kind of funny. People need reinforcement to keep going with their resolutions.
2.There really wasn’t anything I disliked in this section; it just seemed like a really easy one. It was kind of common sense or something we’ve learned before. There wasn’t anything I can think of that I had a hard time understanding.
3.Three things I’ll remember from this section is that first, you have to be very specific with your target behavior you want to change. If you aren’t, you are not likely to succeed. Secondly, I’ll remember the difference between self-directed and other-directed behaviors. This is easy to remember just because of the words themselves. Self-directed is a behavior directed by ourselves. Other-directed behavior is a behavior directed by someone else. Lastly, I’ll remember that only some New Year’s Resolutions can be met with reinforcement. I’ll remember this because I filled out the box for that one.
4.Something I really liked about section 4.2 was the 6 steps involved to change a behavior. I liked this because it was really simple and following steps is the best way for me to learn/change/etc. It was really laid out for us and I liked that.
5.There was nothing I disliked about this section. It was easy to read and laid out step by step. I liked this one.
6.Three things I’ll remember from this section are the 6 steps to change a behavior. I’ll remember this because it was interesting for me to read. Secondly, I’ll remember that all good graphs have labels and a good title. I’ll remember this because it’s basically been implanted in my brain through other classes and I know it’s important. Lastly, I’ll remember that establishing a baseline is really important in this process.
7.
A) A behavior I would like to change is to work out more often. I want to become more physically fit.
Step 1- Become more physically fit.
Step 2- Go to the WRC 4 times a week and work out for 1.5 hours.
Step 3- Keep track of how long I run for at a time, how long my planks are, and how many ab work outs I do.
Step 4- My graph will chart my weight/BMI weekly.
Step 5- When I work out, I will be able to reinforce myself. My reinforcer will be being able to eat dessert once a week in the cafeteria. If I work out all 4 days, on Friday, I will be able to eat a dessert.
Step 6- I will lay out my work out clothes before class, so when I get back from class I’ll be reminded and feel more pressured to get myself to the gym.
B) I’ll keep track of my weight loss/BMI in a journal once a week.
C) If this were on a graph, the title could be “Weekly Weight Loss in Pounds” A good label for the y-axis could be “weight in pounds” and for my x-axis it could be “time”
Terms: reinforcement, target behavior, self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, baseline
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
Something I really liked from this section was the "calling out" new years resolutions. Why not start today? I think it was a valuable part of the section to really put across the point that we can change our behavior at literally any time. Not just once a year...
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Something I liked least from this section was filling in all the boxes, because I felt like there were alot of blanks when I really only needed a few to get the point across.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Something I will remember from this section is to be specific when choosing a target behavior to modify. It will be hard to modify anything if you're not specific about what it is you would like to change. Like the examples in the text, it is important not to choose a behavior class so you can be sure to punish or reinforce the appropriate behavior. Another thing I will remember from this section is that it is really easy to alternate behaviors. You can't drink a beer if you are drinking a water. Lastly, I will remember the 4 reasons for changing behavior. (Bothers you or someone else, is illegal, or is causing harm.)
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
Something I liked from this section was how well it described the 6 steps. I didn't feel like I was lost or had to re-read anything several times to grasp a concept. I thought this section was very good with the explanations.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I think what I liked least from this section was reading about the graphs. Even though it was important information to know for a future assignment/current assignment, I found myself wanting to just skim over the information about it. Graphs just seem like they should be self explanatory to me.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Something I will remember from this section is that in order to know if we are improving, we first need to know the baseline. It is important to be able to tell if we truly are improving. I will also remember that it is important to write the behavior down right away while it is fresh in your mind. If you wait until the end of the day there is a possibility you could remember wrong or forget entirely. Lastly, I will remember that we use a line graph to chart out our behavior. This is customary, and if I think about it, it makes the most sense. You can cleary see all of the information, and it is in the easiest format to interpret the data.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. I want to be in better shape.
2. I will exercise 30 minutes, 6 days a week
3. I will keep a notebook, and write in it how long I exercised and how often AS SOON as I finish my workout
4. I will graph this week and use it as my baseline, my graph will be a line graph using the x axis as days of the week and the y axis as minutes I worked out for.
5. After I finish my goal for the day, I will reinforce it with Facebook time
6. The time I use to check my facebook, I will use to workout and allow myself to check facebook after.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Everytime I finish working out, I will mark it down in my notebook, and keep it on my desk also to remind me everytime I see it to work out for the day. I will write down what I did for the day, and how long I exercised.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
This graph will also be a line graph, the Title for my graph would probably be Time Exercising per Day. A label for the y-axis would be days of the week, and the x-axis would be the amount of minutes I spent exercising.
8. Terminology: Target Behavior, Reinforce, Punish, Alternate Behaviors, Baseline
1. It was really eye opening when I read the part about why do we try to change one thing we don’t like or want to improve on once a year (new years resolutions) when we could be working on ourselves throughout the entire year. I then realized that most things can be changed with reinforcement and punishment is rarely needed.
2. I didn’t like learning how much behaviors can be directed or manipulated by others, because I like to believe that most people have control of themselves.
3. I will remember to make more concise and specific target behaviors when trying to change something, because that proves to be more fruitful. I will also remember that most things can be fixed with reinforcement opposed to punishment, this interested me because I did an entire project on how I favor reinforcement over punishment. Lastly I will remember how to define a target behavior, because I feel like that was a very important part of the section and put everything together.
4. I really liked learning how to manipulate and relate the reinforcement to the activity in which you are doing because you could potentially not have a cap on the amount of which you are bettering yourself if you keep manipulating the reinforcement every time you find it becoming to easy to reach.
5. Something I didn’t really like about this section was learning how to graph a baseline, because I feel as though that is irrelevant to behavior modification and is a waste of time if you’re already recording your results.
6. The thing I will remember most is the basis 6 steps involved in changing a behavior because I believe that this will actually help me change the things I don’t like about myself. I will remember how to set a goal and make it a specific behavior because it is WAY more helpful that way. I will remember the order of the steps easier now, because it was reiterating every thing we have been doing the past few weeks with our water intake.
7.
a. I would like to spend more time studying for exams in advance.
b. If I begin studying at least a week before I will be rewarded with buying a new outfit.
c. I would record how many times I studying at least a week before an exam date.
d. Then graph the days away from each exam that I began to study
8. On a graph, I would like it to at least look consistent in the amount of days I began studying before an exam, so perhaps a straight line or a line going up and to the right.
9. Manipulate, reinforcement,
4.1
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I really liked that was in this section was just that it was about the beginning steps to making a resolution or decision to change a behavior that you may not like. I feel that this was a beneficial section to read since there are many behaviors that I have been trying to change, but now see why I have been unsuccessful.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Since I am really interested in what this section has to say, I really did not find anything that I disliked. I felt that this section was pretty easy to understand as well as being interesting to read.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember from what I read in this section is that in order to make a change, like a new years resolution, that we need to choose something that is a target behavior, and not part of a behavioral class. I will remember this because I feel this is something to really consider when choosing to set a goal or resolution for yourself. Secondly, I will remember that there are ways to change a behavior that seems like it would be punished, to one that would be reinforced. I feel that having the behavior reinforced instead of punished will make it easier to change the way we would like it to be changed. Lastly, I will remember that self-directed behavior modification will make you feel more at ease then other-directed behavior. So, rather then having someone try to help you change a behavior, doing it yourself will be much more effective.
4.2
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked that was in this section was that it did give you step by step instructions regarding how to change a behavior. I really enjoyed this because I finally read something in a text book that I may actually use outside of class, and therefore I found it much more interesting.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Like the last section, I couldn't really find anything in this section that I disliked. Since I enjoyed the topic that the section was about, it made it difficult to find anything that I did not enjoy.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember from this section is that setting a goal based on increasing a desirable behavior versus trying to decrease an undesirable behavior will be much more effective because then I am able to reward myself rather then punish. I feel that this is essential when deciding which target behavior you are trying to modify. Secondly, I will remember that a baseline is important when it comes to tracking any improvement that you have made. This is important because without it it'll be harder to see your progress from before you began any reinforcement or punishment. Lastly, I will remember that it is important that you choose a behavior that is easy to record at the time it happens. Having to think back over what has happened that day could easily change your results so they are no longer accurate.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Run 13.2 miles by June
2. Go to WRC 3-5 times a week and run 2 miles the first week, increasing the number of miles by 1 each week I go.
3. Record the amount I ran per day and the amount of time it took me
4. My chart will record my distance/time as the x axis and the day as the y axis.
5. Every time I go to the WRC to run, I will allow myself 2 hours of Netflix time.
6. I will keep a countdown of the days until the half marathon, so I can keep track of my effort and keep myself motivated.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will put the time and distance of each run in the calendar of my planner on every day that I run. Therefore, I can see how I am improving as the weeks go by.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
My title for my graph would be Time ran per distance. The X axis on my graph would be the amount of time each ran took me, and the Y axis would be the distance I ran.
Terminology: behavior modification, self-directed behavior, target behavior, behavioral class, reinforced, punished, other-directed behavior, baseline
1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked that this section discussed New Years’ resolutions because it is a very relevant way to discuss self-directed behaviors and self-reinforcement. I also liked that it made a distinction between punishment and reinforcement in talking about these behaviors because I believe a big reason why many people give up on New Years’ Resolutions is that they do involve punishment and because so many people make the mistake of using behavioral classes as if it was a specific target behavior without realizing their mistake.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I liked that it focused on New Years’ resolutions so much because that is a very salient topic; however I would have liked for it to go into other self-directed behaviors or used examples other than the 10 most common New Years’ resolutions. I understand that many self-directed behaviors can/do serve as New Years’ resolutions because of the nature of the behaviors that people want to increase or decrease, but I wish it would have gone into other examples.
3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
(1) Self-directed behavior involves me managing my own behavior and most of the time administering my own consequences in the form of punishers or reinforcers (this was discussed previously as self-reinforcement). (2) New Years’ resolutions fail for many reasons including having resolutions that are behavior classes, instead of specific target behaviors, having resolutions that are too broad and wording them as punishment rather than reinforcement. (3) Differential reinforcement of other (DRO) involves reinforcing a behavior that is incompatible with the target behavior that you want to punish or reduce in frequency; by reinforcing an incompatible other behavior, you simultaneously punish the undesirable target behavior.
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked that self-directed behavior was defined as a set of 6 steps to follow. This makes it very easy to understand and a lot easier to implement than the vague idea of managing one’s own behavior and administering the consequences accordingly. The step-by-step approach is a lot more manageable for me to wrap my mind around. However I did notice that it said it was a 6 step approach then includes step 7 to implement and adjust the contingencies. This inconsistency in such a short part of the textbook was bothersome to me.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I disliked that implementation of the plan was included as the 7th step in a 6 step process of self-directed behavior. I believe that it should either be modified to be a 7 step process or do not include implementation as the 7th step, rather end with a statement that implementation and tweaking are the final aspect without calling it its own step. I did however like the explanation of reasons why and how the project may need to be tweaked to improve the success of the project.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
(1) I will remember what contingencies are. For some reason, when this word came up I blanked on what it meant, but now that it has been explained as the possibility of getting a reinforcer based on the completion of the behavioral intervention program, I have a greater understanding and appreciation for what contingencies are. (2) I will remember that in order to turn a goal into a behavioral intervention the goal need to specified in terms of specific target behaviors that will combine to meet the goal. I will remember this because it is what makes so many new years’ resolutions fail, lack of specific target behaviors. (3) I will remember the power that antecedents have in behavior modification because it is something that has been repeated many times over the span of this course, but also because I had never really thought about all the ways that they can be used until the example of Kyle wanted to write more was explained through the manipulation of the antecedents. This helped to clarify this concept for me.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
I would like to study more for my tests. I would like to start studying for a test at least a week before the test; I would like to read through my notes for a class period for at least 10 minutes the night of a given class period; I would like to spend at least an hour studying for a test for the last 4 nights before a test. I would keep a diary recording when I am studying for a test and to record what motivates me to study (the antecedents) and how much I am getting out of each study session (the consequences); I would make sure to record a baseline. I would reinforce myself by taking a 10 minute break after each 10 minute review of my notes and a 20 minute break after each hour that I study; I would reinforce after each time I study or review my notes, a continuous schedule of reinforcement, but I may have to reinforce myself on a different schedule of reinforcement if I become satiated with this reinforcer; I would only reinforce myself if I had been studying without getting distracted or sidetracked.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would measure the behavior with a behavioral diary. I would make sure to keep track of the behavior throughout the day rather than at the end of the day. I would make sure to write down how long I had been studying, how productive the studying had been and if I feel that the criterion for a reinforcer had been met and if the behavior was reinforced.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The graph would start out with my baseline data for the amount of time spent studying. It would continue with my data during reinforcement, and it would end with my data when returning to baseline.
I would have the days prior to a test being the labels on the x-axis, and the amount of time studied in minutes on the y-axis. A good title for this graph would be “Study Time For a Week Before a Test”. A good label for the y-axis would be “Time (in minutes) Spent Studying”. A good label for the x-axis would be “Days Prior to the Test”.
Terms used in this post: self-directed behaviors, self-reinforcement, punishment, reinforcement, behavioral class, target behavior, consequences, punishers, reinforcers, punish, contingencies, behavioral intervention, antecedents, baseline, reinforce, continuous schedule of reinforcement, behavioral diary, reinforced, schedule of reinforcement, satiated
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? The thing that I really liked about this section would be that it is talking about modifying our own behaviors. I like how it explains a lot of people think this is harder, because I feel that way as well. It will be nice to use the tools learned in this section, following sections, and in class to apply them to make positive changes for myself. By using positive self directed behavior I can be focused more so on what exact behaviors I need to emit more of or less of.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? One thing I didn't really like was that this section to me, made it seem like all punishments are bad. I personally feel that when I am trying to achieve something and punish myself when I do not succeed, it has a positive outcome. However I do feel that I would benefit more from attempting to reinforce myself more so than continue to take something away.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? One thing I will remember is that it is important to narrow down exactly what your goal is. When making them to broad, it can seem much more overwhelming and almost nearly impossible to get started on. When the goal exact, such as exercise thirty minutes a day, you just know that you need to make thirty minutes a day for that, rather than just begin working out which can mean many different things. I will also remember that we tend to learn better through positive reinforcement, so it is much better to take and redefine alternative behaviors that can be reinforced, but will still function to reduce the original target behavior. By doing this we would be using differential reinforcement of other. And the third thing I will remember is that the benefit of self directed behavior is that we feel more in control. For me it always seems easier if I have someone else telling me what to do, but I do often get annoyed with that quickly. Knowing that I am in control of my own decisions and goals can benefit me to reaching my goals much faster.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? Right off the bat I like that this section gives you the steps needed to make the changes you want to make. It is helpful to have it all written out step by step to what you need to do to achieve your goals.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? One thing I don't really like is in step five with the how often do you reinforce it. I feel like that question really made me over think when the clear answer for my case was that each time I complete my daily goals, I will positively reinforce myself. I think it is easier for my goal since I will just be reinforcing it with something simple like a smiley face rather than food or other options.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? One thing I will remember is how step three discussed keeping a record. I also think it is important to keep track of your progress so you can visually see the positive direction you are headed toward. Especially since mine involves working out, it can feel hopeless at times when you do not see progress, but if you know you are doing it every day and can look at that and see it, it will really help motivate you. Another thing I will remember is The importance of the diary. The graph gives us a good idea of how much writing is occurring each day, but little is known about the antecedents or the consequences. This is a good way to look at the bigger picture when looking at the graph. You have to know what your goals are and what exactly you want for the graph to mean anything to you and have an effect on you. The third thing I will and need to remember from this section is not to give up. When changing any behavior I do understand that it will take time, effort, and patients and I need to keep myself motivated to achieve my end goal. If I do not succeed the first time, just to remember every day is a new day and to try again tomorrow.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Do my daily work out, which consists of three fifteen minute sets.
2. Do set one first thing in the morning. Set two between class and work, and set three before hopping in the shower at night.
3. Since mine had to do with working out three times a day, I will have my calender that is placed above my mirror in my bed room. On that calender I will place up to three smiley or sad faces, depending on whether I did my three work outs for the day.
4. graph, times I did exercise per day.
5. My reinforcement will be the smileys on the dry erase calender but for the bigger goal, losing weigh, I will also have a jar and put a certain amount of money in for each pound lost.
6. I could go to sleep in my work out clothes so I would wake up ready to do my first set of exercises right away in the morning.
7. If I have to change anything it may be that sometimes I will have to do my exercises all at once or fit two sets into one round. It is helpful because it is just a set that I am able to do at home so I can just fit it into my schedule as possible. I may also need to change my reinforcement, however knowing me I think the smiley faces and sad faces will be enough.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior? I would be able to measure the behavior by keeping track of marking it on my calender and making sure I do it three times a day.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis? For my graph the y-axis would be times worked out per day 1-3 and the x-axis would be each day. For the title it could be Times worked out per day. Hopefully my graph would be pretty steady at three each day of the week, but I would like to make my graph a month long rather than just each week so I can evaluate my progress in a bigger context.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Self Directed Behaviors, Emit, Behaviors, positive reinforcement, differential reinforcement of other, target behavior, antecedent, consequence, reinforce.
1) One thing I liked about this section is that it was short. Another thing that I liked is that there was nothing new in the section to learn. I liked how it just emphasized on how to narrow down a specific target behavior.
2) One thing that I didn’t like was that this section talked a lot about New Year’s Resolutions and breaking down behavioral classes into a target behavior. I feel like we have talked a lot about this so it was redundant.
3) One thing I learned from this section is that in order for a resolution to work and be successful, one needs to be a target behavior and not a behavioral class. Another thing I learned is that target behaviors are more successful it a reward or reinforcer is implemented. Another thing I learned is that other-directed behavior is when others control the availability of a reinforcer and that self-directed behavior is when we have control over our reinforcers or punishers.
4) One thing I liked about this section is that it broke down the seven basic steps in self-directed behaviors and how to make them successful in modifying behaviors.
5) One thing I liked least about this section is that it was long. Another thing I don’t like is that this is leading to another behavior we have to try and change for this class (all of them I want to change I know will be hard). Also keeping a record is going to be the hardest step for me. The water consumption behavior was easy because I just keep track of the amount of water in a water bottle but for other behaviors, this might be hard.
6) A few things I learned from this section is that when setting a goal, a person should try focus on increasing a desirable behavior rather than decreasing an undesirable behavior. Another thing I learned in this section is that a person should record a target behavior that you want to change before you implement the steps in changing the behavior. ( I think this will be very helpful. In the water consumption exercise, I had no idea how much water I drank a day until we set a baseline and tracked it.) Another thing that I learned is that antecedents are very important in how successful we are with target goals. They can elicit the behaviors we want in achieving our goals.
7) A. One behavior I want to change is increasing the behavior of walking/running on my treadmill.
B. One way I can go about measuring this behavior is by actually emitting the behavior and two keeping track of the miles I walk by writing them down when I finish walking/running on my treadmill.
C. I think this would look a lot like our water consumption graph. I think the title would be miles walked/ran, the x-axis would be number of days and the y-axis would be miles walked/ran.
Terms: Target behavior, Behavioral class, reinforcer, other- directed behavior, self-directed behavior, punisher, desirable behavior, undesirable behavior, antecedent, and elicit
1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
-I really enjoyed this chapter and how it talked about resolutions. People think they can only change their behaviors once a year. They also would be more successful if they paired up with someone to reinforce them as well as punish them if they do not meet their goals.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
-One thing I did not like about this section was the part where we had to stop drinking something. I do not have any bad habits of something I drink too much of besides water. So I just made that part up and said pop which I haven’t had in years.
3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-Three things I will remember from this section is the discussion between self-directed and other-directed. I do believe that self-directed is a lot harder than other-directed. Others can be more consistent than I would be on my own. I will also remember the importance of the target behavior and how you must be specific in order to not confuse it with another behavior. I think it is difficult to be specific. The last thing I will remember is the differential reinforcement of other where one redefines alternative behaviors that can be reinforced but will still function to reduce the original behavior.
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
-I enjoyed the section as a whole since it goes into more detail of self-directed behavior steps. The sets were well thought out and precise as well as easy to follow for anyone trying to change a behavior.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
-One thing I did not like to do was think of my own solution so I can tell question number seven will be difficult for me. I don’t know if I did the steps correctly or if they were precise and specific enough.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-I will remember the seven steps to self-directed behavior and how to slowly change an unwanted behavior. I will also remember the fact that the target behavior needs to be precise, manageable, measureable, and fit within the practical scope of our daily lives. Another interesting concept I will remember will be the behavioral diary which I think would be very useful.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Target Behavior- Become fit through healthy eating and exercise
1: Become fit
2: Monitor eating habits, limits sweets, keep a food journal, exercise at least 30 mins a day
3: Keep a behavioral journal and gain points to get a reward
4: Two Graphs: Time exercised and healthy food eaten
5: Gain points throughout the week to reward myself with either a treat or a gift for myself; if I did not meet the number of points, no treat.
6: Only buy healthy foods, keep a calendar by the door or create a motivational wall by my bed to keep me motivated.
7: I may need to adjust for how busy I may be, holidays, and soreness.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
-I would start by keeping a behavioral journal, monitoring what I did for exercise and how long I did it for. I would also write in my journal about what healthy foods I had consumed that day. Depending on how much time I exercised and the amount of healthy food. I would gain points to work toward a goal such as a new pair of jeans, new dress, or getting my nails done.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
-I would have to make two graphs; one for healthy food and one for amount of time exercised. Graph one: Healthy food consumed, y axis would be number of healthy food, x axis would be day of the week. Graph two: Time exercised, y axis would be time exercised, x axis would be day of the week.
8) TERMS: Behaviors, punish, reinforce, self-directed, other-directed, target behavior, differential reinforcement of others,
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? I liked the section in the very beginning when the book was stating that many people think that they cant changed behaviors that have become embedded into them as a person. A saying often said in my family is, “you cant teach an old dog new tricks.” This section reminded me of that and I am glad that now learning more in this section, that really is false thinking, it just needs to be done correctly in order to be successful.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? There was nothing in particular that I disliked about this reading. I understood the information presented and thought it was done so very effectively.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? First, I will remember that behaviors can be directed by ourselves or by others. Second, I will remember that with self directed behavior we have to set our own goals and also initiate our own reinforcers or punishers.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? I enjoyed reading this entire section. It went through the steps of how to make a graph slow enough that I understood all the material and fast enough that I never got bored reading. The example of Kyle and his writing really helped with setting my own examples and understanding how to really put my own together.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? Again, there was nothing in this chapter I did not like. It did such a good job at explaining everything in depth and I really learned a lot throughout the entirety of the reading.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? First, I will remember that the steps to follow in self-directed behavior are: set a goal, define/specify target behaviors, keep a record, graph a baseline, determine contingencies, determine antecedents, implement and adjust the contingencies. Second, When setting a goal make sure it is increasing a desirable behavior rather than decreasing an undesirable behavior. Lastly, recording behaviors for a week prior to implementing the behavioral contingencies are good use for a baseline.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. The behavior I would like to change is making sure I am not spending too much time in my apartment and in making sure I am keeping close relationships with all of my friends. The target behaviors I am using towards keeping my goal and staying on track are: 1. Make time at least once a week to do something social, 2. Make sure I make a better effort to stay involved, 3. Remind one person once a week how much they mean to me.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior? The way I will measure and keep track of how often I talk, see, or contact my friends, will be done using my cell phone and the notes app. I always have my phone with me and I can easily access it, especially when my method of contact is texting, calling, or emailing.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis? A good title for the graph would be Keep Friends Close. My y-axis would be number of times I contact friends during the week (increments of 5), and my x-axis would listed off week by week.
Terms: y-axis, x-axis, reinforcers, punishers, self-directed behavior, contingencies, base-line, antecedents, target behavior,
1. I found the section on self-directed behaviors to be interesting. This section points out how people always want to change, but never want to start and aren't often very successful. People always start going to the gym at the beginning of January, but by the time march rolls around the gym is back to the usual group of people. This section also brings up a good point in that we don't try to improve unless it is a new year's resolution, even though people have habits that they want to break throughout the year.
2. One section I found less interesting was the boxes in which we had to break down the resolutions into specific behaviors instead of classes. This is similar to what we did in previous chapters, so it was not interesting for me.
3. I will remember that other-directed behavior is where other people control the availability of reinforcers. This is often necessary when the person who wishes to change does not have the self control necessary to make these changes. One example of this is people who use weight loss companies that send prepared meals. This eliminates the option for the person to eat unhealthy foods. I will also remember that most resolutions people make are broad behavior classes and that contributes to most people not following through. It is much easier to change a specific behavior than a whole class, and the more specific a behavior is the easier it is to create a plan to stop doing it. I will also remember that it is easier to fix a behavior with a reinforcement than with a punishment. People respond better with positive results than with negative ones.
4. I like the section on determining an antecedent. I think it is very important to have something around you to remind you to make the behavior change that you want to. I think that a lot of behaviors don't change because people forget about them, and having a reminder will really help.
5. I did not like that I had to write down examples for each step of creating a self-directed behavior. I like to get a flow going when I read, and stopping to think of an example or a behavior slowed me down and caused me to lose interest in what I was reading.
6. I will remember that target behaviors need to be precise, measurable, manageable, and fit within our daily lives. I will also remember that you need to keep a record when changing a self-directed behavior. We did this when we tracked our water consumption, and it allowed us to better see how we are doing. I will also remember that is important to have antecedents to increase the frequency of the behavior occurring. When we wanted to drink more water, for example, I kept a water bottle nearby at all times. This allowed me to drink whenever I wanted and also reminded me to continue drinking even if I did not feel thirsty.
7.
1) Set goal: get a job after graduation
2) Target Behaviors: apply for jobs, go on job interviews, prepare for job interviews
3) Keep a record: write out interview questions and answers
4)Graph a Baseline: graph for a month how frequently I apply for jobs, how frequently I prep for jobs, how many times I apply for jobs
5) Determine the Contingencies: After applying for jobs and going on interviews I will reward myself with a treat
6) Determine the antecedents: I will keep my interview notes and job openings in the living room where I will see it and be reminded to look for a job or prep for a job interview
I would measure this by tracking how frequently I apply for jobs, how frequently I study my interview notes, and how frequently I have job interviews
I think that this would look pretty steady, but with points of increase when I have a job interview coming up or if I find something that I would really like to do. It will decrease right after job interviews when I am waiting to hear back.
8. terms:
self-directed behaviors, other-directed behaviors, specific behaviors, classes, behavior classes, reinforcers, specific behaviors, antecedent, precise, measurable, manageable, fit, frequency, baseline, contingencies
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked reading about the self directed behavior programs and how they can help people overcome their problems. I love learning about groups like this because it is the type of psychology I want to learn more about and hopefully use it in my future career.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn't like how much just reading there was without it being split up into activities or examples. It gets long and boring.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the review on the 4 reasons why we should change behaviors: 1) They
bother us, 2) They bother other people, 3) They might lead to trouble later on, and 4) They are illegal. The difference between self directed meaning behaviors directed by ourselves. I will also remember other directed meaning behaviors directed by others.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked applying how to set goals to our own life situations and thinking through the steps on how to solve them.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
This section was really interesting, just really long. It felt like a lot of reading that could have been condensed
.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the steps involved in changing a behavior are, 1) Set goal, 2) define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors, 3) Keep a record, 4) Graph a baseline, 5) Determine the
contingencies, 6) Determine the antecedents, and 7)Implement and adjust the contingencies. I will remember we can't change a behavior without knowing the antecedent. I will lastly remember the you can adjust your plan if something isn't working so that it can better work for you (readjusting the contingencies).
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
If I wanted to change my behavior of eating fast food.
I would have to:
Set a goal: stop eating fast good.
Target Behavior: Reduce the amount of fast food I eat until eventually it is to a complete stop.
Keep a Record: Keep track of how often I eat fast food. When, where and how much.
Graph baseline: Build a graph with my data of how much I have ate and review it.
Determine the contingencies: I will reward myself with a the health benefits as well as the body image results.
Determine the Antecedent: I will keep inspirational pictures and quotes around me to remind myself of why I have set this goal.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Keep a notebook and write down every time I eat any type of fast food so I have record of it.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
the graph would hopefully decrease with time. The title could be "Fast food eaten this month" the bottom axis (y) could be days of the week and the x axis could be amount of fast food eaten by me.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
self-directed behaviors, other-directed behaviors, specific behaviors, reinforcers, specific behaviors, antecedent, precise, measurable, manageable, fit, frequency, baseline, contingencies
Reading Activity Week #10 (Due Monday)
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked about this section is that it explained why most people’s New Year’s resolution don’t work. That is because their resolutions are too broad and they do not have specific enough target behaviors. And also that they fail because the resolutions involve punishment instead of reinforcement.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I did dislike about this section was that I had a hard time coming up with examples for a lot of the boxes. If I did come up with an example I wasn’t really sure that I was a correct answer.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing that I will remember from that when others direct you and your behaviors it can fill manipulative. That can be a reason why we don’t want others to direct your behaviors and the reason why people have self-directed behavior instead. The second thing I learned also deals with self-directed behavior. That is the fact that when people self-direct they feel they have feel will instead of being forced or tricked into doing something. And that self-directed behavior is when people set their own goals and administer their own reinforcers or punishers. The third thing that I learned is about DRO which is differential reinforcement of others. That is when you redefine alternative behaviors but still will be a function that reduces the original target behavior.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The thing that I really liked about this section was the way that it really broke everything down into easy to understand parts. What I mean by this is how they gave the steps to help someone figure out what self-directed is and how it works. This really helps someone really understand what it is instead of them just being a told vaguely what it is.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I didn’t like about this section is that it had a lot of new words that I didn’t know in it. So when it would explain the steps and name what the steps are I would not know what it was talking about at first because I didn’t know what one of the words was. Most of the time it was words that I forgot what the meaning was instead of not knowing the words at all.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing I will remember from this section is that there are six basic steps in self-directed behavior. And that the first step is to make sure that you set a goal. Doing this make sure to get things started out right. These goals are normally broad instead of being about a specific behavior. The second thing that I learned as that the six steps are make your goal, define your target behaviors, keep records, graph baseline, Determine contingencies, determine the antecedents and last Implement and adjust the contingencies . The third thing that I learned that goals are extremely important nut you have to do it right or nothing will work out the way that it is supposed to work later on.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
One behavior that I want to change is eating more healthy foods. And also to go along with that I would want to make sure to eat less junk food and candy. Step 1 Eat healthy food in place of junk food. Step 2 reach for an apple instead of a candy bar, throw away junk, buy healthy food. Step 3 keep a notebook on what I buy and what foods I eat instead of getting junk food. Step 4 make a graph of the and a baseline to see how much mad food I am eating and how much good food I am getting to start out. Step 5 After keeping a notebook I would know when I eat the most bad stuff and when I need to start replacing it with healthy foods. Make sure that every time I go to eat a bad food I replace with something healthy instead and reward myself with money so go shopping with Step 6 I would while I was keeping a notebook and I could avoiding places where I would eat bad things. Step 7 see how this place works for me while I was adjusting the reinforcement of money and the antecedents as much as I needed to.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would keep a not book with me when I go to eat at any point and I would write down when I was eating where and what I was eating every time.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of the graph would be eating healthy verse unhealthy food. The y-axis would be the days of the week and the x-axis would be he number of good and bad foods that I ate that day. So y would be day of the week and they x’s because their would be two color of x’s one for good food and one for bad food.
8) terms and terminology you used in your post.
Behavior, self-directing, antecedents, reinforcement, punishment, goals, baseline, graph, goal, target behaviors, records, contingencies, antecedents ,Implement
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how this section not only helped with explaining self-directed behaviors but also helped me choose with what kind of behaviors I could change and various ways I could change a punisher into a reinforcer.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn't like how brief the explanation behind the differential reinforcement of others (DRO) was. It seemed sort of out of left field to me and I didn't see how it was necessary to the rest of the topic.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember how self-directed behaviors need to be very precise in order to work, I will remember how using reinforcement is more valuable than punishment, and I will remember that needing to accomplish these target behaviors need to realistically fit in with our day-to-day schedule.
Section 4.2
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I loved how the self directed behavior had its own chapter about how these goals can be met with broken-down steps and how each step went into detail. I've had my fair share of failed New Years resolutions and some of the steps provided showed me where exactly I went wrong.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I liked this section overall, so it's hard to say what exactly I disliked. I suppose I could say the section explaining how to graph was a little unnecessary. I figure at this point in our education we all know what different types of graphs are and how to make them.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the importance of specifying what exactly we want to accomplish in our targeted behaviors. I will remember how we will need to determine and sometimes readjust our contingencies. I will remember the strong need to wait until our target behavior is completed before reinforcing it, otherwise the whole point is sort of moot.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
I am considering making my target behavior going to bed earlier, since my sleep schedule has been getting worse and worse.
1) Set goal: Go to sleep earlier
2) Target Behaviors: Make sure I'm in bed no later than 2 am, then make it 1 when the behavior improves and so on, set an alarm for both going to bed and waking up, drink sleepy-time tea before bed
3) Keep a record: Write down time I went to bed, record hours slept
4)Graph a Baseline: Graph for a month what times I went to bed and how many hours I slept each night
5) Determine the Contingencies: After going to bed at the desired time, I will reward myself the following day with reading 10 pages of the new books I got for my birthday
6) Determine the antecedents: I will keep reminding myself of my desired bedtime, I will also try to help make myself tired around the desired time via sleepy-time tea, relaxing, meditation, etc.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
My easiest means of recording this is tracking it down in the note app on my phone, since I use that to keep track of several things in my life. Once I get enough entries, I can begin to make a graph of both the time I went to bed and the hours I slept.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I feel this could be recorded easily with a line-graph. The y-axis could be the time I went to bed and the x-axis could record what day it was so I could easily see the progress I made in getting to bed on time.
Terminology: self directed behavior, punisher, reinforcer, differential reinforcement of others, precise, target behavior, contingencies
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
In this section the one thing I really liked is when the it discussed New Years Resolutions and why and how they don't ever work for people. I find it really interesting because after reading about it, it clicked like the resolutions are always to vague and they needed to be a simple target behavior instead of a broad one.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The one thing that I liked least in this section was how there was not more examples of self directed. And I wish when filling out those boxes there weren't answers with them,
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing I will remember from this section is in order to keep a resolutions it has to be a target behavior and not a broad group and also it has to be reinforced positively. The next thing I will remember from this section is that With self-directed behavior we set our own goals and administer our own reinforcers and or punishers. The last thing I will remember from this section is that some resolutions fail because they are punished instead of positively reinforced.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The one thing I liked about this section was how it went through each goal and explained it in depth and gave examples of it.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The one thing I disliked most of this section is that Implement and adjust
the contingencies because it is hard to monitor yourself and change things.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember when when setting a goal, try to base it on increasing a desirable behavior rather than decreasing an undesirable behavior to avoid the need for
punishment. I will also remember to define my target behavior from a broad behavior. The last thing I will remember is that Make sure it is easy to record
the behaviors as soon as they occur. Relying on memory of the event might cause
inaccurate recording.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
The thing I would change is Eating more Healthier options for food.
1-Eating Healthy
2-Buying vegetables, fruits and healthier foods.
3-Have a journal to record foods eaten and how much of each food
4-One graph Healthy foods eaten
5-If I do my goal at the end I can buy a new pair of Nikes
6- I would only buy healthy foods and then find healthier options that I like so it would be easier for me to eat them
7- I would adjust if I went on vacations or for the Holidays.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would keep track of my stuff with a food journal and write it all down in the journal each day. Whether it be good or bad foods.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
A title for my graph would be Healthy lifestyle. My y-axis would be amount of healthy foods eaten in a day and the x-axis would be the week by week.
1) One thing I really liked about this section was that it gave better insight in specifying goals and being able to change our target behaviors in order to achieve those goals.
2) The one thing I disliked about this section was that the flow of the section seemed very off. It first started with some vocab, but then it went into talking about New Year’s resolutions, and then having to modify Google’s top responses. I felt like the section as a whole didn’t exactly correspond with the section title.
3) a) I will remember to be more specific with certain goals that I set because a generic goal like “spend time with family” could mean anything. B) I will remember that behaviors directed by others are referred to as “other-directed” and c) I will remember that behaviors directed by ourselves are referred to as “self-directed.”
4) What I really like about this section is how the steps are laid out and are incredibly detailed because that helps incredibly with the behavior project that we will be doing.
5) The main thing I disliked about this section is that it dealt with a guy named Kyle who wanted to write more…which is my name and is also a similar goal to what mine was (writing at least 750 words a day for a creative piece like a novel). So, now I feel like I’m not being original…
6 a) I will remember that the goal(s) that are set need to be incredibly specific, because if you have a goal like “spend more time with family” it’d be too broad and could be taken in several directions. B) I will remember to use line graphs with this project because it is the customary choice when recording progress. C) And I will remember that the y-axis has the dependent measure.
7a) What I want to be able to do is to get myself to be able to write at least 750 words a day towards a novel idea that I have.
Step 1: Write/type at least 750 words a day for my novel idea.
Step 2: I’ll keep a record by looking at how much the word count has gone up each day and then write that number down in a journal.
Step 3: If I’m able to get at least 750 words twice in one week, then I’ll reward myself by going out and buying me something cheap that I can enjoy, like candy or one of the 5$ movies in the bins at Walmart.
Step 4: One of the antecedents I will have is disabled internet. This will allow me to totally focus on just writing without facebook distractions.
7b) I would definitely go by word count, since my goal is to be able to write at least 750 words a day. So, basically I’d record how many words I wrote each day for my story. Then I’d take the total word count the next day and find the difference to see how many words I wrote the next day. Then I’d repeat.
7c) I’m sure it’d look incredibly similar to the water graph in that it’ll start out with a lower count but slowly increase until I get close to, or at, my goal? The title might be something like “Words to my Story” or something else. I’m terrible with titles. The title for the y-axis would be “word count.” The label for the x-axis would more than likely be either “Day count” or “day of week.”
8) behavior, other-directed, self-directed, dependent measure, y-axis, x-axis, antecedent, contingencies
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I thought it was interesting learning about self-directed behavior. After completing the water drinking experiment, this section makes more sense. I feel like this section was one of the easiest to understand because I already had an example to relate it to.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn't a lot of new material in this section, and it was all seemingly simple information. I don't think there was anything I didn't understand or disliked.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Other-directed behavior, meaning that others control the availability of reinforcers. It specified that it is useful when managing classrooms, low functioning adults, marketing, and also work safety. The examples given in the book, dieting and portion control, are easy to understand, since they are easier to uphold with the help of others.
Self-related behavior, this is when we make our own goals and structure our own behavioral interventions and contingencies. The definition in the book, says that we exert our free will to choose a behavior that we want to increase or decrease. The example in the book was New Years Resolutions because we all have goals that we want to reach.
Also, the fact that it is so important to define the target behavior. This is critical because in order to be successful in your goals, you need to be completely sure of your current situation and what you want to change.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I think one of the points that I liked most was 'try to base a goal on increasing a desirable behavior rather than decreasing to avoid the need for punishment'. I think this is great advice, often times we get so discouraged with ourselves because we don't make our goal, so we punish ourselves or even quit because we think we can't do it.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Again, this section was pretty straight forward with easy information. I can't pinpoint anything that I didn't understand or like in this section. The 7 steps were very clear and explained in an easy manor.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The seven steps to self-directed behavior: Set Goal, Define/Specify the Goal as a Set of Target Behaviors, Keep a Record, Graph a Baseline, Determine Contingencies, Determine Antecedents, and Implement and Adjust the Contingencies. Looking back at our water intake experiment, we covered almost every step in this, so understanding them was very easy.
I also liked that it stated to 'not give up if things don't work smoothly right away'. Of course we have all had a goal, and during the process things may not have gone the way we planned, but the important thing is that usually that hard spot is just a bump in the road, and things will get easier/better.
I also learned the importance of a baseline in this section. In order to fully understand and track your progress, or regress depending on your goal, you need to see where you started. Seeing a, hopefully, dramatic change in the end will be very rewarding to you.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Eat more fruits and vegetables
2. Reduce the amount of junk food around
Buy more fruits and vegetables
Prepare them in different fashions so I don't get bored
3. Keep a daily journal of my fruit and vegetable intake
4. Graph my baseline intake of servings of F and V for
the first week
5. I would reinforce myself with one sweet treat a week
6. Take healthy snacks with me, instead of having to buy
fatty impulse snacks.
7. I think by keeping a broad spectrum of 'sweet treats',
I will avoid satiation.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Although it seems easiest to measure every piece of F or V I consume, it would be more beneficial to measure by the suggested servings per day set by the FDA. This way I know that I am getting exact nutrition and protein levels, instead of by the piece of F or V. Keeping a daily journal or diary would be the best way to keep track of my progress. It is easiest to write down exactly what and when you eat, right after you eat it, that way you know your data is accurate.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I think a good title for my graph would be 'Servings of Fruit and Vegetables Per Day'. It shows exactly what I am measuring and what kind of time span I am working with. Y-axis would be the serving amounts of F and V. X-axis would be the time, or days of the week in my case.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, reinforcers, target behavior, punishment, baseline.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked how it talked about goal setting. I've been trying to goal set for multiple areas in my life and knowing how to better do it will be very helpful
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I really enjoyed this section, this is very interesting topic to me
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Other directed behavior is controlling others behaviors, self directed behaviors is using free will for yourself
4 reasons people change
People can change themselves.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I likehowit broke down and explained each of the steps in changing behavior
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I like this one even more than the last because it'll help me better make my goals
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
There are 7 steps to changing a behavior
Behaviors have to be precise, manageable, measurable, and fit with daily lives
When keeping records use a behavioral diary,
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Working out daily
1. To workout more
2.workout everyday. Mon thru sat
3. Start writing down my workouts, what I do, how long, how much weight, etc.
4.
5.reinforce when going a full week, then after a month, two months , etc.
6.i set times to workout when I'm already on campus so I can use the gym
7.might need to adjust the length of the workout
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior? Knowing how long and what days I worked out and keep a log of my workouts
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.other directed begavior. Self directed behavior4reasins people change,changing behavior, reinforce
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1) One thing I really liked in this section was how it gave real life examples of self-directed behaviors that can be changed like exercising or quitting drinking soda pop. I also liked how it noted that some of these behaviors are better left as other-directed behaviors because self-control can be hard on some people and the help of others can be important.
2) One thing I disliked in this section was that there weren’t any visuals or videos that we could watch. It would have been interesting to see something about New Year’s resolutions and what makes them work or not work. It makes the reading a little more interesting because it’s a change of pace.
3) Three things I will remember are that other-directed behavior is sometimes good when we don’t have enough self-control because if I want to stop a certain eating behavior I may not have enough self-control to do it myself. If someone else controls it then it will be a lot easier to quit. The second thing I will remember is the most important step in changing our behavior is defining a good target behavior because if the behavior is a behavior class, it will be too broad and harder to change. The third thing I will remember is that some New Year’s resolutions fail because they use punishment instead of reinforcement because if I ever make a resolution I want to know how to reinforce myself instead of punish myself to get better results.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4) One thing I really liked about this section was how it broke down all the steps into separate sections and elaborated on them more. It was helpful to have the example of writing throughout the steps so we got to see how a behavior goes through all the stages and not just learn the definitions of the steps. We got to see them in action.
5) There wasn’t much that I disliked about this section, but all the graphs would have been more helpful earlier in class when we were doing our water graphs because it got to be kind of confusing and this broke it down step by step.
6) Three things I will remember are that the goals have to be manageable and fit into my life in order to change my behavior because it will be hard to accomplish and maintain if I am only able to do it at certain times because it needs to fit onto a graph. Another thing I will remember is it is important to keep a behavioral diary because it records what happens before and after and allows you to use the ABC’s of behavior. The third thing I will remember is to reinforce yourself after the behavior and not during it because then other behaviors will start to be reinforced that aren’t part of the modification.
7) 1) exercise more 2) run on the treadmill, walk to class instead of drive 3) write down when I run or walk each time and how far I do 4) ill graph the first week and the baseline and then once the reinforcement occurs graph the changes that happen 5) after I reach a certain distance goal I can take a day off or use that time to just walk instead of running so many miles 6) set timers to know when to exercise, leave a little earlier for class so I am able to walk and get to class on time, set out my tennis shoes so it reminds me to run 7) change anything that needs to be change and see if my reinforcements are still working or if I am getting tired of them
7) I would be using the treadmill to measure my behavior because it keeps track of the distance that I would be running and I would also use a behavioral diary to write down things including how I felt before and afterwards and how that would change over time since I would be getting better at it. I could also use my diary to keep track of how long it took me to run a certain distance and if that changed over time too. I would also write down my results at the end of each run so I can look at my improvement.
7) My graph would start at zero and gradually increase then stay constant for a while because of the time period that I would be given. At some points it may decrease because of certain factors like me not running on a certain day or if I am not feeling good. Once the reinforcement stops I would see if the behavior starts to decline and record that. The title of the graph would be miles ran, the y-axis would be number of miles and the x-axis would be time.
8) Terms: other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, behavior, target behavior, punishment, reinforcement, behavior class, behavioral diary, ABC’s, baseline
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked the example of the New Years Resolution. I liked this because it is an example that I can relate to and one that I have personally been through. I stopped doing them a while ago, for the reason of not going through and keeping the goal. I always chose something too broad and didn’t use reinforcement to keep me motivated.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I liked everything in this section. I think it was all interesting and good to know about changing a behavior.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
In order to change a behavior, it cannot be broad, because there are no boundaries or specifics on what needs to be done in order to change that behavior. Also, we need the target behavior to be measurable, so we can know the progress in the behavior modification. Lastly, I will remember that defining a good target behavior will determine the success of our goal to change a behavior.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked how the steps were broken down and explained in detail with examples. I think this was very helpful in coming up with my own examples.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was nothing that I disliked or liked the least in this section. I think that all the steps were explained well and it was easy to understand them with the examples given.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
When setting a goal it is very important to be specific because this will determine the rest of the steps to fail or succeed. Also, it is a great idea to keep a diary to keep record of the progress. Also, our target behaviors need to be practical to our live and within our reach, we can’t set a goal that is not manageable.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
I want to live a healthier lifestyle. I will accomplish this with reinforcement by:
1. Working out at least 4 days a week for one hour.
2. Reduce the times I go out to eat per month.
3. Replace unhealthy foods with healthy foods and prepare healthy meals and snacks.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I can measure each of the target behaviors by keeping track of them on my phone like a diary, and put alarms on my phone to workout during the week.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I’m not exactly sure how this would look on a graph since my goal consists of more than one target behavior. I can imagine adding the good behaviors per week and seeing the progress of them increasing per week. I think a good title would be, Healthy Behaviors to a Healthier Me. The y-axis could be labeled Amount of Healthy Behaviors, and the x-axis could be labeled Time.
8) Terminology: behavior, target behavior, behavior modification, measurable, specific, manageable, reinforcement
Please read sections 4.1 (Need for Self-Directed Behavior) and 4.2 (Self Directed behavior Steps)
Please fill out the boxes in the readings you may be quizzed on them in class.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how in depth this section went on about how to change a behavior. It was important to have a clear definition of self-directed behavior and other-directed behavior. I also really like the resolutions because it provide examples and made me think about what could really be reinforced and how.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I think this section was simple. I did not really dislike anything, but maybe would have liked some more information to build on the knowledge that I already have.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. I will remember the resolutions. I will remember this because usually the target behaviors are vague and we are so resistance to change. This exampled showed this and made me really think about how to reinforce the behaviors that are often chosen for resolutions.
b. I will remember that target behaviors have to be clearly defined. Stating that we want to get fit does not explain in great detail about what get fit means. In order to change a behavior it has to be extremely clear cut to be able to have an increased change at omitting the changed behavior.
c. Lastly I will remember that converting an undesired behavior into a desired behavior will allow a greater outcome in changing the target behavior. This is because we can reinforce instead of punishing.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked how this section broke down self-directed behavior. The steps help to form a plan, and really broke down the stages into making and changing a behavior by self-direction.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I honestly did not have anything I disliked. It was knew information and I was able to understand how and what I need to do to want to change.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. I will remember the importance of defining a goal (step two). I will remember this because it is extremely important to clearly define the goal so that the target behavior can change.
b. I will remember the behavioral diary. It is important to record information so that we can correctly document our change. I think that this will be hard for me because I tend to think of a diary of something that I have to write a lot in.
c. Lastly I will remember step five, determine contingencies. I will remember this simply because I need to find something that will help me to continue with my behavior change plan.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Exercise more
2. Jog for thirty minutes three times a week with ab, leg, and arm work outs. (I will need to find a workout plan that I would then place in with this section)
3. I would spend a week recording this type of exercise (which is zero), then I would write down the week on a page. Every time I work out during that week I would write down exactly what I did and when I did it.
4. My baseline would be zero. I am not sure exactly how I would graph my exercise, especially because I will have a particular exercise plan written up to follow.
5. My reinforcer would be getting Starbucks. This is a treat that I do not get very often, and I think that this will help me to reinforce my exercising behavior. I also might add buying a new book simply because I love to read, but usually do not buy any new books, rather just read my sisters.
6. My antecedents would be when I am on campus and have access to the gym. I would know that after a particular class I would need to go and work out. I can also have an antecedent at home for when I can do these workouts at home.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I think that I would make a journal and then have each page be a week. I would then have three days on a page. On each day I would write the exercises that I performed, like jogging for thirty minutes, and then the type of work out.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I would have my baseline of a week and it would be at zero, then I would lead into the behavior change. My graph title would be exercise. I am not sure how I will record them on the graph. I may have the time be on the y-axis and then have the day be on the x-axis.
8) self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, reinforced, target behavior, omitting, punishing, defining goal, behavioral diary, determine contingencies, antecedents,
Section 4.1 Need for Self-Directed Behavior
1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how this section talked about New Year’s resolutions and their tendency to succeed or fail based on specificity, practicality, and ability to be reinforced. I liked learning about this because we have all made and broken resolutions, so it is interesting to learn why this happens so easily.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The section was kind of incomplete. I wish it had talked more about the pros and cons of self-directed behavior. This would have been helpful to know when determining whether to engage in self-directed behavior in the future or other-directed behavior.
3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
First, I will remember that when we are looking to modify a behavior, we must specifically identify the target behavior such that we can identify and measure it. I will also remember that it is better to measure and modify behaviors which can be reinforced instead of punished, so sometimes it is useful to convert a bothersome behavior into one that is reinforced. This relates to differential reinforcement of others, the reframing of behavior as a reinforced one instead of a punished one. This is helpful because reinforcement is usually more successful and beneficial than punishment. I will also remember that resolutions fail because they tend to name a broad behavioral class, or are based on punishment instead of reinforcement. They also may fail because they are not manageable, practical or realistic. In order for the target behavior to be successfully modified, it must be examined within the scope of the individual’s lifestyle and preferences.
4.2 Self-Directed Behavior Steps
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
In this section, I really enjoyed the opportunity to examine a goal of mine within the context of the seven steps. After doing so, the goal seems much more manageable and measureable than before.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
In the discussion of behavioral intervention, we talk about reinforcement schedules and how to choose a good reinforcer. Unfortunately, the section did not provide much guidance on how to choose an appropriate reinforcer or schedule for different behaviors.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
In this section, I will remember that a target behavior must be manageable as well as specific. For example, if I wish to exercise more, I can plan to do 20 push-ups and 30 sit-ups in my room four times a week. This is certainly manageable because it does not require any equipment or a great deal of time. I will also remember it is important to be as accurate and prompt as possible when keeping a behavioral diary. This is because we may find it useful to study the antecedents and consequences later on, information that is not easily measured on the graph. Finally, I will remember that behavioral intervention is a long and complex process. In the middle, it may be necessary to revise the target behavior, how it is measured, or how it is reinforced. This sometimes entails measuring a new baseline and restarting, however this process may be crucial to successful self-management projects.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Goal = Exercise more
2. Define/Specify Goal as set of Target behaviors
-10 push-ups each weekday
-10 sit-ups each weekday
3. Keep a record
-Use phone at the gym/at home to record target behaviors
*Note information such as what time of day I tend to workout, which days of the week, etc.
4. Graph a Baseline = Measure types of exercise for one week without reinforcing these behaviors.
5. Determine the contingencies = On nights when I exercise, I will reinforce myself by allowing myself to sleep in the next day.
6. Determine the antecedents = On nights when I have fitness classes, I am more likely to emit the target behaviors because I am in an environment which facilitates my doing so.
7. Implement and adjust the contingencies = I might decide that I am not realistically able to stick to this plan of exercise, or that I really do not like it, or do not have time for it. In this case, I may revise my target behavior and begin again with the behavioral intervention.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I can count push-ups and sit-ups. I will keep track of reps and times/reps on my phone.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
A good title for this graph would be exercise, the x-axis measures days and the y-axis measures number of sit-ups and push-ups. For each day, we can add the number of push-ups and sit-ups together to get a ‘score’, and graph this score using a line graph as before. I would expect the graph to increase with reinforcement.
8) Terms: Reinforced, self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, target behavior, punished, differential reinforcement of others (DRO), behavioral class, behavioral intervention, behavioral diary, antecedents, consequences, baseline, self-management project
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked that they went more in detail about how resolutions tend to fail. It was interesting to look at from the behavioral perspective. I always notice that every year it is the same people making the same or similar resolutions to do better yet they don’t have a plan to make their resolution happen. Then of course, surprise- their resolution fades away quickly!
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Something I didn’t like was the part on DRO because I forgot what it was exactly and there wasn’t many examples given to help me remember exactly what they are. It made the section more confusing for me to understand.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember Other directed behavior because it is behavior directed by others. The reading says it is necessary in classroom settings, marketing, and etc. I will remember this because it makes sense that when in class, our professors are the ones that direct the behavior of the students as they are the ones responsible for teaching the lesson. I will remember Self directed behavior because that is hen we are the ones that have the power to choose a behavior that we want to increase or decrease. I will remember this because it makes me think of New Years resolutions and people setting resolutions for themselves to follow whether it be to eat healthier, work out more, and etc. Thirdly, I will remember that New Years resolutions fail because they are often too broad. I will remember this because it is what happens to a lot of people I know make all of these broad resolutions but don’t actually plan how exactly they are going to go about changing their ways.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how easy it was to follow along. This reading was straightforward and gave the necessary examples to help explain each step. This helped me very easily understand the material and what each step means.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There really was nothing I disliked about this section. Everything was pretty straightforward and related back to other concepts we have discussed in detail in class such as the ABCs of behavior and how to construct a graph.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that when making a goal you want to strive for increasing a desirable behavior rather than decreasing an undesirable behavior because reinforcement works better when setting a goal. This was also discussed in section 4.1 so this helped reinforce that idea in my mind. Another thing I will remember is defining your target behaviors based on your goal. This is very important because a lot of the times goals don’t happen if they are not specific enough so breaking the goals down in detailed behaviors cause a greater chance of making the goal happen. Lastly, I will remember is to record my behaviors in a behavioral diary. Making an ABC list of the items will help me realize what I am doing, what sets me up to do certain behaviors, and the consequence of my behavior.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) I want to go to bed earlier.(currently I don’t usually go to bed until 1am or later)
2) Plan my day ahead of time to make sure that I am getting everything I need done for the day by 10 pm, set an alarm to go off for my bed time of 11pm so I can be asleep by 12am at the latest, get my homework done ahead of time so if I don’t finish everything in one day I won’t have to worry and can go to sleep.
3) Write everything down in my phone or on a post it note and break it down into the ABCs of behavior.
4) graph my information online on a spreadsheet
5) feeling better for getting more sleep, hopefully having less bags and dark circles around my eyes because I will be getting more sleep, and having better focus.
6) I will plan time ahead to get everything I need to get done and just do it!
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will measure my behavior by how close I get to my new bedtime which is 11pm. Each night I will write what time I go to bed at.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
My title would be Sleep Times, My y-axis would be each time I went to bed and my x-axis would be titled Week from week 1-4.
7) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
DRO, Other directed behavior, Self directed behavior, ABCS of behavior, desirable behavior, undesirable behavior, goal, target behaviors, behavioral diary, title, x-axis, and y-axis.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I enjoyed the snippet from google promoting the new year’s resolutions that are “available” (for lack of better wording). I wrote an article for the Northern Iowan in January referencing the same thing. As I am typically with this class, I was surprised to learn that yet another seemingly everyday life sort of action had a name; self-directed behavior. It was interesting to read about why we are and, arguably more importantly, aren’t, successful in these endeavors.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I’m not sure I necessarily disliked anything about this section, however, there seemed to be a lot of boxes to fill in which can occasionally distract from the subject material.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. As I referenced earlier, I was incredibly intrigued by the definition of self-directed behavior. This was mainly due to the fact that these are every-day promises individuals make to themselves, but I had never given them a name.
b. I enjoyed reading about the reason resolutions fail – they’re too broad! Defining a specific target behavior seems to be a difficult challenge for many people and they don’t even know it. Year after year they suffer set-backs after making resolutions and it is merely because they are not narrowing their behavior to a specific area.
c. Furthermore, in order to really establish new behaviors, one must be able to reliability and easily reinforce the behavior. If the behavior is too broad, it will be difficult to recognize and reinforce it.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I found this section to be a fantastic follow-up to 4.1. Not only does it continue to elaborate on self-directed behavior, but it allows an individual to enact the steps for this behavioral change. Using a simple seven step method, an individual can easily set themselves up for success.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Graphs are not a particular favorite of mine. I find them boring and dull and as soon as I see one I feel my eyes beginning to glaze over. I think I’ve just seen too many in required reading for in psychology studies!
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. I thought it was great that the third step was to keep a record. It reminded me of when my mom was losing weight and every morning she would weigh herself and proceed to write down the weight. She also did this every time she walked on the treadmill; she wrote how far she walked, how many calories she burned, and what her heart-rate was. I don’t think she was consciously aware that it was a behavior modification methodology, but I know that it definitely made her more successful.
b. As mundane as I believe graphs are, I can acknowledge the importance of graphing a baseline, as seen in step four. I think this definitely would have helped my Mom to visualize her progress and would have acted as a great motivator. Perhaps it would have been more helpful for me to keep a running graph of my water consumption rather than creating it at the end. That way I could reinforce myself on good days and noticeably tell when I was having an off-day, not sticking to the required behavior.
c. Reality TV shows are a great source of entertainment. I rarely watch them, but when I do, I’m always tickled by their “intervention sessions”. It is for this reason I will easily be able to recall the “behavioral intervention” method of step five. Self-directed behavior seems hard enough to successfully accomplish in the first place, add in self-evaluation and a behavioral intervention and you might have a real mess if you’re not dedicated to your task and following the frame-work.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Set Goal: Eat less ice cream
2. Define the goal: Eat two scoops of ice cream only after dinner (evening meal) every other day.
3. Keep a Record: Record when I ate ice cream so I could easily see that I needed to skip the next day.
4. Graph a Baseline: I would monitor my progress in an exel document through a graph entitled “Ice Cream Consumption” comparing scoops of ice cream on the y-axis to days of the week on the x-axis.
5. Determine Contingencies: The reinforcer I will use will be watching an episode of my favorite show on Netflix. On the off-days of ice-cream eating, I will watch an episode if I fulfilled my goal.
6. Determine Antecedents: I will keep the food diary in the freezer next to the ice-cream, that way every time I am tempted to eat ice cream, I will recognize that I have a goal to continue to fulfill.
7. Implement & Adjust: After approximately 30 days, the behavior will be a habit and I will have to do less recording and reinforcing, providing time for other healthy habits.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would use the same ice cream spoon to scoop the ice cream and keep track of the consumption in a food diary everyday.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I believe it would be similar to the water-graph we completed, except it would be measured on an every-other-day basis, versus a week.
Title: Ice Cream Consumption
Y-Axis Label: Scoops of Ice Cream (0-2)
X-Axis Label: Weekdays
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Self-directed behavior, specific target behavior, behavior, reinforce, behavioral change, seven-step method, graphing, keep a record, baseline, behavioral intervention, self-evaluation, goals, determine contingencies, antecedents, implement, adjust, measured graph a baseline
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked the part about why New Year’s resolutions succeed or fail because I have made resolutions before and have not kept them. After reading this section it makes sense that many resolutions are vague, and are hard to keep because the person making them might not know what the best way to go about accomplishing their goal is. A goal such as losing weight could involve dieting or exercise, but if someone tries these without a plan it is likely that they will get frustrated and quit. They might also punish themselves for eating a sweet snack once, but not reinforce themselves for eating healthier food the rest of the time.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn’t anything I didn’t like in this section, but I liked the review of reasons for behavior change. Changing a target behavior that bothers you or others seems like it would be the most likely reason for someone to start self-directed behavior modification. This is probably one of the reasons that people make New Year’s resolutions. A goal to lose weight might be something that someone makes because they don’t feel good about themselves, or it could be because others are concerned about their health.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) I will remember the difference between other-directed behavior and self-directed behavior. Other-directed behavior is when someone other than the person whose behavior is being modified controls the reinforcers. An example of when other-directed behavior would be necessary might be a probation program. A probation officer would likely observe that the target behavior, such as following a curfew, is being met and would then give negative reinforcement of not revoking the probation. Self-directed behavior is when someone controls their own reinforcers. An example of this could be if someone set a target behavior of eating fruit instead of candy for a snack. They might choose to let themselves have some candy once a week if they eat fruit the rest of the week.
b) I will also remember that target behaviors need to be specific. A goal such as “exercise more” is too vague. A more effective target behavior would be “go to the gym three times a week and spend 30 minutes on an elliptical machine”. There are many functional behavioral classes that can be called exercise, such as swimming, jogging, or lifting weights. By being specific about what type of exercise you want to do, it will be easier to focus on the target behavior.
c) I will remember that differential reinforcement of other behavior can be used to reinforce behavior that is incompatible with the target behavior. For example, if someone is trying to reduce the target behavior of watching TV, they could reinforce themselves for spending time outside. They might go for a walk, or plant a garden because if they are not inside with a TV they can’t watch it. If it is not good weather outside, they could do activities such as read a book in a room without a TV.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
Overall I liked that this section went step-by-step through the process of self-directed behavior. I felt that it was a more thorough continuation of what we read in section 4.1 about goals needing to be specific and using reinforcement and punishment appropriately. I liked the example about Kyle wanting to write more because it gave me a better idea of how to break a broad goal down into smaller target behaviors.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
What I liked least about this section was the amount of information given in a relatively short section. I just think that between the seven steps of self-directed behavior, some of which have multiple parts within them, a lot of information was thrown at us. I do think that doing assignments like this one help make it easier to remember certain things by applying them to something in our life, like we will do in part 7 below.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) I will remember that besides being specific, target behaviors must be manageable. This means that it must be a realistic target behavior. If your goal is to eat more fruit, your target behavior should not be something like “eat only fruit for every meal”, because that excludes vegetables and other healthy foods. It also might not work if you can’t go to the grocery store to buy fruit all the time.
b) I will remember that it is important to keep a behavioral diary. This is where you would write down things such as what your baseline behavior is, and anytime that you emit the behavior and what may have elicited the behavior. With the fruit example, an entry might be that you ate some grapes because you put them in yogurt at breakfast.
c) I will also remember that it is ok to make adjustments to the contingencies. This means that you might have to redefine your target behavior because it is too broad, isn’t manageable, isn’t measurable, or doesn’t fit in with your life schedule. You might also need to adjust the reinforcement you are using. If you are not motivated by the reinforcer you chose, you need to choose a new one. If you have a reinforcer that is motivating, but you are feeling satiated or deprived, you may need to adjust your schedule of reinforcement.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Set goal – I would like to get more sleep.
2. Define goal as a set of target behaviors – a) go to bed earlier b) complete obligations earlier in the day c) set aside time for specific tasks
3. Keep a record – keep a journal of what time I go to bed and when I get up, write down what I was working on when I went to bed
4. Graph a baseline – record the total number of hours of sleep I get every night for a week
5. Determine contingencies – choose a reinforcer, decide how many hours of sleep is enough to be reinforced for, choose a schedule of reinforcement
6. Determine antecedents – keep a list of daily assignments that need to be done somewhere visible, set a time that I want to be able to go to bed by, set a time to complete assignments by
7. Implement and adjust the contingencies – evaluate the valance of the reinforcer, evaluate the schedule of reinforcement, redefine target behaviors, determine antecedents again
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would measure the behavior by the number of hours of sleep per night. I would keep track of the behavior by recording the time I went to bed and the time that I woke up.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
A title for the graph could be “Hours of Sleep Per Night”. The y-axis could be labeled “Hours Slept”. The x-axis could be labeled “Day of the Week”.
Terms: punish, reinforce, target behavior, self-directed behavior, extinguish, other-directed behavior, reinforcer, negative reinforcement, functional behavioral class, differential reinforcement of other behavior, behavioral diary, baseline, emit, elicit, contingency, motivation, satiation, deprivation, schedule of reinforcement, antecedent, valance, y-axis, x-axis
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) I liked that this section pointed out that the reason that a lot of people fail at self-directed behavioral change is that they often set too broad of a goal of what they want to accomplish. I found this interesting because not only is it true, but it is often a problem that is overlooked in many instances.
2) I eventually want to stop smoking cigarettes and I am still not seeing what behaviorists believe when it comes to addiction.
3 a,b&c) I will remember that a target behavior needs to be specific when it comes to self-directed behavior change, otherwise it is more likely to fail.
I will also remember that it is important to use reinforcement instead of punishment because most self-directed behavior changes ultimately fail because those wishing to change behaviors focus on punishment rather than reinforcement.
I will also remember that DROs are important because they involve reinforcing other behaviors that are alternatives to the target behavior, but can also reduce the target behavior.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) I liked that this section had a step-by-step breakdown of the different steps involved in self-directed behavior because it gave me a better idea of how to go about the upcoming behavioral change project.
5) I did not really dislike anything about this section because it did a very good job of explaining the different steps in depth and had a lot of good examples.
6 a,b&c) I will remember that there are six steps in self-directed behavior change.
I will remember that it is helpful to set a goal that increases a desirable behavior rather than decreasing an undesirable one because increasing a desirable behavior involved reinforcement rather than punishment.
I will also remember that determining antecedents is very important because they are very powerful in that they elicit behaviors.
7a) 1. Stop smoking cigarettes
2. Decrease the number of cigarettes I smoke a day
3. I can keep track of not only how many cigarettes I smoke per day, but the times of day I get the urge to smoke and what is going on in the environment during those times.
4.
5. I can reinforce myself by putting the amount of money I save per day (approximately $.30/cigarette) by smoking less into a savings account. Followed by that amount per week and then per month.
6. I will have to keep a diary of my smoking behavior for the baseline week to determine when I smoke the heaviest throughout the day to determine what my antecedents are.
7b) I will keep a tally of the amount of cigarettes I smoke per day. I will also have to keep a diary of the times of the day I smoke to get more in-depth information about how many and when I smoke cigarettes.
7c) A good title for this graph would be "Cigarettes Smoked Per Day" A good label for the y-axis would be "Cigarettes Smoked" and a good title for the x-axis would be "Day" (or time).
8) Terms: self-directed behavior, target behavior, reinforcement, punishment, antecedent, DROs
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
Behaviors can be directed by others or by ourselves. When others direct behaviors, it can feel manipulative. When we self-direct we feel as though we are exerting free will.
Majority of this section was discussed in class. I found the views on behavior interesting, as far as how others view it and how we view it depending on who is directing the behavior. I think it would be interesting to go in depth on the idea in class.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
We’ve discussed specifying behaviors and avoiding behavioral categories in class. So most of that section was just review, id say that’s about the only part I liked least. It was a pretty short section overall.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
• Behaviors can be directed by others or by ourselves.
• When others direct behaviors, it can feel manipulative. When we self-direct we feel as though we are exerting free will.
• Some New Years resolutions fail because they involve punishment rather than reinforcement.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I have a very specific behavior I would like to change, or eliminate. This section basically outlines the whole process on how to go about doing it, so I like the section overall. I cannot pick something specific I like, or don’t like for that matter, because it’s a step by step process.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
As mentioned above I cannot pick something I don’t like or liked the least because everything is related and is a process. I can however say if this is what we will be working on, I look forward to working on another graph, and do not look forward to attempting to record or keep track of the behavior I want to eliminate, because sometimes I mindlessly do it.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
• Make sure it is easy to record the behaviors as soon as they occur. Relying on memory of the event might cause inaccurate recording. This step is important because like I mentioned I sometimes mindlessly perform the behavior.
•If possible, when setting a goal, try to base it on increasing a desirable behavior rather than decreasing an undesirable behavior to avoid the need for punishment. This is going to be a bit difficult but I will try this, hopefully making my behavioral change more manageable.
• Step 7: Implement and adjust the contingencies. It will take some tweaking to dial in the self-management project. You might need to change the reinforcer or its delivery among other things to successfully modify your behaviors. This just means it’s going to be hit and miss for a while before I can get a handle on it.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) Stop nail biting
2) clip, file, cover up(so I cant get to them)
3) Keep track on my phone how often throughout the day, and try to pin point the cause(most likely anxiousness)
4) Graphing a baseline is going to be interesting because I know I do it often but am not sure how often
5) If I can make it a day without biting my nails ill reward myself with a movie or take time to work on the car or ride the motorcycle.
6) Ill keep track on my phone how often and when I do it. This will help me determine how to deal with the situation. For example im pretty sure the behavior spikes when I am anxious, so I have to do something to relive a bit of stress or perform a different task about the same time.
7) Implement and adjust the contingencies. It will take some tweaking to dial in the self-management project. You might need to change the reinforcer or its delivery among other things to successfully modify your behaviors. This just means it’s going to be hit and miss for a while before I can get a handle on it.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Ill keep track on my phone how often and when I do it. This will help me determine how to deal with the situation. For example im pretty sure the behavior spikes when I am anxious, so I have to do something to relive a bit of stress or perform a different task about the same time.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of the graph would be nail biting. The y-axis would be days of the week and the x-axis would be how many times I bite my nails per day. My baseline will most likely look like the water graph at its peak, and if this is successful I should see a decline, hopefully hit zero and level off at the end.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Behavior Modification, punishment, reinforcement, self-directed behavior, differential reinforcement of other (DRO), target behavior, behavioral diary, contingencies, y-axis, and x-axis, baseline performance,
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
What I liked reading about most was about specific target behaviors. Since we’ve only vaguely talked about target behaviors in behavior modification. The examples were really interesting because you could actually see if they could be completed or not. To change a behavior, you have to define a good target behavior that can be reinforced.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing I disliked was the example on converting a behavior that would normally require punishment into reinforcement. I didn’t really understand the eample very well.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. One thing I will remember is it’s better to emit reinforcement compared to punishment. Because when you think of behavior modification punishment is usually the first thing that comes to mind. It make sense in the context of self-directed behavior though.
b. I will also remember converting a normally punishable behavior that can be reinforced instead can still be used to change undesirable behaviors. This is differential reinforcement of other.
c. When someone wants to reduce a behavior, it’s important to look at whether they want to quit cold or use gradual reduction. This could help decide the target goal and method of measurement.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked was about the determining contingencies. Where the behavioral intervention occurs and determines whether or not the behavior should be reinforced. Since that talked about fixed ratios and variable ratio schedules of reinforcement more, since I’ve struggled with that.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
What I disliked was keeping track of behaviors. I was awful at keeping track of how much water I drank. That was definitely a challenge for me. It makes sense to keep track of the ABC’s through modification though.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. I will remember self-directed behavior modification. Since there were so many important steps to the process that would be really helpful to anyone trying to change a behavior.
b. I will also remember how important it is to make sure the target behavior is measurable and able to fit in with daily living. This reminded me of how much people say, make sure your goals are measurable. It’s a very similar context, because your target behavior should be within reach and realistic to help motivate you.
c. I will also remember the behavioral diary, and writing in the ABC’s. Since you’d be keeping track of what is and isn’t working, it’s easier to pick out the aversive elicted behaviors and change the antecedent.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. My goal is to get to a healthier weight by exercising more and eating healthier
2. Target behaviors: Eat healthier, work out every day to insanity.
3. Keep records: Check off every day I’ve completed insanity work out, keep track of meals.
4. Make a graph: Graph the baseline, graph following weeks, then see if baseline changes at the end.
5. Determine contingencies: After a week of insanity, reward myself with something desirable.
6. Determine antecedents: Try to create an environment that will reinforce me to want to work out. Like leaving gym clothes out where I can visible see them to remind myself. Setting alarms to remind myself. Buying healthier foods so that’s all that’s available to me.
7. Implement and adjust contingencies: Change the contingencies if necessary. See how progress goes first.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would measure the behavior by keeping track of how many days I’ve followed through working out to the DVD. And writing down the days where I didn’t eat healthy foods most of the day. Basically keeping track in a behavioral diary.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The line-graph would be titled amount of exercise/diet. While the y-axis would be, days exercised/ate healthy. The x-axis would be days of the week.
Terms: Behavior modification, target behavior, punishment, reinforcement, differential reinforcement of other, self-directed behavior, undesirable, emit, antecedent, ABC’s, elicit, aversive, variable ratio schedules, fixed ratio, y-axix, x-axis, behavioral diary, baseline, contingency, line-graph.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 ) One part I liked about this section was how it was more clear that if we have a behavior we want to change in ourselves, we need to be more specific about what it is in that undesirable behavior, or what about that behavior we want to change, rather than thinking of a target behavior.
2) I could not think of a part in this section that I did not like, I felt that the information given was necessary and valuable in learning about behavior modification.
3) One topic I think that I will remember from this section was the part on other-directed behavior. I will remember this because if a behavior is directed by another person it can be easier to help modify that behavior. Another topic I will remember from this section is how a lot of our goals to modify and change the undesirable behavior do not happen because we are focusing more on the punishment rather than the reinforcement. This relates to a topic that I will also remember which differential reinforcement of other is to increase behavior whereas when modifying your own behavior you are usually trying to decrease.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4) I liked how this section gave really good steps to modify behavior, I felt that they were more explained and concrete.
5) I think this reading should have come before the graphing part of our last assignment.
6) One thing I will remember is how the chosen target behavior must fit in with our daily lives and remain obtainable, if they are not, the target behavior will be likely to fail. Another thing I will remember from this section is keeping the ABC’s in mind when recording the behaviors. I will also remember the part on behavior intervention needed a right amount of time before the change is put into place.
7a) A behavior I want to change in myself would be procrastination
7b) I could see how long it takes me to get my homework done, and track my usage of computer time because I get distracted on social media websites. I could also set an earlier due date in my head.
7c) My computer usage would be really high, and the amount of time spent on homework would be lower. Title: Procrastination. The Y axis would be time spent on social media. The X axis would be time spent doing homework.
8) target behavior, undesirable behavior, reinforcement, punishment, other-directed behavior, differential reinforcement of other,
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I enjoyed how this section covered resolutions. People try to change once a year, but they mostly do not understand that they need to have some sort of reinforcement.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I do think the section focused on New Years resolutions a bit too much, but other than that I really enjoyed the section.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A) I will remember the difference between self-directed and other-directed. I feel that I would prefer self-directed
B) I will remember that your target behavior must always be specific.
C) A target behavior is more easily reached if there is a reward or reinforcement involved.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
In this section, I appreciated the fact that it gave me a step by step list of instructions on how to change a behavior. It made it much easier to understand when it is broken down like that.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I thought reading about the graphs was a bit boring.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) I will remember that I need to define my target behavior from a broad behavior.
b) I will remember that the antecedent is a very important part to trying to change a target behavior.
c) Lastly, I will remember that it is better to choose a target behavior that is easier to record, then you can really tell if the behavior is changing.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Goal – Get more exercise
2. Define the goal – work out at least 3 times a week at Planet Fitness
3. Keep a record in a planner on dates and times of my work outs along with the type of work out preformed
4. Graph a Baseline: measure how much i exercise for one week with no reinforcement
5. Determine the contingencies: On days I exercise I will reinforce myself by
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will keep track of minutes running or doing other exercises in a planner.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title on the graph would be exercise. The x-axis would measure the days of the work and the y-axis would be the minutes exercised.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post
Terms used: x-axis, y-axis, baseline, contingences. Antecedent, target behavior, reinforce, reinforcement.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The thing I really liked about this section was the focus on the self and how, for example New Year’s resolutions, don’t work unless you find a specific target behavior and reinforce it. The resolutions themselves are behavioral classes rather than target behaviors.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I wasn’t 100% sure about incompatible or alternative behaviors. That section seemed vague and I wasn’t sure on the definition of a incompatible behavior.
3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing I will remember is the importance to narrow down a resolution from a behavioral class, such as lose weight, to a target behavior, such as drink more water. This is important to understand so you know what behavior to reinforce. The second thing I will remember is the difference between other-directed behavior, others that control the availability of reinforcements, and self-directed behaviors, we exert our free will to choose a behavior that we want to decrease or increase. This is important because in certain situations it is important to understand where and if we must seek reinforcement from others or ourselves. The third thing I will remember is differential reinforcement of other (DOR) because it is important to redefine alternative behaviors that can be reinforced but will still reduce the original target behavior. This is important to understand because it ultimately decreases an undesirable behavior.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked this section because there was so much detail and step by step instructions for self-directed modification. This section is extremely helpful also because the boxes allow you to fill out each step after you read it so you understand the step by step instructions.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
This section was really good, even though it was long, I thought it was really good so I don’t really have anything bad to say about it.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing I will remember is to make sure you choose a target behavior rather than a behavioral class. As explained in step two make I will remember to choose a target behavior with the four criteria, precise, manageable, measurable, and fit. This is important to remember because if the target behavior is a behavioral class or doesn’t fit the four criteria then the self-directed modification won’t be as successful. The second thing I will remember is how important it is to keep a record so we know the baseline performance and when we alter the reinforcements for behavior intervention. This is important to remember because it is important to chart and graph your progress rather than relying on memory (which may lead to failure or inaccuracy) so you know either how successful or non-successful your self-directed behavior modification is. The third thing I will remember is to establish a successful antecedent that will help elicit desirable behaviors. This is important to remember because the antecedent sets up the behavior and consequence and the more successful your antecedent is the more likely you are to elicit your target behavior.
7) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Step 1. Stop binge eating/snacking on unhealthy food
Step 2. Drink more water, eat more at mealtime, snack healthier, replace chips with fruits
Step 3. Keep a record such as calorie counter diary or just a paper diary. Count if I snack and what I eat when I snack.
Step 4. Keep a graph on baseline (first week) then add a reinforcement and continue graphing for a couple weeks then stop reinforcing and see if I return to baseline.
Step 5. Reinforcement or Contingencies will be if I go X amount of days without binge snacking then I will be able to add a dollar to a jar to go on a shopping spree after X amount of days or months.
Step 6. I would remove or dispose of unhealthy snack items in my room or in my surroundings so I will be less tempted to binge unhealthy eating and stock my fridge with more water.
Step 7. As I continue my process I will necessary tweaking as a continue.
7) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Behavioral diary or keep track of eating between major meals.
7) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
Binge Snacking Per Day, Y-Axis would be number of snacks in between major meals, and X-Axis would be days (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Baseline, reinforcement, contingencies, reinforcing, behavioral diary, target behavior, behavioral class, antecedent, consequence, behavioral intervention, self-directed modification, other-directed, behavior modification, reinforce, behavior, incompatible or alternative behaviors, differential reinforcement of other (DOR)
1. In this section, I really enjoyed reading about the New Year’s resolutions. I myself have tried on numerous accounts to make a New Year’s resolution and this just points out why most resolutions seem to be unsuccessful. I think it was easy to relate to because most of us go through this situation at least once in our lives I would say. I would also assume that most of our resolutions have failed at some time as well. Subjects that are relatable are more interesting and easier to understand in most cases. I learned that you have to be specific on what you want to change instead of being simple about it because then it will be unsuccessful. Something I will remember for next year’s New Year’s resolution.
2. I really didn’t dislike anything about this section. I found the information to be helpful and clear for the most part. This section helped me understand some important key terms and have a clearer understanding about setting goal the right and successful way which I will use down the road for sure! There seemed to be a lot of old material that was presented and not much of new material but it was still a good refresher because it was presented in a different manner than before.
3. The first thing that I will remember from this section is that in order to be successful with a New Year’s resolution, we must remember that it requires punishment more than reinforcement in order for it to be successful; something that shocked me but now completely makes sense. The second thing I will remember from this section is that a goal needs to be extremely specific and not vague in any manner if want the goal to be successful. This will help me with future goal setting because I am known for being extremely vague and wondering why I don’t achieve certain goals I set for myself. The last thing I will remember is why we change behaviors. This was a topic that we have already discussed in previous sections, but I think it is an important topic because we need reason to better ourselves and others in some cases.
4. I really loved the breakdown of self-directed behavior because I wasn’t sure about it at first, but now I have a better understanding because of how the information was presented. It broke it down into 6 steps and then went further into details to better explain. This really gave me the opportunity to dig deeper intellectually and understand the term to its full extent!
5. Like I stated before, there wasn’t anything I disliked about this section either. It did a great job with being geared to us personally by being related about to real life like setting goals. It was really helpful in giving me a different outlook on how to be successful as well! I really enjoyed these two sections!
6. The different tools or techniques that were stated about goal setting was something I will remember from this section because they are practical and would seem to have an impact on if your goal is successful or not. So, recording down the information is something that I will better myself with so I can keep track of what I’m doing and I can physically see my progress instead of just guessing about it per say. Recording would work great for a work out plan! The second thing I will remember is how a baseline holds importance when tracking any improvement within the desired goal because without it, we wouldn’t be able to see the progress we’ve made. The last thing I will remember would be the importance of our goals being practical and measurable because without these two things it is extremely hard to obtain success in a goal related situation. I can say I want to lose 30 pounds in one month, but realistically it’s a goal that is unreachable. Not only is it extremely hard to lose that much weight in that amount of time, but I have to factor that I have a life as well. School, work, friends, and family that I have to balance as well and it would be nearly impossible to reach. Making sure I can see actual progress is important-measurable.
7a. -Set a specific goal: Lose 30 pounds by July, 1st, 2014
-Target Behavior: Create a workout plan and a healthy eating plan to follow by in a strict manner until it becomes a habit instead of a forced and dreadful thing. Start living a healthy lifestyle that will stick with me long term instead of short term.
-Record/Journal: Record all my daily intakes into a journal so I know what and how much I’m consuming each day. Weigh myself everyday with the start and final weight to see my progress or to see if I need to change some things to better myself. Also, record all physical activity and for how long.
-Baseline: By creating a baseline I will be able to see my progress threw a graph. Make sure that I keep track of all data so I can look back on it from time to time.
-Contingencies: For every 7 pounds I lose, I will reward myself by being able to fit in old, smaller sized, clothes and possibly even get to buy new smaller clothes for living a healthy lifestyle.
-Antecedent: I will hang up pictures of myself, back in the “skinny” days so I have a daily reminder of my goal and why I want to accomplish it as well.
7b. I could measure this behavior by keeping a daily journal of all my intake of food and record of my workout sessions. I can do weigh INS every day to see my progress and to make better efforts by seeing that my hard work is paying off.
7c. in hopes that I’m have success with my goal of losing 30 pounds, my graph should eventually be visible in a decreasing manner. Starting with my initial weight and hoping losing the weight so that I am at my target weight by the date I chose. The title of my graph would be, “Weight Loss Program.” The y-axis would be labeled, “My weight in pounds,” and the x-axis would be labeled for each week leading up to the 3 month end period that I set for myself so, “Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, etc.”
8. Self-Directed Behavior, Behavior Modification, New Year’s Resolutions, Punishment, Reinforcement, Goal Setting, Target Behavior, Recording, Tools, Techniques, Psychology, Baseline, Improvement, Antecedent, Contingencies, X-Axis, Y-Axis, Graph.
A.S
sect 4.1
1) One thing I liked about this section was the discussion of New Year’s resolutions, along with the overall concept of self-directed behavior becoming somewhat of an inevitable failure. I feel like it is common knowledge that most New Year’s resolutions fail, but I find it interesting that most people continue to attempt to beat the statistics. But instead of setting ourselves up for success, we inadvertently set ourselves up for failure. I think people are so quick to rationalize and justify counterproductive behaviors for immediate gratification.
2) While I feel I understand how to convert an undesirable behavior into a desirable one, but I am slightly confused with the use of the term incompatible when listing alternative behaviors for my target behavior to quit drinking Monster energy drinks as a mid-day booster. My intuition is to replace the behavior with another stimuli like green tea, but I would consider those to be compatible because it is a healthier options but provides similar caffeine properties needed to jump start my afternoon.
3) The first thing I will remember, which has also been a continuing message throughout this course, is that behavior modification through self-directed behavior can be successful if the goal is simple, specific and realistic. The more grandiose the goal, the more subjective the results, and the less likely it will be achieved. My favorite example is spending more time with family. This goal in particular is extremely subjective because the use of more provides no consistent scheduling, no consistent participants, and therefore no consistent reinforcement.
Secondly, when developing a new goal I will remember to establish and identify my specific target behaviors. I will achieve this by asking myself “how could someone misinterpret and distort my goal?” I will also think about what questions my young nieces and nephews would ask trying to understand. As most kids like to find loop holes in presumed adult logic to achieve their own target behavior, I could think about how my young nieces and nephews (or my superego) would try to sneak around to find immediate gratification. Hopefully this thinking will set me up for success instead of failure.
Lastly I will remember that while others direct behaviors can feel manipulative, the free will felt with self-direct behavior leaves more room for failure (or since I’m taking a personality course, Freudian slips ). I can relate this to my long involvement in sports, mainly swimming. People would assume that because I have been a swimmer through college that it would be only natural for me to continue swimming on my free time. However, the only way for me to get motivated to swim laps for 4+ hours a day would have to come from others direct behaviors, like my coach. When left on my own I have not lasted more than 10 minutes swimming laps.
sect 4.2
4) What I liked about this section was that we were provided an outline to better help us establish target behaviors for self-direct behaviors. After section 4.1 described the necessity for specific target behaviors in order to succeed in behavior modification, I liked that this section allowed us to begin to piece together the puzzle pieces. I feel this outline served as the backboard with the lines drawn to match the puzzle shapes.
5) I personally am still afraid of the graphs and statistical/calculations only because I am not a mathematical person.
6) The first thing I will remember is that there 7 self-direct behavior steps – SDKGCAI. I have a pretty good memory when it comes to patterns, so by creating this letter sequence (even though it has no limerick yet), I will be able to correlate the number of letters and the meanings. S = set. D = define. K = keep. G = graph. C = contingencies. A = antecedent. I = implement. So theoretically, I would use these trigger words to further explore the areas.
The second thing I will remember is the importance of the antecedents because, like we have read in previous chapters, the antecedents will determine the predictability of a certain behavior to occur. We can use these different circumstances to determine which situations produced more desirable or undesirable behaviors.
And lastly I will remember to organize my records of my behaviors into the ABC’s. This will help keep make smooth sailing for the other steps in this process like the antecedents and the contingencies.
7a-b) I know I could take this a few different ways. I would appreciate some feedback in order to select the most promising route S (set): I will go swimming 4 days a week. D (define): I will swim any type of swim stroke for 2 consecutive hours, morning or night, 4 days a week at WRC at UNI until the beginning of finals. K (keep): I will create a journal with divided into the ABC’s. The A section will describe the weather leading up to me swimming and my over all mood. The B section will describe what activities I did in the water and how I felt during the session. The C section will document how I feel physically and mentally immediately after I finished, 1 hour after I finished, and 3 hours after I finished. I would measure based on how often I actually go, my overall feelings mentally and physically pre-during-post swim sessions, and the relationship to my willingness.
7c) Fair warning, I need help labeling my graphs properly and efficiently Right now I think I would choose from 3 graphs: (1) measuring my attendance. Title: Swimming Weekly Attendance. Y-axis: Hours attended. X-axis: Days of the week (2) measuring my mental enthusiasm levels. Title: Enthusiasm Development throughout a Routine Swimming Regimen. Y-axis: levels of enthusiasm. X-axis: days of the week. And (3) measuring my physical levels. Title: Physical Development throughout a Routine Swimming Regimen. Y-axis: Body weight (baseline number being weight before the start). X-axis: Days of the week.
8) Vocab: self-direct behavior, rationalize, justify, counterproductive, immediate gratification, undesirable behavior, desirable behavior, incompatible, alternative behavior, stimuli, behavior modification, specific, subjective, consistent, scheduling, reinforcement, participants, target behavior, superego, manipulative, others direct behavior, Freudian slip, antecedents, predictability, title, x-axis, y-axis, baseline, S = set. D = define. K = keep. G = graph. C = contingencies. A = antecedent. I = implement.
1. a.b.) I really enjoyed the part in the section about failed new year's resolutions and relation to behavior modification. I do not normally believe in New Year's resolutions. I do agree that if you make one, you have to follow through and have a plan of action.
2.) I did not like how this section did not provide much new information. I felt that the new information it did provide was a little vague and could be clarified more.
3.a.b.c.) One thing I will remember is self-directed behavior. I will remember this because it is self explanatory. I will either punish or reward myself to increase a target behavior or cause it to become extinct. I will also remember differential reinforcement of other(DRO). I will remember this because it is reinforcing all of another's behavior except the ones that are bad. Lastly, I will remember other-directed behavior. I will remember this because this is how we grew up through our teachers and parents controlling our behaviors.
4.a.b.) I loved learning about the six steps for self directed behavior. It made the outcome of our goal seem so much easier to achieve.
5.) I did not like using excel. I do not do well with technology.
6. a.b.c) One thing I will remember is all the steps involved in self-directed behavior: set goal, define target behaviors, keep record, graph baseline, determine contingencies, and determine antecedents. I will also remember that the goals are normally broad so that they are easier to achieve. Lastly, I will remember that all good graphs have a good title and labels.
7.a.)
1. I want to become physically stronger.
2. I will exercise at least four days a week by running, doing abs, and lifting weight. I will also try to eat healthier by cutting back on the sweets.
3. I will keep a record in a journal of how far I ran and how fast, how much I lifted and what abs I did and how many.
4. I will graph a baseline using my BMI.
5. I will reward myself with letting myself have something sweet once a week if I do all of my workouts.
6. I will set a reminder on my phone.
7.b.) I will keep track of all my work outs in a journal.
7.c.) It would be a line graph titled The Stronger, The Better. The x-axis could be the dates of my workouts. The y-axis would be how much I could lift.
8.) Terms: self directed behavior, differential reinforcement or others, other-directed behaviors, target behavior, punish, reinforce, and extinct
After reading section 5.2, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
Behavior is primarily controlled by a verbal description of a contingency of reinforcement or punishment. The description usually describes the behavior, the SD for this behavior and the typical consequence for this behavior in the behavior in the presence of the SD.
I like the idea behind rule governed behavior. We all know and understand these “unsaid rules” so giving it a name and a definition I like.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Sources of Rules. Sources of rules can be government (federal, state, local), society, cultures, holiday traditions, family traditions (we eat at the table and not in front of the TV), peers, attorneys (“I agree to conditions and terms”), and ourselves. Rules vary from country to country, some countries have rules that you drive on the right side of the street while in others you drive on the left side. Different countries have different laws regarding drinking age (or even if drinking is allowable), smoking age, voting rights (some countries have no voting at all), and different rules about who can enter their country.
Liked it the least because it points out the obvious.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
- A rule governed behavior is maintained through obligation of maintaining order. This definition made a lot of sense even without all the examples.
- Individuals may emit behaviors that deviate from established rules because the probability of punishment is low or nonexistent. I liked the example of blowing through a stop light at 4 am because there is a low probability of getting caught and getting a ticket (punished).
- We can adopt rules without directly experiencing the consequence, but we execute it by verbally reminding ourselves. I will remember this because of the speeding example.
After reading section 5.3, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
Functional analysis in behavior analysis employs principles derived from the natural science of behavior analysis to determine the "reason", purpose or motivation for a behavior.
I think this is an important part of behavior modification. If we can understand why a behavior is being performed we can easily implement a plan to change, reinforce, or punish the behavior.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing I liked least about this section was that the functional assessment, it was not what I thought it would be. This left more like a review.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
- Devising an intervention is coming up with new antecedents and consequences. Once we know what elicits the target behavior (antecedent) and what maintains the behavior (consequence), we can modify them through our intervention.
- Hypothesis can help modify the antecedent and consequence. This is an idea of why one believes the behavior is occurring and when, which will greatly help with my behavioral change project. If the intervention does not work, we may need to go back and change the intervention.
- Functional analysis can be both direct and indirectly coordinated. An example would be studying then taking a test on what was studied.
7a) Last Monday (week #11) you were asked to start collecting data on a target behavior. You should have 1 week's worth of base line data to report below:
Week 1 (Baseline)
Day 1 =3
Day 2 =2
Day 3 =3
Day 4 =0
Day 5 =4
Day 6 =2
Day 7 =0
Average = 2 times a day
7b) Begin your behavior intervention and continue collecting data.
7c) In reference to section 5.3, what might a functional analysis of your target behavior look like?
A functional analysis (or hypothesis) of my target behavior, stop biting nails, would be that it relieves stress or anxiety. Which is the one im sticking with, while observing my behavior I realized the majority of the time I spent biting my nails involved the thought of upcoming stressful work, homework, test and so on. A small majority was due to boredom or something being off or uneven on my nails.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
rule governed behavior, emit, consequence, behavior, sources of rules, signs, reinforcement, direct assessment, antecedent, hypothesis, target behavior, functional analysis, behavior modification
1)after reading this section on of the things that i found to be intersting was the part on self directed behaviors.it made me think alittle about my self in how i want to change but it is hard to get started. so what doi end up doing, thats right nothing.
2)some of the repetitive stuff i didn't like but that is how you learn
3)so of the stuff that set in with me is that most resoultions are really broad and that is why they don't go through with them. other directed behavior is where other people control the reinforcers. i will also remember that it is easier to fix a behavior with a reinforcement than with a punishment.
4)the part about determining an antecedent. it is important to have something around you to remind you to make the behavior change that you want to. some times i think that a lot of behaviors don't change because people forget about them, and having a reminder will really help.i know that is what happens with me.
5. I don't know what to write here.
6. target behaviors need to be precise, measurable, manageable, and fit with lives. you need to record when changing a self-directed behavior.that is important to have antecedents to increase the frequency of the behavior occurring.
7)
1) Set goal: take my pills
2) Target Behaviors: take my pills on time
3) Keep a record: see if i take them when i am supossed to
4)Graph a Baseline: look when i have to take them
5) Determine the Contingencies: when i take them at the right time during the day i can smoke
6) Determine the antecedents: i will set reminders on my phone telling me that i need to take them
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I liked in this section is how it explained the fact that we need to define our target behavior. The more specific we are the more successful we will be in controlling that behavior versus something that is vague. Not only does the section list this but it also talks about listing three alternative behaviors that you could differentially reinforce. This helps a lot when trying to fix certain behaviors.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I did not like the boxes where we had to write in our own examples because although it helped me, it also took me a great while to come up with good examples.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will for sure remember that in order to achieve a certain goal of fixing a behavior, the target behavior must be specific. Remembering this seems important to me because if I want to really get anything accomplished in life, I have to remember to be specific. I will also remember that some goals fail because they involve punishment rather than using reinforcement which is usually more effective. I will remember this because we just talked about it in class today. Lastly, I will remember that no matter what your reinforcer is, it can always be changed in order to become more effective. This is something I will remember because we talked about it in class but also, I realized if it is not working then it is not actually a reinforcer.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really enjoyed each of the steps involved to change behavior. These are: 1. set goal 2. define the goals as a set of specific target behavior 3. keep a record 4. graph a baseline 5. determine the contingencies 6. determine the antecedents 7. implement and adjust the contingencies. I enjoyed these steps because it made me think about what different levels I need to take in order to successfully change an unwanted behavior.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I did not like how in the beginning of the section, it says there are 6 steps but as you read on, you realize there are actually 7 steps total. I did not enjoy this because at first it confused me, but later on I figured it out.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that when creating a goal, I should base it on increasing a desirable behavior instead of decreasing an undesired one because I will hopefully get better results if I choose to do it that way. I will also remember to keep these goals precise and mangageable because this too will also help me succeed in achieving them. Lastly, I will try to remember to record the behaviors ahead of time because then I can use that as my baseline.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
My shopping addiction
1. I will save up money and use about 1/4 of that money for shopping expenses every 2 weeks.
2. I will not shop as much, and will also save money for shopping. This way I will be saving more money than I'm spending.
3. I will keep a record of all these changes I am trying to make.
4. I will graph a baseline first after realizing how much I shop during the first week or two and calculating how much I usually spend.
5. I will use contingencies, such as effective reinforcers like airheads for example. If I am able to save up money and not shop within in 2 weeks, then on that weekend I will be able to use 1/4 of that money to go on a shopping spree as well as eat a blue airhead because those are my favorite.
6.I will figure out the antecedents for example I tend to go shopping a lot when my friends ask me. Perhaps I could explain to them that I need to lower my shopping expenses and to only ask me when they feel it is necessary.
7. Once I have this all figured out, I will change the unwanted behavior of spending too much money, accordingly.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
First create a baseline of perhaps the first week. Write down each time I go shopping and how much I spend. Then continue to cut back and record how it is working then.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
It would hopefully look the same if the positive reinforcer I chose is effective. The title could be called Saving Money. For the x axis I could use each day i go shopping, for the y axis I could use the amount of money I spent.
Terms: behavior, target behavior, differential reinforcement, punishment, reinforcement, goal, baseline, contingencies, antecedents
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I found the New Year’s resolutions to be the most interesting things to stand out to me. It was very relatable as well since everyone usually has New Year’s resolutions. It was even more interesting learning about why so many resolutions are in fact unsuccessful. It’s important to know that a legit plan needs to be set in order for a behavior to be changed and sometimes resolutions require punishment instead of reinforcement and rewards.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing I disliked about this section was filling out the boxes I had a lot more trouble in this section than previous ones. I think this is because there wasn’t as many examples provided compared to previous sections. I find the examples to be extremely helpful especially in checking my work.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
First thing I will remember from this section is other- directed behaviors which are behaviors that are controlled by others. It was pretty common sense so very easy to remember. I will also remember self- directed behaviors which are when we set our own goals and administer our own reinforcers/ punishers. Lastly I will remember the DRO- differential reinforcement of other redefined as alternative behaviors that can be reinforced, but will still function to reduce the original target behavior.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
Overall what I really liked about this section was the whole layout, I thought it was very organized and made easy to understand. Especially for the 6 steps involved to change a behavior very simple to follow and understand.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn’t really anything I disliked about this section, like I said earlier it was very organized and easy to understand. I really liked this section.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
First thing I will remember from this section is that establishing a baseline is very important in the process it helps to see if you are improving. I will also remember the six steps although there is a lot of them this section helped make it easy to understand all the steps. And lastly I will remember that we always use a line graph to chart our behavior. It’s also the most easily understood when observing the graph.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. I would like to get in better shape and gain muscle.
2. I will work out 5 days a week, for 1 hour.
3. I will keep a journal of my workouts and how long I go for.
4. I will then graph it as my baseline for the week. It will be a line graph with labeled axis- x axis as days of the week and y axis as minutes I worked out for.
5. If I complete my goal for the week I will reinforce it with a Netflix show.
6. The time I used to waste watching Netflix I will now use to work out and get in better shape and then reward myself after with a little show off Netflix.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will keep track of the behavior by journaling my work outs and time spent in the gym and with what I did at the gym.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
This would look like a line graph, with a title of “ Time working out per a day”. Y axis would be labeled days of the week, and the x axis would be the hours spent working out.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Line graph, behavior, reward, reinforcer, baseline, reinforcement, punishers, differential reinforcement of other redefined, self- directed behaviors, other- directed behaviors, punishment.
Section 4.1
1. What was one thing you liked about this section? Why?
The one thing I liked about this section was the topic self-directed behavior. The reason I liked this topic is because it allows a person to make their own decisions and make their own mistakes.
2. What was one thing you disliked about this section? Why?
The one thing I didn't like about this section was how broad the New Year's resolution topics were. The resolutions need to be in more detail and explain exactly what they would like to accomplish in the new year.
3. What are three things you will remember from this section
A. I will remember what self-directed behavior is and how it allows people to make their own decisions
B. The second thing I will remember from this section is that if you want to have a resolution about something make sure that it is in great detail.
C. The third thing I will remember from this section is that one should have detailed behaviors.
Section 4.2
4. What was one thing you liked about this section? Why?
The one thing I liked about this section was how you can change your behavior in 6 steps.
5. What was one thing you disliked about this section? Why?
The one thing I disliked about this section was how you should record your behaviors in a notebook. That is a good idea but what if you forget or you're too busy.
6. What are three things you will remember from this section?
A. The first thing I will remember from this section is what the 6 steps are to changing a behavior
B. The second thing I will remember from this section is that if you reach your goal what your reinforce is going to be so you continue to reach your goals.
C. The last thing I will remember from this section is what a continuous reinforce is.
7. Think about a behavior change from section 4.2
1. I would like to procrastinate less.
2. I will write down all of my assignments in a planner.
3. I will do homework everyday of the week.
4. I will not wait until the day before an assignment is due to do it.
5. I will study more.
6. I will ask for help if needed.
7b. How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will keep a journal of all my homework assignments and their due dates.
7c. How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
My graph would be a line graph with a title.
8. Terms used in this post: behavior, reinforce, continuous reinforcement, self-directed behavior.
1) In this section, I enjoyed reading this list of common new years resolutions, such as “quit drinking,” “quit smoking,” and multiple others. I enjoyed reading this list because it was interesting to learn what types of goals and behavior changes that people like to make, and I was interested to learn that many people make these similar resolutions.
2) In this section, I disliked the part in which I had to list behaviors that were incompatible with the behavior of drinking, in order to help me to determine some specific target behaviors that go along with the goal of quitting drinking. I did not like this part because I did not understand what I needed to do. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to make behaviors that helped a person to quit drinking, or behaviors that would hold a person back from their goal of quitting drinking. I did not like this confusion.
3) One thing I will remember from this chapter is the fact that goals for behavior modification need to be specific and should not be put in general terms. I will remember this because it made sense to me that target behaviors need to be specific in order for a person to measure their behavior and know how to reinforce themselves. This made sense to me and will be easy for me to remember. A second thing from this section is the fact that behavior can be self-directed, instead of being directed by others. This means we can monitor our own behavior and punish/reinforce our own behavior. I will remember this, because I had never previously thought much about the fact that an outside force does not have to influence our behavior, but instead we can influence and change our own behavior. Another thing from this section that I will remember is that some “resolutions” or new behavior changes can fail because punishment is used, rather than reinforcement. I will remember this easily because I did not realize that reinforcement can make a larger difference in behavior modification than punishment in some cases, including some self-directed behavior changes.
4) In this section, I enjoyed the fact that I was able to write my own goal and think more about how I could modify my behavior. I enjoyed this because it helped me understand better what I can do to to reach my goal (of exercising more) and what steps I need to take to do that.
5) I did not like the part in this section in which I had to draw out a small graph and it said to record my behavior after a week. I did not like this part, because I do not enjoy using graphs, and I wasn’t sure if I should wait a week to record my data or try and mark down data from this previous week. To be safe, I will record my data next week on the graph that I have sketched out in my notebook.
6) One thing I will remember from this chapter is the importance of keeping accurate, consistent notes on my behavior. I will remember this because it was helpful in causing me to realize how difficult and can be to reinforce or punish certain behaviors if I am not confidently aware of what behaviors I have emitted. Another thing in this section I will remember is that it can be important that I determine the antecedents for my target behavior change. I will remember this because I am now more aware that I can change antecedents in order to influence my behavior, and these antecedents can make a difference in my behavior. For example, to exercise more I might change my antecedent by laying out my exercise clothes ahead of time to remind myself to lift, and this will help me be ready to exercise quickly. A third thing from this chapter that I will remember is the fact that it is better to increase a desirable or wanted behavior rather than decreasing an undesirable or unpleasant behavior. I will remember this because it was simply stated in this section of reading, and I have heard this concept before, and that will make it easier for me to keep it in my mind when I am trying to modify my own behavior.
7a) I want to get in better shape than I am in now.
The target behaviors for this are: Exercise at least 4 times each week.
Avoid soft drinks.
I will mark down my behaviors in a chart in my notebook, and then I will mark it down on the graph after a week has passed.
7b) I will measure the behavior by writing down how much pop I drink to make sure that I avoid it, I will mark down how much I exercise per week (in hours), and I will keep track of this in my notebook. I think that I will obtain a baseline of information after one week of using no reinforcement or punishment. After that I will use behavior intervention by reinforcing my desirable behaviors and I will be able to see if the behavior intervention had an affect on my behavior.
7c) The title of my graphs would be “Fitness Behavior.” For one of my graphs the X axis will be labeled “day of the week,” and my y axis will be labeled “hours of exercise.” For my other graph the X axis will be labeled “Day of the week,” and my Y axis will be labeled “ounces of pop consumed.”
Terminology used: emit, target behavior, reinforcement, punishment, antecedent, behavior modification, self-directed behavior, resolution, goal, X Axis, Y Axis, measure, baseline, behavior intervention.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
From this section, I liked the part that discusses New Year’s Resolutions. Every year, millions of people pick a target behavior that they want to modify. I am not sure why everyone waits until the start of a new year to change their behavior, but it is a common practice. Setting resolutions are destined to fail if the resolutions are not clear and concise. Depending on your resolution, you could use punishment or reinforcement to make sure that you follow through. Reinforcement is the preferable option! I learned that by making my goals more clear, I am more likely to follow through and achieve my goal.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
If I had to pick something I disliked, I would say that I did not learn many new terms besides self-directed behavior. Normally, I learn a lot of new terms in each section, but this section did not have much new information. However, I liked that it was an easy read!
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember is the difference between self-directed behavior and other-directed behavior. For self-directed behavior, you rely on yourself to manage your behavior and give consequences. But for other-directed behavior, others control the the reinforcers given for behaviors. I will also remember that it is crucial to define a target behavior when setting a resolution. If you do not know exactly what your target behavior is, how will you know when to reinforce or punish yourself? Last, I will remember that there are four reasons people want to change the behaviors they emit. These reasons are that the behavior bothers themselves, the behavior bothers those around them, it could lead to trouble later on, or the behavior is illegal.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked in this section is that it thoroughly explained each of the 6 steps that are involved in changing a behavior. At first the section listed them, and I was confused what some of them meant. But then it was broken down and each step was talked about thoroughly.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was truly nothing I disliked from this section. I found the whole thing interesting because I love learning how to reach my goals and what will help me be more motivated. I really did like the whole section and I found all the information useful.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember is that it is important to define your goal. Goals need to be precise, manageable, measurable, and needs to be realistic that it could fit within your life. Next, I will remember that a behavioral diary is a good way to track progress and what happens before and after your behavior. This behavioral diary can help you know your baseline performance, or understand how your behavior is before beginning to change it. Last, I will remember that the y-axis is for the dependent measure and the x-axis is almost always time. I will remember this because this is similar to the graph we made for our Water Chart last week.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1.I would like to be able to run longer distances.
2.I will run 5 days a week. The first week, I will run 3 miles for the 5 days. The next week I will run 4 miles for 5 days. After that, I will run at least 4 miles for the 5 days, or more if I wish.
3.I will keep a record of how many miles I run for the 5 days each week to make sure that I stay on track. I will also record the ABC’s for each day. The antecedent would be the food I eat before, the behavior would be how far I ran, and the consequence would be how I felt during the run and if the food made me feel sick or good while running.
4.I will graph a baseline of my running activity to encourage me to continue with my goal of being able to consistently run farther distances.
5.Each day that I reach my goal of the distance I wanted to run, I will reinforce myself by eating a piece of chocolate. Chocolate is extremely reinforcing for me!
6.I need to determine my antecedents that will help me succeed. I will lay out running clothes and shoes the night before my run, so that it is easier for me to feel motivated to run the next day. The hardest part for me getting motivation to run is the actual process of finding my shoes and my workout clothes.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will measure how far I run by using the Nike Fitness app I have on my phone. I will take my phone with me while I run and it measures the distance and speed I run. I will keep a journal and write down the distance I ran and what food I ate beforehand.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
It would be a line graph called Distance Running. The y-axis would be how many miles I ran and the x-axis would be time.
Terms: target behavior, modify, behavior, punishment, reinforcement, consequence, self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, emit, 6 steps of changing a behavior, behavioral diary, baseline performance, ABC’s, antecedent
Section 4.1
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?- I really liked how this section was organized. I thought that it did a really good job of explaining everything and it was nice to have the explanation of the difference between self-directed behaviors and other-directed behaviors. I also liked the examples that had to do with New Year's Resolutions because I have made many resolutions that never got completed.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?- There wasn't anything that I disliked about this section, if anything it was just kind of redundant and explained a lot things I already knew but it was good to have them reiterated.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?- I will remember that the goal of an effective self-directed behavior program is to have people acquire better, more adaptive patterns of behaviors, that will eventually occur automatically and routinely as a part of daily life. Reinforcing behaviors that are incompatible is called the differential reinforcement of other because we would much rather reinforce than punish. We need to make sure that our target behavior is very specific and well defined or else the behavior becomes too broad and difficult to record.
Section 4.2
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?- I liked how this section was organized into the steps of how to plan a self-directed behavior procedure. The example of Kyle wanting to write more was very helpful and got me thinking about what behavior I would like to increase.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?- I wish the section about determining contingencies was clearer I still feel confused about this step.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?- I will remember that the steps of self directed behavior are: set goal, define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors, keep a record, graph a baseline, determine the contingencies, determine the antecedents, and implement and adjust the contingencies. The target behavior needs to be precise, manageable, measurable, and fit within the practical scope of our daily lives. And the third thing that I will remember is that antecedents have a major impact on the behaviors, the behaviors can be controlled by making small changes in the environment.
7a) Think of a behavior: I would like to reduce the amount of time I spend on social media on my phone
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior? I would keep track of the minutes I spend on my social media sites
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? This would be a line graph What would be a title for the graph? Amount of Time on Social Media What would be a good label for the y-axis? Minutes on Social Media What might be a good label for the x-axis? Days of the Week
8)Terminology: Self-directed behaviors, other-directed behaviors, differential reinforcement of other, target behavior, reinforce, punish, contingencies, antecedent
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I really enjoyed in this section was that it was really easy to understand. I liked how there was boxes to fill out. Like for example, we could define our target behavior to quit drinking.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I really can’t say I disliked anything. I think everything was very well organized and easy to understand.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-One thing I will remember is that self-directed behavior occurs when we exert our free will to choose a behavior that we want to increase or decrease, we are free to make our own goals.
-One thing I will remember is that one reason people might have trouble keeping resolutions is that their resolutions tend to be broad representing a behavioral class rather than a specific target behavior.
-One thing I will remember is that it’s better to redefine alternative behaviors that can be reinforced, but will still function to reduce the original target behavior. This is called differential reinforcement of other (DRO)
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I really liked in this section was how it had each of the steps for changing a behavior explained thoroughly throughout the section. It was very easy to follow with the examples given.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Honestly, there wasn’t anything I disliked in this section. There wasn’t a lot of fill in the blanks like in most of the sections. That was a plus!
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-One thing I will remember is that are 6 steps involved in changing a behavior: set a goal, define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors, keep a record, graph a baseline, determine the contingencies, determine the antecedents.
-One thing I will remember is that one way to start recording a baseline is to keep a behavioral diary. Keeping a diary of what the writing behavior was, what happened before and what happened after, will allow you to later go back and use the ABC’s of behavior.
-One thing I will remember is that making sure it is easy to record the behaviors as soon as they happen is important. Do not just rely on your memory of an event, it may be inaccurate.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. My behavior I would like to change is to start working out more and being physically active.
2. I will start working out three times a week for an hour at a time. I will work out Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays. I will start by doing cardio for the first 30 minutes and then do weight lifting for the remainder of the hour. Every week I add on I will increase 10 minutes to my work out.
3. I will keep a journal and write down how much I work out so I do not fall behind. I think keeping a journal will make me more likely to work out.
4. I will graph a baseline so I can see how much I improve throughout my work out weeks.
5. I will reinforce myself each week if I reach my desired goal. My reinforcer will be chocolate truffles. They worked for increasing my water intake, so I think they will work here too!
6. I will try and get one of my friends to do it with me so I am more likely to follow through with it.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will keep track of my work outs by using a journal and writing down exactly what I do at the gym. I will write down how long I worked out as well.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
This would look like a line graph. It would have the minutes worked out on the y-axis, and the x-axis would have the days of the week. The title for my graph would be “Amount of time worked out/day”
8) Terms:
Self-directed behavior, differential reinforcement of other, reinforce, behavioral class, target behavior, baseline, ABC’s, contingencies, reinforcer, reward.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I liked about this section was the idea of self directed behavior.
I like the idea of self-reinforcement because if you are aware of the behaviors that 1)bother you 2)bother others 3)can cause harm or 4) are illegal can be worked on individually if you set up a self directed behavior program.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I dislike how self directed behavior is done by the individual because if you don’t have a support or social group you are likely to stray away from the self direct behavior program.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember with self-directed behavior we make our own goals and reinforcements.
I will remember this because basically everyone emits self-directed behavior for new years resolutions when everyone makes their goal for the year.
I will remember that new years resolutions usually fail.
I will remember this because usually the goal is too broad and lack specific behavior changes.
I will remember differential reinforcement of other (DRO).
I will remember this because it is important to keep alternative behaviors in mind so a problem behavior isn’t ignored and another behavior is reinforced.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really like how this section teaches how to set up a self-directed behavior steps.
I really like this because it is helpful when working to achieve self-directed behavior.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing I disliked about this section was that it take 6 steps to successfully change behavior.
I dislike this because when working on a behavior everyday it might get annoying having to think about all the steps and it might lead to giving up.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section?
Why?
I will remember the 6 steps to self-directed behavior are set a goal, define the goal as a set of specific behaviors, keep a record, graph a baseline, determine the contingencies, determine the antecedents, and implement and adjust the contingencies.
I will remember these 6 steps because they are ideal for self-directed behavior.
I will remember the goal of the behavior change needs to be precise, manageable, measurable and practical to daily life.
I will remember these 4 things because they are ideal for a successful behavior change.
I will also remember keeping a record of and measuring is important and this can be done by measuring baseline performance and keeping a behavioral diary.
I will remember this because it is important to be aware of our current behavior and track progress along the way.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
I would like to start running more
1) Goal: Run 30 min Tuesday and Thursday
2) Define goals: Run right after working out at Kosama
3) Keep record: Start a running journal
4) Baseline: line graph days and number of minutes ran
5) Contingencies: Run at least twice a week for thirty minutes to increase running behavior reinforce myself with a half hour massage once a month and the end of the month.
6) Write a note of my cubby at Kosama to run after class Tuesday and Thursday
7) Implement and adjust: keep a diary and adjust minutes of running or days ran.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I can measure and keep track of the behavior of my phone from a running app or my fitness pal. I will also physically write it down in a journal to have a visual to keep me motivated.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
Depending on the behavior change the graph may increase or decrease depending if a behavior is wanted to increase or decrease. The title would be Running Chart. The y-axis would be labeled number of minutes ran and the x-axis would be labeled days ran.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
terminology: self directed behavior, self-reinforcement, New Years resolution, emit, DRO, alternative behaviors, baseline performance, behavior diary
1. I like the topic of the chapter. Self-directed behavior is an interesting topic for anyone to learn about and can really be beneficial to people from various backgrounds. This concept is very approachable for the average person because it is low stress and simply requires that you monitor your own behavior and provide consequences and solutions as need be. Not everyone thrives under self-directed behavior but it is something relatively easy that an average person can do in order to change a behavior.
2. I would have liked to have more substance in the section about reinforcement or punishment. Some of it was review but I would have benefitted from more interactive example because sometimes it is hard to come up with a reinforcement schedule for something that is so obviously punishing.
3. I will remember the distinction between other-directed behavior and self-directed behavior. The concepts are pretty self-explanatory but it was helpful that a definition and example paragraph was included for other-directed behavior and then self-directed behavior was reintroduced. This ensured that I had both the terms present in my mind while reading this section and was very clear on both. I also found this sections musing on why people tend to put off changing behaviors especially as it relates to New Year’s resolutions and dieting (it always starts tomorrow). That is an interesting behavior that most people tend to exhibit. We often put off doing a behavior and use many different explanations for why we do so and end up never getting the tools we need to actually make a change. These behaviors are also hard to change because the target behavior is unclear or very broad. There is little hope to succeed when the person may not even know what it looks like to achieve their goal. Another thing that I will remember from this chapter is the difference and importance between reinforcement and punishment. It is important to reinforce whenever possible because that increases the likelihood of the behavior continuing.
4. I liked that the author set a very specific plan for how this chapter was going to be written and then stuck to that plan. It made this chapter easy to read and to reference. I liked that the steps are laid out for us to follow and make sense of.
5. I am still confused about contingencies. I know they have something to do with the antecedents and consequences, but I am unsure of if they are a separate term or not. I would have benefitted from more explanation on contingencies.
6. I will remember the specific ways to specify the target behavior. It needs to be precise, manageable, measurable, and fit with our lives. I will remember this because it is a manageable list that makes sense when you are trying to change a behavior. I also appreciated the explanations given for each section. I especially appreciated that this section addressed the importance of the behavior fitting in with your life. I will also remember that small section based around making sure that you are able to record your behaviors to get an accurate baseline. That is one of my difficulties because I often forget, especially during the water project, to documents what is happening. I think the key is just to set out some by my bed that I can just write down what happened before I go to sleep. I will also remember the section on implementing and adjusting contingencies. This is important for me because I give up easily if something goes wrong. It happened in the water project. I had a water bottle that broke and after that happened I just gave up on continuing to change my behaviors as it relates to how much water I drank. I need to constantly remind myself that things are not set in stone and I need to change my antecedents to fit my end goal.
7. a) Eating breakfast:
Set Goal: I will eat breakfast five days a week starting Monday through Sunday.
Define the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors: Buy easy breakfast food that I can grab as I walk out of the door. Get up 10 min earlier in order to have time to prepare a breakfast.
Keep a Record: Put a piece of paper on my door and cross off each day I had breakfast before leaving the apartment.
Graph a Baseline: I will measure this behavior in days and either yes or no, I did or I didn’t eat something.
b) To measure this behavior I will maybe keep a piece of paper on my door, and if I eat breakfast I can check off the day before I leave for class. I would quantify breakfast as just eating anything before I leave my apartment because right now I don’t eat anything.
c) The title of the graph would be Days Suzanne Ate Breakfast. The y-axis would be the either yes or no. The x-axis would be the day of the week.
8. Self-directed behavior, behavior, consequences, reinforcement, punishment, reinforcement schedule, other-directed behavior, exhibit, goal, contingencies, antecedents, consequences, target behavior, precise, manageable, measureable, baseline
1) I really liked how this chapter made a point about New Years Resolutions. I never liked New Years Resolutions because I don’t think they ever work. I now understand ways that New Years Resolutions can work. Resolutions need to be specific: not a behavioral class. People would be much more successful with their goals if they defined a specific target behavior. If This is also what we call self-directed behavior.
2) There wasn’t anything I disliked about this chapter. I liked how it made the concepts really simple and I liked the practice problems. The section made the information easy to understand and easy to evaluate if I understood it or not.
3) A. One thing I will remember is that target behaviors need to be specific. A behavioral class “get fit” is not specific enough to know how to reach the goal. “Jog a mile a day” is much more specific and easily measured. The exercises in this section gave me good practice turning behavioral classes into target behaviors. B. One more thing I will remember is that people like self-directed behavior better than other-directed behavior because we feel as if we are exerting our own free will. It is our free will because we are administering our own punishers and reinforcers. I will remember this because I would much rather direct my own behavior than have somebody manipulating me. C. Finally, I will remember that reinforcing behavior is always better than punishing behavior. When we want to decrease a bothersome behavior, it is best reinforce incompatible behaviors. This process is call differential reinforcement or DRO. I will remember how to do this because of the exercise I completed in the section. For instance, a DRO for “quit drinking alcohol” would be to drink water instead.
4) One thing I like about this section was how well it prepared us for our next project in the class. The section broke it into a step-by-step process: 1) Set goal, 2) define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors, 3) keep a record, 4) graph a baseline, 5) determine the contingencies, 6) Determine the antecedents, and 7) Implement and adjust the contingencies. I think these steps make this project much more doable.
5) I do not like how this chapter came after we did our water graph. I think that the project would have had a lot more meaning if we had read the chapter before.
6) A. I will remember that target behaviors need to be precise, manageable, measurable, and practical. I already knew that goals needed to be specific but it makes sense that is also must be manageable, measurable, and practical. If it is not manageable or practical, you will get frustrated and no goal will be accomplished. If it is not measurable, you will not know if you are really making any progress. B. I will also remember that antecedents can help you achieve your target behavior. Manipulating your environment can help you when achieving a goal. For instance, if you are trying to eat healthier food, keeping healthier food in you pantry and refrigerator will make it much more likely that you will eat them. C. Finally, I will remember how to graph a self-directed behavior project. Time usually goes on the x-axis. This could be hours, days, months, etc. On the y-axis is the dependent measure. This is what we using to measure our target behavior. A project like this usually uses a line graph, but it could also be a pie chart, a histogram, or a bar chart. The imaginary baseline graph made this information very understandable.
7) A behavior I would like to change is the amount of time I spend studying for the GRE and on Grad school applications. I would like to increase this behavior because my deadlines are getting closer. This is a sample list I would use as a set of target behaviors: looking at GRE practice problems, reading Kaplan practice book, taking practice tests, reviewing flashcards, writing my personal statement, and revising my resume/vitae. I would measure these behaviors in amount of minutes. In a graph, I would put the amount of time studying for the GRE/working on grad school applications on the y-axis and I would put days on the x-axis. The title of this graph could be Graduate School Application Prep-work.
Terms: behavioral class, target behavior, self-directed behavior, reinforcers, punishers, other-directed behavior, reinforcing, punishing, reinforce, differential reinforcement, dependent measure, DRO, baseline, contingencies, antecedent, precise, manageable, measurable, and practical, x-axis, y-axis,
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked looking in to the New Years Resolutions example and trying to figure out which ones can be met with reinforcement or other means. This kind of brought my attention to classical conditioning and punishment with trying to lose weight like everyone wants to do during the beginning of the year and try to stick it out for a while. Also with trying to quit drinking or smoking and trying to change behaviors; the classical conditioning and punishment would come in handy.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was nothing in this section that I did not like. I just hated thinking about trying to punish myself to stop drinking or to stop a behavior that I did not like. I believe that this idea would be tough to do unless that person is highly motivated throughout the entire process and procedure.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. I will remember what self-directed behavior is because they put the term up against other ideas such as the types of behavior modification that we use in the class room or when we are working with dogs. It makes it a little easier to understand that self-directed behavior is something that we have to rely on ourselves to manage the behavior and administer the consequences, even though we don’t like to. This idea of administering consequences on ourselves is self-reinforcement.
b. As silly as this sounds; I will remember that we feel the need to not change what may be “wrong” with us because we think we are perfect the way we are. When in reality the behaviors we may think is perfectly fine with us may bother other people and it most likely bothers us when we do it. These would be a part of the four reasons why we should want to change our behaviors. The other two would be that the behavior is illegal and it may lead to trouble in some future time; so we for sure would like to change that before any of that happens.
I will remember this because it reflects on my life and I feel like I have already stated those words “I’m perfect, I do not need to change anything.” When in reality I need to change a lot of things that I do because otherwise those behaviors would get me into a lot of trouble.
c. I will remember that with self-directed behavior we are our own test subjects and we can make our own goals and structure our own behavioral interventions and contingencies. This would make things very interesting trying to see if we can be motivated enough to push ourselves to follow through with these goals. I will remember this simply because I am trying to set my own goals right now with trying to decrease my intake of alcohol and increase my time management with school and work.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked in this section how it gave us a step by step process of how to actually conduct this project. I would have never thought of a few of those steps and quite frankly I think without those steps I would done something completely wrong and would have never decreased my intake.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Again in this section there was nothing that I could really dislike besides the fact that it might be hard for me to find a reinforcer that will work for me because I don’t eat or like candy as much but I do like some foods, but I am also trying to cut down on my food intake as well as my alcohol intake.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. I will remember to keep a behavior diary while working on my goal and target behavior because I want to be able to follow through with this project and seriously slow down on how much I drink at the bars and how much money I spend along with it.
b. I will remember to always graph a baseline of the first week’s numbers. I will remember this because if I do not graph a baseline at the beginning of an experiment such as this one that we are doing in class, then I will never know how much I have progressed and decreased my consumption of alcohol.
c. I will remember that is always alright to tweak your ideas and your possible reinforcers because sometimes the reinforcers may not work and you will have to switch to something completely different.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Set a Goal: Decrease Alcohol Usage
2. Set a Target Behavior: Drinking less while at the bar.
3. Keep a record: I will use a small pocket journal to figure out how much I actually drink while at the bar.
4. Graph a baseline: I will figure out how many drinks I purchase at the bar when I am there almost every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
5. Determine Contingencies: I will reinforce myself with a scratch off ticket or even just a simple piece of chocolate. I will also reinforce myself only once a week on Sunday only if I had successfully stayed under 10 drinks in 3 days. Or even just 3 drinks a day.
6. Determine Antecedents: I would change my environment and habits by only bringing enough money for a few drinks rather than bringing 40 dollars for the entire night. I would want to try and save money as well while doing this project.
7. Implement and adjust the contingencies: If my piece of chocolate once a week doesn’t work then maybe I would increase that and indulge in a piece of chocolate twice in the week to see if that would discourage my drinking.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would for sure keep a log or a small pocket book and tally how many drinks I have at the bar on that specific night right after I finish the drink. I would also measure it by the day and the number of drinks.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I would hope it would show a negative regression line from the baseline. I want it to plummet after the baseline and I want it to continue keeping it at a low number for the rest of my life. I think the title would be Drinks Per Day or Weekend (Thursday-Saturday). The Y-axis would be Number of drinks and the X would be the day i.g: Thursday 1, Friday 1, Saturday 1, and so on with the numbering portion…. Thursday 2, Firday 2, and Saturday 2. The number representing the week.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Self-directed behavior, self-reinforcement, behavior modification, consequences, punishment, classical conditioning, motivated, target behavior, behavior diary, baseline, reinforcers, contingencies, antecedents,
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? I really enjoyed this section because it made me think about all of the goals I have set for myself and why I have failed at completing them. I now know that my goals are normally to broad and difficult to complete because of how broad they are. I also think it is hard to complete my goals because I have no tracking or motivation to stick with them.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? I really enjoyed this section because I could relate to it and hopefully make changes in my goal setting tactic.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? I will remember that when setting a goal you need to specific. I will remember that specific goals are easier to reinforce or punish because of the ability to distinguish the target behavior. I will also remember that other directed behaviors can be helpful for people who are not very self motivated. I will remember these three things because I can relate to them and can benefit from knowing them.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? I really enjoyed this whole chapter because it gave me the steps I need to take in completing or having better success with my own goals. This really made me look at my goals, define a target behavior and follow the steps.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? I really liked this whole sections because of how helpful it was for me in my own life.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? I will remember the 6 steps in changing a behavior because it is something I am going to use to make the changes I have been wanting/trying to make happen for years now.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1.) Get fit
2.) Run 7 miles a week, only eat on sweet a day, do 10 squats, 10 pushups and 30 sit ups a day M-F
3.) Use a calendar to record how many miles you run a day, what sweet you ate a day, and mark off when I complete the daily exercises
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior? Use a calendar on the refrigerator
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis? I could use a graph by measuring how many weeks a month I stick with doing my target behaviors. I would have weeks/ days completed goals and months for my axis
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post. Target behavior, punishment, reinforcement, goal, self directed, other directed
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked in this section the ability one has to change their own behavior through self direction. This style is much easier to monitor, and if you stay true to yourself and use effective reinforcement or punishment you should be able to achieve the new target behavior.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I wasn't able to pick up on the explanation of when you would use punishment vs reinforcement with self directed behaviors. I am assuming when you are trying to break an undesired behavior such as eating junk food you would use punishment, and reinforcement if you were eating healthy food? Or do you just decide which you use then decide how it fits into the target behavior?
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A)Every behavior is capable of being changed, and you can't keep waiting until tomorrow to make the switch. You have to do it now, and keep making adjustments throughout.
B)You must make the target behavior specific so that everyone that was looking for the behavior would agree when they see it. You shouldn't have it so broad that there isn't a way to measure the progress of the behavior such as "getting fit".
C)Others-directed behaviors may take less discipline to achieve if you are dependent on someone else to perform the undesired behavior. For example eating cake may not be desired, but it only is a problem because your grandmother bakes you a cake monthly.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
As someone who is goal oriented I enjoy the idea of having a goal that is measurable through a quantity instead of being so broad that you can cheat yourself into thinking results are occurring.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I don't like the importance of recording data as you go throughout the day, although I will say the accuracy will be at its highest when done this way, I just don't think it is efficient to constantly be writing in a diary if the behavior being monitored is one that happens a lot of times through the day.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A) When graphing, the x axis is almost always used to display the amount of time.
B) The y axis on the other hand is usually responsible for the dependent variable (the one that is being measured).
C) If you are not seeing the desired results after a certain period of time, you must be able to amend the plan in order to make it the most effective, and in order to not satiate oneself.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Swear less times throughout the day.
2. I would want to specify which swear word each time, and not generalize all swear words into one category.
3. This would be very important to keep a diary on as I can imagine I will have it out like once/minute.
4. I would want to get a week's worth of swearing in while I monitor to see which words are being said the most.
5. I believe punishment would work the best, by maybe keeping a rubber band around my wrist and snapping it every time a swear word is said.
6. I think the antecedents will be large in variety because sometimes I don't even have a reason to cus and I still do it.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will keep track of select swear words that I wish to say less in everyday activities, and I would have to write them down on paper otherwise my phone will either have 100 text messages a day or I will forget half of them.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis? Swearing Throughout The Day would be the title. Y axis would be labeled the amount of times the swear word was said. X axis would be the swear word, and I would need to finagle a form of time into the equation.
terms: Self directed behavior, reinforcement, punishment, target behavior, others directed behaviors, x axis, y axis, dependent variable, satiate
1. Something I really liked about this section was how they used new years resolutions for the main example throughout the chapter. These target behaviors are things people try to change every year, but their success depends on the reinforcers they decide to use.
2. There was nothing I really disliked about the section. I thought it was all pretty important and interesting to lean about.
3. Three things that I will remember from this section are:
a) When people try to tell use to modify a certain behavior, we feel like they are trying to impose some kind of control over us, but when we try self-directing our behavior, it feels like we are making the changes on our own to feel better about ourselves.
b) Some reasons why New Years resolutions fail is because they are too vague or the reinforcers aren't good enough to elicit a change in the behavior. Also, they use punishment more than reinforcement.
c) A DRO is a smaller behavior one can change that effects the larger target behavior.
4. Something I liked about this section was how it gave great instruction on how to set goals. I was surprised there was nothing in here about SMART goals, which is another goal setting formula I have learned since I came to college.
5. Like the previous section, there was nothing I disliked about the chapter. I thought it was all very interesting.
6. Three things that I will remember from this chapter are:
a) It's better for goals to be specific rather than broad, because then they will be easier to change over time.
b) If you really want to change a behavior being emitted, it is important to also look at the antecedents and see how they effect the behavior and if they can be changed.
c) It's good to keep a diary in order to track your progress over time to see if you have made any improvement in modifying your behavior. The information in the diary can also be used to make a graph with a baseline to see how well the reinforcer worked.
7a. My goal is that I want to get into the habit of running everyday for at least 15 minutes.
Step 1- Run at least 15 minutes a day.
Step 2- My target behavior is running outside.
Step 3- In order to keep track of my behaviors, I will be using the Map my Run app to time how long and how far I run. I will also be keeping a journal of my times.
Step 4- I will be making a spreadsheet on excel with the y-axis being minutes per day, and the x-axis will be the days of how long I'll be doing the experiment.
Step 5- I have decided to do a daily reinforcer of watching a movie on netflix for every day I meet my goal of at least 15 minutes.
Step 6- The antecedents will be how much I have to do that day, or I guess having the time to run.
Step 7- If I run out of things to watch on Netflix, than maybe I can reinforce myself with calling my boyfriend and having a conversation with him.
7b. I will be measuring and keeping track of my behavior with the use of an app on my phone and a journal.
7c. I think there will be a more steady progression on this graph since I have already somewhat started running more. Like I mentioned in the steps, the y-axis will be minutes per day and the x-axis will be the days. The title will probably be something along the lines of Daily Running Data.
8. Terms: target behavior, reinforcers, self-direct, elicit, punishment, reinforcement, DRO, emit, anticedents, baseline
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? I really enjoyed how it was explained in the first two pages and then broken down even further into specifics. The new years resolution examples were very helpful in understanding.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? I am not overly fond of having to come up with so many examples for the same topic.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? I will remember that behaviors can be self directed or other directed. I will remember this when it comes time to do my own self directed change experiment. Target behaviors are easier to change because they are not as broad. Others directed behavior can often feel manipulative.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? I thought this section was organized well and all of the steps had adequate information. It will be easier to find the info needed once I start my own project if I need it.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? I was happy with this section. I found it very useful.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? I will remember that it is easier to increase a desirable behavior instead of decreasing an undesirable one. I will remember that there are 6 steps to self directed behavior change. I will remember target behaviors are much easier to achieve if they fit within our normal everyday lives.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. A behavior I want to change is to go to the gym more. Step 1- My goal is to spend atleast 1 hour at the gym 3 days a week. Step 2- Do cardio/weights while at the gym. Step 3- keep track of my gym going. Step 4- Graph my behavior in terms of hours at the gym and days gone. Step 5- I will use Netflix episodes, 2 episodes for every day at the gym.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior? I will go to the gym on the days I don’t work.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?I think it will look different since I have not been going to the gym like I used to. My baseline is 0 so I will definitely have an increase once I start doing the reinforcement. Title- Gym participation Y-axis- hours at the gym, X-axis- days.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms: self directed behavior, others directed behavior, target behaviors, 6 steps, y axis, x axis, reinforcement.
Please read sections 4.1 (Need for Self-Directed Behavior) and 4.2 (Self Directed behavior Steps)
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked the part about New Year's resolutions. I liked it because it interested me on the succeed or fail data because I and other people I know make resolutions each year and about half of them get resolved or attempted to get resolved and the other half are just something that was said or thought of. After reading this section it makes sense that people use resolutions that are vague because they might not sure what is best for them. A lot of people use weight or working out as a resolution but don't really know what is best for them. Losing weight can involve dieting or exercise but if its unplanned they can get frustrated and quit it. Also people might punish themselves for eating a snack once in a while but not reinforce themselves for eating healthy or getting fit.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn't really not like anything in this section because it was a simple section.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that target behaviors have to be clearly defined and state exactly what needs to be changed or done. In order to change a behavior it has to be able to have an increase change at omitting the changed behavior.
I will also remember that converting an undesired behavior into a desired behavior will allow a greater outcome in changing the target behavior. This happens because we can use reinforcement instead of punishment.
The last thing I will remember is other directed behavior is controlling others behaviors and self directed behaviors is using free will for yourself.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how the section was broken down into smaller sections, It made it easy to read and understand.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn't anything to not like about this section. It was new information and it was information to help me better understand things we talk about in class and the other readings.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the importance of defining a goal which is step two. I will remember this because it was clearly stated that you have to be clear in defining the goal otherwise you are less likely to complete the goal.
I will remember that it is important to record you data and progress because it can let you see your progress or what you need to do better so you can accomplish what you want.
I will remember that behavioral intervention is a long complex process. In the middle it may be necessary to revise the target behavior or the reinforcement of the behavior. This sometimes entail measuring a new baseline and restarting however this process can be crucial to being successful.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
A behavior I would like to change would be working out. I would like to workout at least 5 days a week for at least 30 minutes.
Step 1 - Work out Monday-Friday for 30 minutes a day.
Step 2 - My target behavior is working out during the weekdays.
Step 3 - In order to keep track of my behaviors, I can use my Nike Free Run app to track my running workouts and a chart for my other workouts. I can also record the times and track my progress on my chart.
Step 4 - I will make a spreadsheet with the y-axis being minutes per day I work out and the x-axis will be the number of days I do the experiment.
Step 5 - To encourage me to do the experiment I will use reinforcement. For my reinforcer I am going to use taking naps. I will be able to take a nap the day after my workout. So if am tired, I'll see if I worked out the day before and if I did then I can take a nap.
step 6 - The antecedents will be the gym or the weather outside. Because it will decide where I am working out and what the workout will be.
Step 7 - I can change my reinforcer to a timed naptime and if I over do a workout limit of 30 minutes, I can have a longer nap or if I workout more than 5 days a week. But I know I wont have to change my reinforcer because naps is a great idea.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will be measuring and keeping track of my behavior by using the Nike Free Run app and a chart I will make.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I think that at the beginning of the graph it might be a little rough and unsteady but as I get into the process of doing it after a week or so it should steady out. The y-axis will be minutes per day I worked out and the x-axis will be the number of days I worked out. The title can be Workout Data or Fit or Not because the other title is original and kind of funny.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
target behavior, reinforcement, reinforcer, antecedents, punish, reinforce, punishment, omitting, undesired, desire, punisher, baseline, behavioral intervention.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I enjoyed learning about myself and my behaviors by reading this section. So far we have just learned about changing the behaviors of other people and things. This focused more on a personal level of behavior. Self-Directed behavior is something that I am interested in, because I had to focus on it when I lost a bunch of weight my freshman year. It takes some work!
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I honestly did not dislike anything in this section. Self-Directed behavior may perceived to be easier than it really is. That kind of bothers me. There are so many things that go into making a good decision for yourself.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that self-directed behavior is when we exert our free will to choose a behavior that we want to increase or decrease.
I will remember that with self-directed behavior I can set goals for myself on a personal level.
I will remember that I have to be specific when setting goals, because otherwise it can be vague and confusing.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how it was said in the reading “Don’t give up if things don’t work smoothly right away.” I relate to that a lot, because when I first started watching my calorie intake it took about a week or two to truly get the hang of it. I wasn’t aware of the amount of calories in the foods I was taking in. I had to slowly learn what I could and could not eat to reach my goal of weight loss.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn’t like the need for such tedious work such as making a graph. I think some people would find that discouraging and annoying after a while, because that takes some time.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember there are six steps to self-directed behavior: Set a goal, define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors, keep a record, graph a baseline, determine the contingencies, determine the antecedents, and implement and adjust the contingencies.
I will remember that keeping a behavioral diary will help stay on track of your goals.
I will remember that when dealing with behavioral changes, a line graph works best.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Set a Goal: Make my bed every day.
Define the Goals as a set of specific target behaviors:
I will tear down my sheets and make them nicely. I will tear down my comforter and make it nicely. I will arrange my pillows nicely.
Keep a record: I will keep track of whether I did 1/3, 2/3, or 3/3 of the whole job for each day of the week.
Graph a baseline: Everyday of the week (7) and 1/3, 2/3, or 3/3 of the job.
Determine the contingencies: I will use an extra half hour of television as a reinforcer.
Determine the antecedents: The antecedent is the need for a cleaner room.
Implement and Adjust the Contingencies: I will see if the televion reinforcer will work or not.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
1/3, 2/3, or 3/3 of the job done.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
It will be similar because it will be a line graph going by each day.
The title would be “Making My Bed”
The Y Axis will be 1/3, 2/3, or 3/3. (fraction of the job done)
The X Axis will be each day of the week (Sunday through Saturday)
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms: Behavior, Self-Directed Behavior, Graph, behavioral diary, goals, line graph, target behaviors, record, baseline, contingencies, antecedents
Reading 4.1
1.The thing that I liked the most about this reading was that it broke down how to do self-directed behavior. It explained how target behaviors need to be precise in order to have the most effective change. I also liked how this reading explained how to change a behavior that typically would be seen as punishment into reinforcement.
2.Overall, I did not mind this reading. I thought it was fairly straightforward and did not have any downsides. It was fairly repetitive but that is good for a refresher and the new material was explained well.
3.The first thing that I will remember from this reading is the difference between self-directed behavior and other directed behavior. Self-directed behavior is the idea that we have control over our own behaviors and we can change the behaviors that we dislike or that are disrupting our daily life. Other directed behavior is changing someone else’s behavior. I think this is important to remember because it allows people to change behaviors that they dislike that others may think is fine. It allows people to change behaviors that are deeply rooted themselves rather than relying on others. The second thing from this reading that I will remember is that reinforcement is better. Many times when we want to change a behavior it tends to be punishment however, as we have learned previously punishment is not as effective as reinforcement. Therefore being able to change something from punishment to reinforcement is important and good to remember. The last thing that I will remember from this reading is that gradually quitting or stopping a behavior is better than trying to quit all at once. If a person slowly quits a behavior then they can gradually shape their own behavior into what they want rather than trying to overwhelm themselves.
Reading 4.2
1.I really enjoyed this reading! I thought it was extremely helpful that this reading broke down how to do self-directed behavior changes. I think this reading will make doing our project and future behavioral change projects easier. This was a very interesting and helpful reading for me.
2.Again, this was a good reading. I thought it was extremely helpful and made it easier to figure out how to do the project. This reading allowed me to determine what behavior that I wanted to do for the project and how to go about doing it. I thought this reading was good.
3.The first thing that I remember from reading this section is that keeping a record is very important. Keeping a record starting with the baseline and then the behavioral intervention is how we determine if change is occurring. A good way of keeping track of data is a behavioral diary to carry around. I think this is important to remember because I had problems with the water project about not writing down my data until the evening and sometimes I would forget therefore a behavioral diary would be useful for me. The second thing that I will remember from this reading is the importance of antecedents. Antecedents are important to take into account during a behavioral change project. Once we look at our baseline or even our behavioral intervention data we can see which days we are not doing as well and by looking at the antecedents that could be affecting this then we can become more efficient. This is important to remember because we should also take note of some of the antecedents to be more effective in our project. The third thing that I will remember from this reading is the importance of the behavioral intervention contingencies. The contingencies are the things that we either reinforce or punish with and therefore these have to have meaning for us. If these do not have meaning then our projects will not be successful. This is important to remember while doing our projects and choosing our contingencies.
Behavior Change Project
4.1) Set goal: I would like to exercise more. 2) Define/Specify the Goal as Target Behavior: My target behavior would be doing at least 30 minutes of cardio five times a week (M,Tu,W,Th,F). 3) Keep a Record: To keep a record I will write down how many days I do 30 minutes of cardio during a week’s period. 4) Graph Baseline: After one week of baseline with no intervention I will create a graph to determine my baseline behavior. 5)Determine Contingencies: For my reinforcement I will give myself two free days (Saturday and Sunday) and allow myself to not have to work out and eat what I want.
5.I would measure the behavior by using my watch and timing how long I have worked out for. I will also record my data in a health app that I have on my phone.
6.The title of my graph would be “Amount of Exercise”. I would then label my y-axis as “Minutes of Exercise” and then label the x-axis as “Days of the Week”.
TERMS: self-directed behavior, target behavior, punishment, reinforcement, other directed behavior, shape, baseline, behavioral intervention, behavioral diary, antecedents, behavioral intervention contingencies
4.1
1) Self-directed reinforcement is a powerful tool. It allows people to take responsibility over their behaviors, as well as figure out how to change them into something that is desirable for all parties involved. It is my opinion that people who employ aversive behaviors and are not self directed in eliminating said behaviors have a tendency to continue executing these behaviors.
2) I feel like the whole bit on New Year's resolutions may have crushed some dreams. People as a whole tend to realize that resolutions do not last for long, and usually not resolved. But, now the reading audience is aware that they have been setting themselves up for failure for years- buzz kill.
3) A. Reinforcing desirable behaviors is more effective that punishing aversive behaviors. In past chapters of the text, it is noted that punishment has no where near the same efficiency as reinforcement, and that punishment can in fact create other undesirable behaviors. Reinforcement ensures that an individual can 1. employ a new and desirable behavior and 2. eliminate the aversive behavior. Reinforcement of the “incompatible behaviors” is referred to as the Differential Reinforcement of Others (DRO). B. Behaviors are self-directed and others-directed. Self-directed behaviors allow people to make their own decisions and reason for why they exert certain behaviors, or why and how they want to eliminate them. Others-directed gives outside parties the control over an individual and their behaviors. Others-directed behavior is necessary in many situations where control and order must be maintained. C. Behaviors must be specific if we want to change them. A behavioral class is harder to specifically define because it is relative and open to interpretation. For example I want to change my yelling response when I get angry, but I am not sure if that is a behavioral class or a specific behavior. If I am unaware how do I go about redirecting, or eliminating that behavior? Specifying what an individual wants to reinforce or punish is essential to gaining the desired outcome.
4.2
4) Antecedents can determine change in behaviors. If a person's environment is changed, the behavior based on that environment will also change. The text describes writing more as an example and placing a journal in various locations as a reminder to write. This is probably my favorite part in the text so far, because so many people feel that they can change while maintaining their placement in their particular environment-and I have seen them try-but it just does not work out to their benefit. People emit certain behaviors that their environments elicit that is just reality.
5) The application of self-direction is often times my downfall. At certain times it is difficult for me to acquire the motivation necessary for eliminating or correcting certain behaviors because I get too overwhelmed. I am aware that I emit a lot of undesirable behaviors, and that I in turn elicit those same behaviors in other people around me. But, for the assignment I will put my best effort forth. Also, keeping a diary of the aversive behavior will be troubling, because it will be more of a self-confrontation, which will probably be disconcerting.
6) A. There are six steps necessary when opting to reinforce or punish a target behavior. A person usually cannot aspire to change a behavior if they do not have the necessary tools to do so. The Six steps are: 1. set goals 2. define target behavior 3. keep record 4. graph baseline 5. determine contingencies 6. determine aiding antecedents. Going in guns blazing isn't a reasonable nor a productive approach, one must decide what they want, create a complimentary environment, and decide how reinforcement or punishment will be carried out. Also, with self-direction one must hold themselves accountable. B. In order to confirm where change is necessary, one must implement the ABCs of behavioral modification. Without the ABC model, it is difficult to keep track of the context of the target behaviors. Recording should take place immediately so that no information is lost due to lapse in memory-greater accuracy can be achieved. C. Goals should be set respective of reinforcement or punishment (do you want to be rewarded for a good behavior, or punished for a bad one). Most people opt for reinforcement unless they are sadistically motivated, in which case punishment can be a reward. Once goals are established and schedules of reinforcement set in place, application of the self-directed behavior can begin.
7a) I want to change my yelling response when I get angry about stupid shit.
1. Have patience when I get frustrated
2. a. When my son does not listen to me, immediately direct him after the first request instead of yelling.
b. When I feel my blood pressure rise, immediately walk away, or hang up the phone.
3. Record my yelling responses as well as the calm normal responses when I know that I would otherwise respond undesirably.
4. graph baseline: Journal for a week, graph days and number of desirable responses
5. maintain positive behavior in an aversive situation where I know that I responds quickly and verbally aggressive. Reward myself every week with some time by myself.
6. Take a time out for myself, walking away when I feel my blood pressure rise, etc..
7b) I can measure by keeping track of the intensity and volume of my voice, and record in a journal.
7c) Y-daily yelling responses
X-days of the week
8) Terms: self-directed, reinforcement, punishment, aversive, desirable, incompatible behaviors, others-directed, behavioral class, differential reinforcement of others, antecedents, ABC, context, elicit, emit
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The "Quit Drinking" Outline. It laid out the basic steps of how to quit a habit you wish to change very well.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn't dislike anything in this section.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) Self-directed Behavior: You direct the change in behavior yourself
b) Other-directed Behavior: Other people direct the change in someone else's behavior
c) The "Beyond Freedom and Dignity" Example: It was referred to from the last section.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
How it outlined the steps for setting and achieving a goal/reaching a target behavior.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Nothing.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The different steps, how to go about them, and how to use best take use of them to achieve your goal. Because, they're all very useful and versatile no matter what your goal/target behavior.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Exercising More
1) Set my goal of how many hour I'd like to get in of exercise per day
2) Go to swim certain days, use elliptical other days, and lift the rest.
3) Keep track of how much progress I'm making compared to how often I'm exercising to see what (if anything) needs changed.
4) Graph my baseline
5) In order to reach my goal, use a reinforcer of one day off of exercising to entice myself to reach it.
6) Determine Antecedants: Lay out my exercising clothes in the way of something that's part of my daily routine.
7) Implement and adjust my contingencies: TBD (Fix as necessary).
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Writing down my progress and data in a journal or notepad
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
Label: Weekly Exercise Level
Y Axis: Hours of exercise
X Axis: Days of the Week
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Target Behavior, Antecedant, Baseline, Contingencies, Self-Directed Behavior, Other-Directed Behavior, Reinforcer, Goal.
Section 4.1:
1) One thing I liked in the section was introduction to breaking down the process of how to start self-directed behavior modification. It helps to break down the specific target behavior, and come up with alternative behaviors that prevent the undesired behavior from occurring. It’s also nice that there’s the reminder of how to monitor and measure this behavior since you’re the reinforcer of it now.
2) One thing I disliked in this section was the quitting drinking example because I don’t have a drinking problem so it was hard to come up with alternative behaviors that were specific and good.
3) I will remember self-directed behavior because it’s a new concept that makes us focus on our own behaviors and how we want to change them, which I’m very interested in. Another thing I will remember is how goal setting is important and needs to be specific and reinforcement in order to really work well. I’ll remember this because I will use it in my self-directed behavior modification New Year’s resolutions that were just too broad, unmonitored and not properly measured. Lastly, I will remember using alternative behaviors to reinforce instead of using punishment is more effective because I want to have a successful behavior modification.
Section 4.2:
4) One thing I really liked in this section was being able to apply our own behavioral goal/change to work through the chapter alongside the Kyle example. This helped me understand how the steps worked and how to apply them to myself.
5) One thing I didn’t like in this section was the behavioral diary. It seemed like we were supposed to keep this before even picking a behavior to change, and that it may be tedious work for some goals. For example, with my goal it’s pretty darn obvious if I didn’t go to the gym.
6) I will remember the order of the steps for sure because we will be using them for the behavior change project. I will also remember the emphasis on antecedents in self-directed behavior because I didn’t realize before reading this, which my main issue with exercising enough was getting to the gym. So setting myself up to be near the gym often and with all the gym stuff I need will help me get there. The final thing I will remember from this section is the behavioral diary and how it can be used when implementing and adjusting the contingencies. Without a good detailed record it would be hard to determine if the reinforce was working or not, why that is, and if other antecedents are affecting the consequences.
7a) Self-directed behavior steps
1. Set goal: Exercise more
2. Define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors:
Go to the gym 3 days a week
Lift weights for 30 minutes each gym visit alternating between an upper body work out and a lower body work out
Use an elliptical machine for 30 minutes each gym visit
3. Keep a record: Keep a record of minutes spent at the gym and what I did there in a note in my phone.
4. Graph a baseline: Line graph with minutes on the y-axis and days of the week on the x-axis
5. Determine the contingencies:
When I get to the gym I can have a fun sized candy, after the work out I get to tan, receive a water massage and a latte depending if I’m tired, at the end of the week if I have gone to gym at least 3 days a week I will get to eat out/special food and not worry about my diet. So, I will reinforce going to the gym, finishing my work out to its entirety, and at the end of the week for going to the gym at least 3 times a week.
6. Determine the antecedents:
Pack a gym bag for the week with back up clothes for each day, keep it in the car at all times, and plan on working the same days I work because the gym is near my work.
7. Implement and adjust the contingencies: Haven’t started yet
7b) To measure my behavior I will record the minutes I spent at the gym each day that I go in my phone.
7c) The title for the graph would be Gym Attendance. The y-axis would be minutes, and the x-axis would be days.
8) Terms: behavioral modification, behavioral dairy, self-directed behavior, target behavior, consequence, reinforcer, reinforcing, punishment, reinforcement
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1) One thing I really like about this section is the idea of something being self directed. I like to play doctor and I really really like to be in control of things. So, being in control of my own behaviors and being in control of things I want to reinforce makes me really happy and makes me pretty excited to be given the opportunity to test this out.
2) One thing about this that does kind of freak me out a little bit is applying consequences. With reinforcement, no problem, as long as I’m not hurting myself, it’s going to be great. But, if we get into me giving my self negative reinforcement or punishment or anything aversive… I’m not so sure I’d be very good at that. I don’t know if I really would punish myself or if I’d try to shrug it off.
3) First off, I am going to remember that other directed behavior is necessary for certain situations such as teaching in classrooms and working in other situations that require a little bit more discipline than one can provide themselves with. Self directed behavior, on the other hand, is controlled by ourselves and our own wishes. I’m going to remember these because they’re fairly self-explanatory and they’re important to know for this chapter. I’m going to remember that target behaviors need to be specific and need to be clearly defined, otherwise they are a behavioral class and can’t really be modified behaviorally if they aren’t clear enough. I’m also going to remember that when modifying a behavior, it’s going to be easier for me to give an alternate behavior that can be reinforced instead of something that will have to be punished. for example: I want to quit smoking. That’s a behavior that I want to reduce, so I’m going to have to punish it. So, instead, I might say, “I want to go three days cigarette free” that’s a behavior you want to increase the likelihood of, so you’re going to reinforce it.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4) One thing I really enjoyed about this section was the fact that there was a list of items that I had to follow to change a behavior! I absolutely love steps. I like when there is a process and I have to get through that process to see a result. For some reason, it really soothes my soul to have something all planned out and in place for solving a problem.
5) There wasn’t anything notable that I disliked in this section. I felt that all of it was very pertinent information and it was all very applicable to our project, so there isn’t really anything for me to put here.
6) I’m going to remember the steps to the self-directed behavior change. First is setting a goal. This should be fairly broad. Next is defining the goals as a set of specific target behaviors. This means the target goal should be precise, manageable, measurable, and fit within the practical scope of our daily lives. Third is keeping a record. This includes recording data for a baseline and outlining the ABCs of behavior. Fourth is graphing a baseline. Next, determine contingencies. This means that there should be the implementation of the behavior change. Here, the individual should determine if the reinforcer needs to be changed or if it’s working. Number six is determining the antecedents, this means that we have to decide what in the environment needs to change in order to insure that we are going to follow through with this new behavior. And finally, there needs to be implementation and adjustment of the contingencies. This is basically just doing the behavior modification once all the tweaks and adjustments have been made.
7a) I want to change how long I shower. Right now, my roommates are always kind of joking about how long I take in the shower. It’s usually upwards of a half an hour to an hour.
1. Take shorter showers.
2. Take 15 minute showers.
3. Antecedent: coming home from xc practice
Behavior: showering
Consequence: higher water bills/ getting made fun of
7b) This is pretty easy to keep track of, I just have to time my showers.
7c) It should be really similar to the water drinking graph. I hope have a high baseline, have 2 or 3 weeks with some reinforcement and much lower numbers followed by a return to baseline with continued low numbers. The title for my graph will be “ Decreasing Shower Time”. The y-axis will be labeled “time in shower” and the x-axis will be labeled “days”.
TERMS: Self directed behavior, other directed behavior, reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, aversive, reinforcer, antecedent, behavior modification, ABCs of behavior, target behavior, behavioral classes, contingencies, and baseline.
1. My favorite part of this section was the discussion on why people have a hard time keeping New Year Resolutions they set. The reason why people often have a hard time keeping the resolutions they set is because they make their resolutions too broad, representing a behavioral class instead of a specific target behavior. When the resolution represents a behavior class there is not a specific behavior that can be reinforced or punished, and therefore no way of measuring whether or not the resolution is successful. This was my favorite part of the section because every year I try to set New Year Resolutions, and every year I fail. Reading about why I fail every year was very interesting to me, and knowing how this problem can be fixed motivates me set new resolutions for me to work to achieve, but now in a way that I am more likely to have success with.
2. My least favorite part of this section was working through defining target behaviors and alternative behaviors for the “Quit Drinking” example. This was my least favorite part of the section because I found it somewhat difficult as this is not a problem that I wish to correct, it is not something I struggle with. If I was able to pick a different New Year Resolution from the list, one that I would wish to set and achieve, I think the process would have been easier for me and more beneficial to me as the example would have been more personal for me, making it easier for me to remember.
3. The three things I will remember from this section are:
A. the concept of other-directed behavior, when it is others that control the availability of reinforcers. I will remember this concept because this is often what I think of when I think of the term behavior modification, but after learning about this concept more I realize this is only part of all that behavior modification can be. This expanded realization made this concept easy to remember.
B. the concept of self-directed behavior, when we exert our free will to choose a behavior we want to increase or decrease. I will remember this concept because self-directed behavior is something I am really interested in. There are several bad habits in my life I would like to correct, so learning how I can beat these bad habits myself is very motivating. This motivated feeling I experienced when reading about self-directed behavior made this concept easy to remember.
C. the concept that if we want to reinforce or punish a behavior, we have to clearly identify the behavior so we know if it occurred or not. I will remember this concept because when I read it, it seemed so straight forward, but I had never thought about this being the main reason for the need to define a target behavior. If we don’t have a target behavior, we will never know if a behavior has increased or decreased because we will not have anything to look at to tell us. This clear, simplistic realization made this concept easy to remember.
4. My favorite part of this section was the sequenced steps for changing a behavior. This was my favorite part of the section because my mind works best with this organized format. I run my life with lists and feel uneasy when unorganized. This organized, step by step, presentation of information was easy for me to follow, and therefore easy to understand. I often feel uneasy reading information that isn't organized clearly, so reading about these steps was enjoyable for me, making it my favorite part of the section.
5. My least favorite part of this section was the concept of dependent measure, the thing that is being measured in behavior modification, what is put on the y-axis. This was my least favorite of the section because the concept is hard to remember in my mind because when I first read it I thought it should be called independent measure as I thought it related more to the independent variable in an experiment, but after reading it again I realized it is directly related to the dependent variable in an experiment, which I am sure is why it is named this way. Since I got these terms confused in my head when learning about the dependent measure, this was my least favorite part of the section.
6. The three things I will remember from this section are:
A. the concept of baseline performance, the measurement of a behavior before reinforcement or punishment has been introduced. I will remember this concept because of the water behavior project. At first I didn't understand why we would keep track of our water consumption before reinforcement was introduced, but after making the graph of this project I understood, so when I read about this concept in the text I was easily able to picture the graph from this project and fully understand the concept.
B. the concept of a behavioral diary, a place to keep track of what a behavior is, and then what occurred before and after the behavior. I will remember this concept because this section talked thoroughly about the importance of this process. Before, I didn't see what was so important about keeping this diary, but after reading about the impact the information in the diary can have on the behavior modification process my view has now changed. Because of this change of view, I will remember not only what a behavioral diary is, but the importance of keeping an in-depth one when in the behavior modification process.
C. the concept that you may have to tweak and adjust the behavior modification process as you go. I will remember this concept because knowing this is allowed and supported in the process would have made my water consumption project a lot more successful, I should have changed my reinforcer. Knowing now that it is ok to change things as the process goes along; I should have much more success in behavior modification in the future. This new information that allows for greater future success is why I will remember this concept.
7A.
1) Set Goal: Start implementing weight training into my workout routine
2) Define Goals as a Set of Specific Target Behaviors: To do 30 minutes of weight training 2 times a week
3) Keep a Record: I will keep a page in the notes on my phone specifically tracking what I do each time I work out including: amount of time running, distance ran, type of weight lift done, number of reps for each weight lift, amount of weight used for each weight lift. In this log I would also keep track of what day of the week my workouts occur and what I had going on throughout the day of the workout.
4) Graph a Baseline: I would title this graph “Weight Training.” The y-axis would be titled “Minutes” and would go up from 0-60 in intervals of 5. The x-axis would be titled “Days” and would have each day of the week stated. This graph would be a line graph and would most likely rapidly spike up and down frequently as this weight training would not be done every day as this is bad for your muscles, but instead could go from “0” 5 days a week to “30” on the other 2 days of the week as the goal is to weight train for 30 minutes 2 days a week. The baseline for this graph would most likely be a straight across line at 0 as I currently do not do any weight lifting, I only do cardio.
5) Determine the Contingencies: The reinforcer for this behavior will be making a smoothie directly after the day’s workout when weight lifting is part of the workout. There will also be the natural reinforcer of getting stronger and more toned because of the weight lifting.
6) Determine the Antecedents: I would keep a behavioral diary of what I had going on in my day before and after the workout. I think this information would allow me to select the best days for weight lifting to be added to my schedule based on the other activities occurring in my day.
7) Implement and Adjust the Contingencies: As I began my behavioral intervention I would adjust as necessary depending on what occurs during the process. I may have to make my target behavior more clear and then redo the baseline, or I may have to change my reinforcer or the timing of when I introduce the reinforcer.
7B. I will measure the behavior by keeping track of the amount of time I spend weight lifting each day during a given week. To keep track of the behavior I will keep a page in the notes on my phone specifically tracking what I do each time I work out including: amount of time running, distance ran, type of weight lift done, number of reps for each weight lift, amount of weight used for each weight lift. In this log I would also keep track of what day of the week my workouts occurred and what I had going on throughout the day of the workout.
7C. I would title the graph for this behavioral intervention data “Weight Training.” The y-axis would be titled “Minutes” and would go up from 0-60 in intervals of 5. The x-axis would be titled “Days” and would have each day of the week stated. This graph would be a line graph and would most likely rapidly spike up and down frequently as this weight training would not be done everyday as this is bad for your muscles, but instead could go from “0” 5 days a week to “30” on the other 2 days of the week as the goal is to weight train for 30 minutes 2 days a week. The baseline for this graph would most likely be a straight across line at 0 as I currently do not do any weight lifting, I only do cardio.
Terms: behavioral class, target behavior, behavior, reinforce, punish, alternative behaviors, other-directed behavior, reinforcers, behavior modification, self-directed behavior, dependent measure, y-axis, baseline performance, reinforcement, behavioral diary, contingencies, antecedents, behavioral intervention, x-axis
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? - One thing I really liked about this section was that it covered self-directed behaviors. This is because all year long we have been learning how we can manipulate/change other people's/animal's behaviors and it was interesting to learn how to go about changing our own behaviors in the most effective way. I believe it is better to administer reinforcement rather that punishment when setting goals for myself.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? - One thing that I liked least about this section was that the "worse" of the New Year's Resolutions were relatable. One of my New Year's Resolutions was to 'enjoy life more' which is too broad of a goal. I needed to set certain goals for myself to accomplish throughout the year and reinforce myself for the small steps I take to reach those goals throughout the year.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? - Three things I will remember from this section:
1. The four reasons we might want to change behaviors is because - 1) It bothers us. 2) It bothers others. 3) They might lead to trouble later on. 4) They are illegal.
2. When we use self-directed behavior, we set goals for ourselves and administer reinforcement and sometimes punishment.
3. With other-directed behavior, it can manipulative when others direct our behavior.
I will remember these three things because they are main points of the chapter and were the points I could write about off of the top of my head.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? - One thing I really like about this section is that it explains in detail a really good process (6 steps) that will help me reach a personal behavior change. I can think of a couple behaviors I would like to change and after reading this section I see how I could go about changing each behavior effectively.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? - One thing I liked least about this section is that with Step 3 of the behavior change process, it will probably be difficult for me to record the behaviors as soon as they occur because I have trouble remembering to do that. Also, it says that I should be recording my behaviors a week prior to implementing behavioral contingencies for use as a baseline. I might have some trouble remembering my behaviors a week prior to this coming Thursday because this assignment was assigned later than a week ago.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? - Three things I will remember from this section:
1. Make sure to define target behaviors of your goal so they are manageable and precise because that will make the goal easier to reach. (Step 2)
2. Make sure to use a behavioral diary to keep track of your behaviors; it will help keep things organized and will help you realize the progress you are making towards your goal. (Step 3)
3. For the graph for behavioral change, the x-axis represents time and the y-axis represents the dependent measure. (Step 4)
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Be more productive.
2. a) Limit phone usage to 6 hours a day.
b) Limit naps to one 20 minute nap a day if I got 8 hours of sleep the previous night. Add one additional 20 minute nap if I have rugby practice or I lift that day.
c) Get every homework assignment done at least 2 hours before it is due.
3. Record my behaviors in a behavioral change diary.
4. Graph a base-line for my behaviors.
5. When starting the behavioral intervention, I need to determine contingencies. I will reinforce myself with an additional hour of doing whatever I please on each weekend day, when I accomplish each of a, b, and c for Step 2 all in one day.
6. Determine my antecedents. Such places could include the library (c), any place with no wifi (a), and a place that I can't sleep at (b).
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior? To measure my behavior I can use a journal and make a tally next to target behaviors a, b, and c when I complete them within that day.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis? - The title for the graph would be "Productivity". The label for the y-axis could be "Number of goals met per day (a,b,c)". The label for the x-axis could be each of the weekdays.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terminology used: Self-directed behavior, reinforcement, punishment, behavioral contingencies, baseline, target behavior, x-axis, y-axis, behavioral intervention, antecedents, behavioral journal/diary.
1) From this section, I enjoyed the connection of goals to New Year’s Resolutions. Everyone makes them and not very few actually follow through with these goals. In this class we have learned that the goals are very unspecific and that makes them difficult to follow. This was a very good connection to everyday life outside of this class.
2) I thought that the whole chapter was very enjoyable to read and I could not find anything that I disliked in it. IT was very straight-forward and easy to understand.
3) I will remember this reiteration of the four reasons to change behavior: they bother us, they bother others, they might lead to trouble later on, and they are illegal. I will remember the difference between goals and target behaviors. A goal van be a general thing like “getting fit” but a target behavior is more along the lines of “doing physical activity in a gym setting for 60 minutes four days a week;” one is clearly more specific than the other. Another memorable topic from this section is differential reinforcement of other (DRO). This is when we have a problematic behavior that we want to stop, like drinking soda, and in order to reduce this behavior we introduce another competing behavior, like drinking water. Instead of punishing the drinking of soda to reduce this behavior, we are reinforcing the consumption of water in hopes that drinking water will become a more frequent behavior than drinking soda.
4) I really enjoyed that this section listed the process step by step to successfully change self-directed behavior. Each section was clearly explained using a singular example and I did not get confused while reading it.
5) I do wish that more than one example had been used however. I liked that it went through each step with one goal in mind, but it would have been nice if it would have followed two or three. That way it would be easier to apply it to my own ideas if there were more comparable suggestions.
6) I will remember that it is okay for the goal to be very general when deciding on a self-directed behavior. However when deciding on the target behaviors, those must be very specific. I will also remember that it is very important to keep a record. This is something that this section recommends and it is something that I have learned while trying to do that the water changing behavior. I will also remember that line graphs are the type of graph that is most used in behavioral graphs
7a) One behavior that I would really like to change is my sleep pattern. One specific target behavior that I could follow within that goal is to make sure I am in in bed without technology, except for music, by 1:00 am on the days that I am not still working on homework by that time. My plan for keeping a record is to mark when I do so in a notebook when I get in bed each night. The next step would be to graph a baseline, or starting point for improvement. After determining a baseline, it is important to determine the contingencies which will mean deciding what I can use as a reinforcer. I think that a good reinforcer would be to allow myself one night of leeway a week if I was successful the previous six nights. For example, I could go out and stay up late on Saturday night is I followed my goal Sunday through Friday. Another possible immediate reinforcer would be to reward myself with a cookie if I went to bed on time the night before. The next step is to determine antecedents. For example if I went to sleep late on Monday night, then I might not be as tired on Tuesday night and I will have disrupted my schedule. The final step is to implement and adjust for contingencies. If for some reason my method of reinforcement isn’t good enough to keep me on track, then I will have to switch to something more reliable.
7b) I believe this behavior will be easily measured. If I follow the directive and am in bed not using technology by 1:00 and do not use it again before going to sleep, then I was successful in meeting my goal that day. I will record this as I get into bed each night in a notebook. If I wake up in the middle of the night and use technology, then I will have to record that in the morning as an incompletion of the goal.
7c) The graph would probably look similar to the water graph with a baseline that is less than impressive, but with reinforcement the point on the line will be higher. The obvious label for the x-axis would be “day of the week” or “days”. The label for the y-axis would be something like “time in bed by”. A title for the graph could be “Sleeping Behavior”.
Terms: target behaviors, antecedents, contingencies, baseline, x-axis, y-axis, differential reinforcement of other (DRO)
1 a&b) I really liked the section about new years resolutions and why it is so hard for people to follow through with them. I personally have never been into making new years resolutions, but I know other people who make halfhearted attempts that usually have failed by the end of January. Deciding a specific target behavior you want to change is key. I also think that having a good reinforcer or punisher is important as well. You can have the best target behavior in mind but if there is nothing to motivate you to stick with your goal it won't succeed. Self-direct behavior is tricky in that way, and one way it might be more difficult for some people.
2) There wasn't a part of this section that I disliked. I found it very interesting. I often try to change behaviors of mine throughout the year. I never thought that I might need to be more specific with my goals in order to help me follow through with them.
3 a,b&c) By defining an alternative behavior that is able to be reinforced, it will serve the purpose of reducing the previous target behavior. This is called differential reinforcement of other. Second, one reason many peoples' new years resolution fail is because they don't narrow their target behavior. We can direct our behaviors as well as others can direct ours. Self-direct behaviors are beneficial because they give us free will.
4 a&b) I liked the majority of this section and the steps to take to help self-directed behaviors be successful. I thought that step #3 was very useful. I am personally not a fan of keeping a journal and diary. It lasts for a few days and then I quit. But keeping a record of our target behavior can be super helpful in changes it. Writing down the antecedents that occur before the behavior stood out to me the most. If we can change the antecedents it may make our self-directed behaviors more manageable.
5) The section I liked least was on graphing. It was very much a refresher on graph making 101. The repetition may be useful in the end, however it was not as enjoyable to read. In the future when we make a graph for this project I can not say I won't know how to though, which is a positive.
6 a,b&c) That when we set goals they are usually too broad and fall under a behavioral class. This makes self-direct behaviors more difficult. When you plan to change a behavior, one week prior you should keep a record of the baseline behavior. This way you know if your choice schedule of reinforcement is working, or punishment if thats the case. The y-axis is for dependent measures and the x-axis is typically for time when graphing behavior.
7a) 1-My goal is to increase the amount that I exercise each week and hopefully at the same time decrease the amount of pop I drink and candy I eat. 2-Exercise everyday for at least 30 minutes, and go to the WRC whenever my schedule allows me to. Cut pop and candy from my diet during the week. 3- Keep record of how many minutes I exercise everyday but using the stopwatch on my phone and recording the time in my memo pad in my phone. As well as making sure to note why I was able to exercise for the amount I did everyday. 4-Make of a graph of my progress start to finish with a week of baseline measurement. 5-While keeping record of time exercising, taking a moment at the end of each day to evaluate what allowed me to workout for more or less time. 7- My reinforcement will be to get to drink pop and have candy on the weekends. However, if this is not showing to be successful, changing my reinforcement to something like getting to go to a $5 dollar movie. Both reinforcements are practical and manageable.
7b) I am going to measure how much I work out by using the stopwatch app on my phone. I will start it at the beginning of workouts and record my time at the end. I will then keep track on my phone memo pad of the times, and possibly why I was able to workout, and where I worked out, in my dorm, or at the WRC. Even tracking things like the weather.
7c) The title would be “Minutes Spent Working Out.” The y-axis will display the minutes and the x-axis will show the days of the week.
Terms: Target Behavior, Reinforcer, Punisher, Self-Direct Behavior, Behavioral Class, Antecedents, Baseline, Punishment, Schedule of Reinforcement, Y-axis, X-axis.
3 a,b&c) By defining an alternative behavior that is able to be reinforced, it will serve the purpose of reducing the previous target behavior. This is called differential reinforcement of other. This type of reinforcement is a good choice to use in our behavioral modification project if someone is trying to reduce a behavior differential reinforcement is effective. Example: Want to cut back on pop, so reinforce yourself for drinking more water instead. Second, one reason many peoples' new years resolution fail is because they don't narrow their target behavior. For a New Years resolution this is important because you can make sure you are going improve the behavior. This means not saying "I'm going to work out more" instead, "I'm going to work out 45 minutes five times a week." We can direct our behaviors as well as others can direct ours. Self-direct behaviors are beneficial because they give us free will. I will remember this because it spans off of New Years resolutions, he have the choice to change our behaviors, and which one we want to increase or decrease.
6 a,b&c) That when we set goals they are usually too broad and fall under a behavioral class. This makes self-direct behaviors more difficult. In order to set effective goals it is crucial to narrow the target behavior to something measurable and recordable. This will help in successfully changing the behavior. When you plan to change a behavior, one week prior you should keep a record of the baseline behavior. This way you know if your choice schedule of reinforcement is working, or punishment if thats the case. If in the weeks the intervention has begun the behaviors don't change from the baseline, we can change the reinforcer or punisher to improve the behavior change. The y-axis is for dependent measures and the x-axis is typically for time when graphing behavior. I will be able to remember this because we were required to make a graph for how much water we were drinking.
4.1
1. I really liked that everything was to the point. it was not a lot of things put together at once. Also it gives a lot of practice space to hone our skills in learning self-directed behavior modification.
B. I liked this because it goes a long way towards helping us in discussions in class and a long way towards just learning it in general.
2. I did not like that page two was basically blank with a none working link at the bottom of it. This just is not helpful and I assume that it is a glitch in the way to book was put up. I found it to be pretty distracting.
3. The first thing that I think will stick with me is that reinforcement works better then punishment. I think that I will remember this so well because, it was preached on in class. Along with the text backing this up I believe that it has thoroughly been ingrained into my head.
B.The next thing that stuck out to me was how terrible some people are about holding themselves to self directed behavior modification, to the point that some must rely on other directed behavior modification. This will stick with me so much because I have had it happen in my own life. On some subjects I can not control my self, such as video games.
C. The third thing that stuck out to me was this section reiterating how specific we have to be with target behaviors. just like with reinforcement over punishment it was preached on in class and then talked about again in this section, I think that it is thoroughly stuck in my brain.
4.2
4. I liked how each step had a paragraph devoted to it and it was also very noticeably broken up by step. I think this will help me digest the information on self directed behavioral steps.
5. I did not like the fact that some of the steps seemed self explanatory and I do not believe that they needed as much written about them as they had.
6. The first thing that jumped out to me is the how powerful antecedents are to behaviors. We went over this in class and then reading about it again in this section reminded me of how important they are to changing or maintaining a behavior. Antecedents can elicit many different responses just like behavioral modification can.
B. The next thing that will stick with me is that one reinforcement may not work so you may have to adjust on the fly to find the right fit for you and the behavior that is trying to be changed. This sticks with me because I use to think that it was a one size fits all in reinforcement but now I know you have to adapt.
C. How important a diary could be is the third thing that popped out to me. This seems to be important because it would be good to know what is going on in your life when you either increase that behavioral or fail to increase that behavior so you can control that antecedent.
7a. I think that I would want to go to bed and actively try to be asleep before midnight.
Step one- Go to sleep at an earlier time
Step two- be in bed trying to sleep no distractions before midnight the earlier the better.
Step three- I could keep a journal by my bed and just write down the time I begin to try to fall asleep.
Step four- I could make a graph with the days that I am recording on the Y-axis and then the hours before or after midnight I try to sleep.
Step five- A good reinforcer could be more video game time at the end of the week because that what I will be giving up by going to bed earlier.
Step six- some antecedents that will help me achieve this would be having my phone off or away from me and my computer off.
Step seven- I could always change my reinforcer to Netflix or some pop because I enjoy both. Also instead of just putting my phone away I could turn it off.
7b. I could keep track of the hours before or after midnight that I try to fall asleep at in a journal.
7c. The title of my graph may be hours before midnight. The y-axis would be the days of the study, then the x-axis may be the hours that I tried to fall asleep before midnight including when I failed to do that so it would need negative numbers.
Terms-Self directed behavior modification, reinforcement, punishment, other directed behavior modification, other directed behavior modification, target behaviors, Self directed behavioral steps, elicit, behaviors, behavioral modification
REW
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
a) How people often approach New Year’s Resolutions and why most often these resolutions never come to fruition.
b) This section explains that when most people are making resolutions, they are actually listing behavioral classes instead of a specific target behavior. A target behavior must be clearly defined so that any increase or decrease in the behavior can be measured.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn’t dislike this section lesson-wise, however, I believe I saw an editing error or two that you may want to re-read and edit this section for easier reading and flow. Not a big deal as I believe it didn’t change the overall message. I just thought I’d let you know what I saw. An example of a possible edit update would be on page 9, “In the follows section…”
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) Differential Reinforcement of Other – This is the use of reinforcement of incompatible behaviors to the target behavior for the desired changes to occur, instead of using punishment to elicit a change in the target behavior. I agree that I prefer reinforcement to punishment and have a greater success with reinforcement.
b) Self-directed behavior – the free will in choosing behaviors we would like to increase or decrease in ourselves. We all have goals we want to achieve; self-directed behavior is giving ourselves the control to “structure our own behavioral interventions and contingencies” (Maclin, sec4.1, p. 3).
c) The importance of clearly specifying a target behavior (and NOT a behavior class) in order to attempt changing a behavior. The target behavior has to be measurable and if punishment is how one would normally change the behavior, using a Differential Reinforcement of Other (DRO) increases the likelihood of the desired changes occurring.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
a) Graphing a baseline and the progress after reinforcement or punishment has been implemented towards increasing or decreasing the target behavior. The importance of keeping a journal/diary of your efforts is extremely valuable.
b) A graph is a visual way to see the progress of one’s efforts. Having a well-documented journal/diary permits the individual to better understand why progress is exceeding, meeting, or below expectations and re-evaluate the behavioral interventions that are currently being applied.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I found this section to be very interesting and did not really dislike anything in this section.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) There are 6 basic steps for self-directed behavior steps: [1] Set goal, [2] specify goal as a set of target behaviors, [3] keep a record, [4] graph a baseline, [5] determine contingencies, [6] determine antecedents, and [7] implement and adjust contingencies (the 7th is evaluating how things are going and making changes as needed to be most successful in the behavior change desired).
b) A line graph is customarily used to graph behaviors.
c) X-axis is the time. Y-axis is the dependent measure. (– X is long, | Y is high)
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) Target Behavior: Reduce Smoking
2) Limit self to 1 pack of cigarettes available for smoking in a 24 hour period. After baseline week, aim for 1 less cigarette than the daily average of the baseline week, and continue to reduce the cigarette goal by 1 cigarette every 2 days.
3) Keep track of progress via LIVESTRONG app.
4) Graphing a baseline for number of cigarettes smoked each day for a week. The app also tracks when and number of cravings that were not acted upon.
5) Reinforcer: For every day that a goal is met, I may purchase 1 book for my eReader.
6) Antecedent: only cigarettes within the 1 allotted pack can be smoked. (As the number of cigarettes smoked from a pack are reduced, only the goal number of cigarettes will be permitted in the pack for the day.) Before driving alone (this is a big behavior I wish to change), place only 1-2 cigarettes within reach for drive and put the pack away to avoid smoking 3-4 out of boredom.
7) TBD – Adjust/Edit/Implement as necessary.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
LIVESTRONG app – This app allows for me to note when I have a craving or when I actually smoke. After the baseline has been set, I will be able to see when I most often smoke, this will allow me to come up with better antecedents and contingencies.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
Title: Cigarette Smoking
Y-xis: Cigarettes Smoked
X-axis: Day
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
TERMS: behavioral class, target behavior, differential reinforcement of other (DRO), elicit, reinforcement, punishment, self-directed behavior, behavioral intervention, baseline, line graph, dependent measure, y-axis, time, x-axis
1) I really liked this whole section. It made the idea of changing our own behavior a very doable thing. It made me think a lot about past things I’ve decided to do and things I did right and things I did wrong. I loved the examples you gave of new year’s resolutions and how they we’re wrong/right and how to turn them into something doable. I stopped making new year’s resolutions years ago. I think people make them and like you said, think they just magically happen. It’s so funny that I know this but there have been three times in my life I have used self directed behavior in my life when it actually worked. Each time was not a long term goal, and I told myself from the beginning it was only for a specific amount of time, I think that’s what helped me through it. I related to this section, even though it’s because of my pathetic three times of experience.
2) That there were two boxes of the exact same questions. Can you tell I’m really trying to dig for something here? I really liked this section and can’t think of anything other than that. But if you must have me pick on something, that would have to be it. Why ask us again like we didn’t do it the first time =).
3 ) 1. self directed behavior is monitoring your own behavior. This will be something easy to remember because it’s exactly as it sounds; self directed. 2. Many new year’s resolutions don’t work because they aren’t based on target behaviors. That is something easy to remember because we all hear the same ones every year, ‘get in shape’, ‘spend more time with kids’. . same thing every year. 3. Reducing target behavior without punishment is called differential reinforcement of other. This is something I must remember because I will need to use it! I would much rather reinforce than punish and am always looking for ways to do that. This way is perfect.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4) That this whole process is broke up into steps that seem very doable. It does not seem overwhelming or frightening at all. I like that it is like this because when changing a behavior, sometimes fear comes along with it. I’m not sure if its fear of failure, or fear not liking the outcome or what. But it isn’t always so easy to change, that’s why the saying ‘old habits die hard’ is used so often. This section makes it seem a lot more doable, and less intimidating.
5) I liked this section as well. I just wish I could come up with something to use for these examples. Right now I am unable to come up with a goal or a target behavior and so I was unable to fill out a lot of those boxes. This honestly probably has nothing to do with the section and more so because I’m super tired and sleep deprived and its almost 1 am.
6) 1. Try to increase a behavior vs punish one. This is something I am constantly reminding myself of. I think its very important to do it this was as opposed to the other. 2. setting a goal is the first step to changing your behavior. You have to start somewhere, and starting with a goal is something that you’re always told to do. 3. keep records of your behavior. This is a must! I had problems doing this on our water assignment. Without records, you have no way to track it.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1.Read more
2.
a)Read out of a text book for a half hour before bed every night
b)Read my text book over my lunch hour once a week
c)Devote one hour of my weekends to doing schoolwork.
3. keep records in notebook ap on phone
4. graph?
5. reinforcement- not sure what I could use yet
how often- once a week.
6. determine antecedents- like keeping my nook next to my bed then putting it in my purse the next morning.
7. Adjusting contingences
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Make precise amounts of time spent reading and record it in my notepad ap on my phone.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
It would be a much smaller graph. Instead of graphing by days I would graph by week. Since my daily amount of reading would fluctuate so much, it would make more sense to track it by day, then add it up and graph it by week. The title could be ‘Weekly Text’ x axis would be weeks, and y would be hours read.
8) self directed behavior, differential reinforcement of other, target behavior, behavior, punishment, goal, records,
Reading Assignment Week #10
4.1 (Need for Self-Directed Behaviors)
1.) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how the four reasons why we should change our behaviors were clearly laid out. It was extremely easy to understand and come up with at least one example to fit each reason. The section that discussed why New Year’s resolutions did not work was also interesting. I think knowing what I know now, I have the ability to come up with and reach a New Year’s resolution.
2.) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Honestly, I disliked how short this section was. I felt like it didn’t hold as much new information as some of the previous sections.
3.) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that there are four reasons to why we should change our behavior.
I will remember that reinforcing incompatible behaviors is also called differential reinforcement.
I will also remember to come up with a good New Year’s resolution it is important to make a clear, concise measureable target behavior. If you make a very vague, general goal it will be more difficult to obtain, or even keep track of.
4.2 (Self-Directed Behavior Steps)
4.) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
In this section I liked how each of the seven self-directed behavior steps were easily explained. Instead of just listing off each step, I was able to read into more detail and get a better understanding of how to make it successful. In the first paragraph we are told there are only six self-directed behavior steps, but then it lists seven.
5.) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I really didn’t like the example given about wanting to write more. I feel like I could have understood it better if it was something that I could have related to my life. The amount of detail in describing each step was through enough for me to understand though.
6.) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember when you are setting up a goal, to set it up to increase a desirable behavior. That way you can use reinforcement instead punishment.
I will remember to keep in mind the antecedents of my target behavior. That way I can help elicit my desired target behavior to ultimately become successful in changing my target behavior.
I will remember that it is important to implement and adjust the contingencies. This will teach me to be patient and understanding if I cannot become successful on my first attempt in self-directed behavior plan. I may need to alter my reinforcer along with the schedule of reinforcement.
7a.) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
#1: Set a goal – Increase and elicit an exercising behavior
#2: Define/Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors - at least 60 minutes of cardio and 60 minutes of weight lifting per week
#3: Keep a record – keep an exercise journal
#4: Graph a Baseline – currently, it would be at zero minutes per week
#5: Determine Contingencies – long hot bubble bath
#6: Determine Antecedents – buy a gym membership whose gym hours work nicely with my class and work schedule.
#7: Implement and adjust the contingencies – incase this does not work, I could always adjust or totally change my reinforcer.
7b.) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would measure the amount of minutes of cardio separate from the amount of minutes of weight lifting. It will be easy to measure the amount of cardio because I will be using an elliptical or a treadmill. I will keep track of the amount of time I spend when weight lifting. I plan on keeping an exercise journal.
7c.) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I would use a bar graph for my specific target behavior. That way I can keep track of both the amount of time spent doing cardio and the amount of time lifting weights. I could title it, Heather’s self-directed exercise chart. Both will be represented by two different colors. My x-axis will represent the dates. My y-axis will represent the amount of time in minutes.
8) Terminology: reinforcing, reinforcer, reinforcement, self-directed behavior, behavior, elicit, contingencies, target behavior.
Section 4.1:
1.) One thing I really liked in this section was that it was shifting the focus from changing others' behaviors, or having others change ours, to us focusing on behaviors we want to work on ourselves. I think it's powerful to be able to apply reinforcement/punishment to ourselves to elicit a change in our own behaviors because most of us do something on a regular basis that we would like to change. And admittedly, I've always struggled in this area for myself because I have a hard time changing behaviors if there's no one else holding me accountable other than myself. That being said, I think this would be useful for me to learn because there won't always be other people holding my hand and holding me accountable, and they shouldn't have to since it's not their job.
2.) There wasn't really anything I didn't like in this section. It was clear and concise and definitely made sense to me. I think it was an easy read, but it also is very applicable to everyone in their everyday lives.
3.) One thing I will remember about this section was reading about how important it is to make goals more specific. The reason I will remember this is because I work at Pathways Behavioral Services in Waterloo. I work on the residential side, so I work with the inpatient clients who are there to complete a treatment program for recovering alcoholics/addicts. Every week, we have them set new goals for themselves while they are in treatment. We call them "smart goals," but we follow very similar basic steps this section and section 4.2 mentioned because we want them to accomplish them and we want to make sure their goals are more manageable. I will also remember that self-directed behavior is behavior that is directed by ourselves and that it's different than other-directed behavior because then it's being directed by others. Lastly, I will remember why so many people do not accomplish their New Year's Resolutions. It makes sense that if they don't make their goals more specific and manageable, then people are more likely to give up on them.
Section 4.2:
4.) One thing I really liked about this section was that it was very easy to understand because it went through all of the steps necessary to setting and accomplishing goals and it used the same general goal throughout the section, which made it easier to understand and follow along with.
5.) One thing I didn't like about this section was the part about graphing the behavior. Realistically, there are behaviors of mine that I would like to work towards changing, but I can honestly say I'm less likely to take the time to graph it and more likely to journal my progress or keep record of it in some kind of excel document, calendar, etc. I understand the use of the graph, but I don't forsee myself utilizing that step as much.
6.) One thing I will remember is that it's not only important to just set a goal, but to also specify at least three target behaviors that will help to make the goal more specific. This will help increase the likelihood of the goal being completed. Second, I will remember that goals need to be precise, manageable, measurable and need to be realistic in terms of fitting the target behaviors and the goals into our daily lives. The reason I will remember this is because these are the things we tell clients to use as guidelines when setting their weekly goals at the treatment center. Lastly, I will remember that it's important to keep a behavioral diary is essential because it helps create a baseline and it also helps to look at the antecedents and consequences surrounding a certain behavior.
7a.) A behavior I want to increase is the amount of time I spend on homework and/or studying. Three things I could do would be to 1.) set aside an hour of time at three different points of the day (because my attention span doesn't allow for me to go much longer than an hour on one thing), 2.) take my laptop and/or textbooks with me to campus so that during down time I can have those readily available to turn to instead of just sitting and socializing, and 3.) use a calendar/planner to mark down when specific assignments may be due so I can make sure that I'm not only taking the time just to read or study, but that I also complete my homework assignments in a timely fashion.
7b.) I would measure the behavior based off the amount of hours each day/week I am spending on homework. So I would graph it using each individual class I'm in and the amount of hours I've spent that day/week on that class. I think it would also be good for me to use a calendar/planner to mark down and keep track of how much time I'm spending on each individual class.
7c.) The title of a graph would be hours spent on homework. The y-axis would be the number of hours, ranging from 0-3, since three hours a day is about how much maximum I'd like to spend on homework. The x-axis would be the days of the week. However, I could also make an additional graph to keep track of how much time I'm spending on each individual class, too, so I can make sure I'm not focusing too much or too little time on any class.
TERMS: reinforcement, punishment, elicit, behaviors, other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, target behaviors, behavioral diary, baseline, antecedents, consequences,
1. One thing I really like about this section is how it went into detail on how you need to be clear on your target behavior. When I think of a target behavior I get very broad. It made me think of how I need to be more clear and precise when choosing target behaviors. A lot of the time I state behavioral classes instead of target behaviors. When this section went into detail about how do you spend more time with your family and friends as well as the other examples they give, it gave me clarity on how to properly list a target behavior.
2. One thing I did not like as much about this section was the part of defining a target behavior to quit drinking. This is because I cannot relate it this as much. I do not drink alcohol or pop. I only drink soy milk and water. I just had a hard time thinking of the different examples and relating it to me.
3. Three things I will remember from this section include other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, and the idea of starting your new wanted behaviors now. I will remember other-directed behavior because it is reinforcement from others around you. This reminds me of my roommates and my other friends. My roommates are always trying to reinforce me to do things around the room or to do homework by using cookies or netflix. We use these together to reinforce each other. I will remember self-directed behavior because it is about our desire to reinforce ourselves. It is so important and I tend to forget about it a lot of the time. Being able to reinforce yourself like we did with the water is important. I enjoy how it mentions our many goals and behaviors that we might want to increase or decrease and how we can do this with self-directed behavior. I will remember the idea of changing your behaviors now because I never put a lot of thought into the fact of how we say we are going to do something and then never follow through with it. I have made a list of dreams and goals, but they are so broad and I have always told myself that I will start them next week or next month. It is important to do them or start them now because you never know if it will be too late.
4. One thing I really liked about section 4.2 was the example we had to come up with for the six basic steps in self-directed behavior. I enjoyed coming up with my own goal, defining my target behavior based on my goal, keeping records of it, graphing it, finding effective reinforcers, and ways to tweak anything that might not work.
5. One thing I did not like as much was the part going over how to do a line graph, dependent variables, and x and y coordinates. I did not like this as much because I have taken so many classes over them and know how to use and work graphs and all that was being explained.
6. Three things I will remember are baseline performance, behavioral intervention, and improper reinforcers. I will remember baseline performance because it is a very important step to starting out with changing a behavior. I will remember behavioral intervention because it is a big procedure to go through. it requires a lot of thought and trial and errors. This is the what, when, and how of going about your behavior you want to change.
7a) A behavior I want to change includes getting my homework done early. The steps include 1: A goal of getting my homework done early, 2: Listing target behaviors including balancing out my reading and getting a section done a day, getting papers typed and finished the day before they’re due, and a few others, 3: I will measure all of this in the amount of homework done for the day and each day of the week. I will measure this through journaling about what homework I get done each day as well as making a schedule and keeping track of what I get done and don’t. 4: I will graph a baseline by measuring all of this in the amount of homework done for the day and each day of the week. The x-axis will be the time of each day of the week. The y-axis will be the measurement of how much homework I get done for that day. 5: The contingencies include reinforcers of watching a tv episode, lessons on guitar, doing some crafts, journaling, reading, napping, or just sitting in silence not doing anything. 6: The antecedents include doing homework in the library, going right after supper, going during the evening, going early in the day on weekends, and not studying around friends, 7: I will adjust my contingencies if my measurement isn’t enough, the amount of free time I am given if it is too much, the time I decide to do my homework, and when I decide to reinforce myself with the free time.
7b) I would go about measuring this behavior by keeping a schedule of when I work on homework and crossing them off a list I make each day in my planner.
7c) On a graph this might look like a bell curve. It will be hard at first but I feel like once I get started and start reinforcing myself it will be much easier. A title for the graph would include “Getting homework done on time.” The x-axis will be the time of each day of the week. The y-axis will be the measurement of how much homework I get done for that day.
8) Terms: target behavior, behavioral classes, other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, reinforce, six basic steps in self-directed behavior, line graph, dependent variables, behavior, baseline performance, behavioral intervention, improper reinforcers, x-axis, y-axis, and baseline.
Section 4.1
1 a&b) I know this is not directly answering the question, but I really liked the whole section! I have been trying to get my eating under control for a long time and go in and out of controlling it and not, but I want it to be a constant thing in my life every day. So I really appreciate how this section talks about self-directed behavior. To specify I would say I really liked how it turned a behavior that would originally be punished to a behavior you can reinforce. I think I punish myself so much (by withholding certain foods) that it backfires in the long run.
2) The part I liked least was the section covering DRO's or differential reinforcement because I am still not 100% clear on the concept behind it.
3 a,b&c) I will remember the section about other-directed and self-directed because although self-directed is said to seem like you have more a free will, I sometimes feel like I have more of a free will when I am confined by another person. I feel this way because it is something that limits me from the outside and I cannot talk my way out of it or find an alternative. It holds me accountable. I do not give attention to it being a possibility, it is out of the question and therefore does not cross my mind. This is in regards to eating, such as desserts when I am restricted from eating them during training, they are out of the question.
I will also remember that many resolutions or behaviors people want to change are unsuccessful because they are not specific enough, no defined target behaviors. I always try to make my specific, I just need to learn to use alternative behavior and reinforce instead of punish.
Another thing that will be easy to remember is do you want to completely terminate a behavior or lessen the behavior because this is a very valid question for many behaviors I would like to change as well as many of those around me. Terminating can seem daunting, realizing you will never do it again, but lessening a behavior seems more attainable in the long run and then from there you can see if you want to terminate a behavior.
Section 4.2
4 a&b) I really liked the section where you define/specify the goal as a set of target behaviors because it helps you keep track of your actual behaviors and sets boundaries so you are not questioning yourself while trying to modify a behavior. You have all the boundaries set.
5) One thing I am not too fond of is keeping records of my behavior. It takes a lot to remember to keep track of my behaviors, especially when I have a lot of other things to keep track of...but if it is important enough, I am sure I will keep track of my data.
6 a,b&c) I will remember the section about determining contingencies and using behavioral intervention, because for me it is very difficult to find reinforcers. Not many things reinforce me. Most of the things that are reinforcing to others are things I am trying to get out of my life and the things that do reinforce me, I don't have time for. I will have to be very creative in coming up with reinforcement.
I will also remember how antecedents play a huge role in eliciting behaviors consistent with my goal because looking back at the times I was successful in healthy eating patterns, not eating too much and not eating many desserts if any at all, a lot had to do with the antecedents and my mind set before eating/right before grabbing certain foods.
I will also remember not to give up-to implement and adjust contingencies because I already feel like I am constantly doing that. I know you should not ever give up and you should constantly adjust your behaviors to try to get the desired outcome, although it is hard!
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) I would like to change my eating habits.
2) I would like to adjust my eating habits by only eating one (large) plate of food in the dinning center each meal. Making sure to drink a full glass of water at each meal and only having one dessert a day. Dessert is defined as anything in the dessert section of the dinning center, a coffee/coffee drink, or any breakfast sweet foods (any really sugary foods).
3) I could make a chart with breakfast, lunch and dinner listed each day. I can make categories for each meal/each day that say 1 glass of water, 1 plate of food and then at the bottom of that column a box that says 1 dessert. I can check each box off if I successfully completed the task.
4) I will used a line graph because it best fits my data and I will be able to look at the baseline, middle and end of the study with solid numbers that make up the graph. x would be weeks and number of check marks for each week would be y.
5) My reinforcer would be every week I accomplish this goal, I can have an extra item of food (dessert/coffee) of my choice on either Saturday or Sunday.
6) Antecedents for me would be not to walk around the whole dinning center out of habit. If I find food right away that looks good and it fills my plate, then I should go sit down and enjoy my food. I do not need to look at every single thing being served. I also do not need to walk by the dessert table. I should avoid looking at the food out of habit.
7) I will adjust/alter my plan of action as needed until I find a successful method of changing my behaviors.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior? Like I said above, it will be easy to keep track of one plate of food each meal and one glass of water. As well as one dessert a day. They are numerical values so they can be measured. I will create a chart that has the days, meal times, and categories for each week. I can carry this with me throughout the day and check off the boxes.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis? This will look very different for me than the water graph because I already naturally drank a lot of water, so the baseline was similar to the intense part of my research. Eating one plate of food on the other hand is not normal in my life and the baseline will look much different than during the experiment. Title of graph could be Checked Food Boxes. Label for y-axis boxes checked, label for x-axis weeks.
8) Terms: Self-directed behavior, behavior, punished, reinforce, differential reinforcement (DRO), other-directed, self-directed, target behaviors, alternative behavior, reinforce, punish, determine contingencies, behavioral intervention, antecedent, eliciting, baseline, line graph, reinforcer, x-axis, y-axis (define/specifying the goal, keeping records of behavior, implement/adjust contingencies, goal)
I am going to change my reinforcer! Since I am trying to diminish eating bad foods/too much my reinforcer will instead be a mango or some other healthy food I have not tried of my choice on either Saturday or Sunday after successfully completing a week of my modified behavior.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1. What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I really liked in this section was the examples. The examples actually take place in real life and were not just made up. The examples were also explained in depth which really helped me understand this section.
2. What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I liked the least in this section was the lack of examples for converting a behavior that would be punished into one that could be reinforced. It would have been nice to have an example given before the box to fill out so I could check and make sure I was on the right track.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Something I will remember from this section is to be specific when choosing a target behavior to modify. It will be hard to modify anything if you're not specific about what it is you would like to change. Like the examples in the text, it is important not to choose a behavior class so you can be sure to punish or reinforce the appropriate behavior. Another thing I will remember from this section is that it is really easy to alternate behaviors. You can't drink a beer if you are drinking a water. Lastly, I will remember the 4 reasons for changing behavior. (Bothers you or someone else, is illegal, or is causing harm.)
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the
following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The thing that I really liked about this section was the way that it really broke everything down into easy to understand parts. What I mean by this is how they gave the steps to help someone figure out what self-directed is and how it works. This really helps someone really understand what it is instead of them just being a told vaguely what it is.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? There wasn’t much that I disliked about this section, but all the graphs would have been more helpful earlier in class when we were doing our water graphs because it got to be kind of confusing and this broke it down step by step.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing I will remember from this section is that there are six basic steps in self-directed behavior. And that the first step is to make sure that you set a goal. Doing this make sure to get things started out right. These goals are normally broad instead of being about a specific behavior. The second thing that I learned as that the six steps are make your goal, define your target behaviors, keep records, graph baseline, Determine contingencies, determine the antecedents and last Implement and adjust the contingencies . The third thing that I learned that goals are extremely important nut you have to do it right or nothing will work out the way that it is supposed to work later on.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Set Goal: Eat less ice cream
2. Define the goal: Eat two scoops of ice cream only after dinner (evening meal) every other day.
3. Keep a Record: Record when I ate ice cream so I could easily see that I needed to skip the next day.
4. Graph a Baseline: I would monitor my progress in an Excel document through a graph entitled “Ice Cream Consumption” comparing scoops of ice cream on the y-axis to days of the week on the x-axis.
5. Determine Contingencies: The reinforcer I will use will be watching an episode of my favorite show on Netflix. On the off-days of ice-cream eating, I will watch an episode if I fulfilled my goal.
6. Determine Antecedents: I will keep the food diary in the freezer next to the ice-cream, that way every time I am tempted to eat ice cream, I will recognize that I have a goal to continue to fulfill.
7. Implement & Adjust: After approximately 30 days, the behavior will be a habit and I will have to do less recording and reinforcing, providing time for other healthy habits.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would use the same ice cream spoon to scoop the ice cream and keep track of the consumption in a food diary everyday.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I believe it would be similar to the water-graph we completed, except it would be measured on an every-other-day basis, versus a week.
Title: Ice Cream Consumption
Y-Axis Label: Scoops of Ice Cream (0-2)
X-Axis Label: Weekdays
8) Terms: Behavior, reinforced, self-directed, target behaviors, contingencies, antecedents, implement, adjust, x-axis, y-axis, water graph, reinforced
1) I liked that the section addressed problems that tend to occur the precede self-directed behavior. It clarified what make other-directed behavior good in comparison and why we might not want or be able to commit to self directed behavior.
2) I didn't dislike anything, so I also liked that I was reading the part about the many resolutions and the problems people have keeping them and immediately thought of in-class discussions and after some other reasoning, it was brought up in depth. That is, that some goals are just too vague, and fit into behavioral classes so that it is difficult to reach a target behavior and have a successful behavioral intervention.
3 a,b&c) I will remember that reinforcement is more successful than punishment due to the new years resolution examples and how differential reinforcement can fix some of these issues, also due to this example I will also remember that I need to make my target behavior for my change project very specific along with the process for reinforcement, finally I will remember that behavior modification on someone else is other-directed behavior while behavior modification of ones self is self-directed behavior.
4 a&b) I liked that the section discussed easier ways to record your data and obtain a baseline. This is a very important step for the reason we spoke of in class, just seeing how often a behavior occurs can often lead to changes.
5) I didn't like that the #2 of defining and Specifying the goal as a set of target behaviors, included measurable, though I can see why this would help. I have a goal of wanting to obtain more motivation, which is very hard to measure. If this is too broad and needs to be broken into certain behaviors that can help with motivation, than those are all automatically valued through measure because a behavior occurs in quantity. I feel as though we either accept that some things can't be measured or realize that all behaviors can. This was just a small thing that caught my attention.
6) I will remember that the Y axis shows dependent measures because this is how we can see fluctuations in the graph and determine what is working in the behavior modification and what is not, I will remember to set my own antecedents and to find things that are conducive to my target behavior, finally I will remember to keep a journal/diary in order to set a baseline and improve my contingencies if necessary in order to get the best results.
7a) Drinking more fruit shakes is a goal that I have.
7b) I'd keep a journal and write down every time I drink one as a baseline and continue in order to see the progression.
7c) I would title it fruit shake consumption. The y axis would be the number of shakes consumed and the x would be the certain days involved in the experiment. The graph would be a little different than the water because I will either make a shake or I won't and when I make them they only produce 2 shakes and I usually share one with my girlfriend so the graph is mostly monitoring completion.
8) Self directed behavior, other-directed behavior, target behavior, behavioral classes, reinforcement, punishment, differential reinforcement, baseline, behavioral intervention
1) One thing I really liked from the section was the material on self-directed behavior. This occurs when individuals exert their free will to choose a behavior they want to increase or decrease. That way, these individuals are able to make their own goals. Like usual, I really liked the example as it was very easy to understand. I have a Facebook profile, so when it comes to a new calendar year, there are plenty of posts about different New Year’s Resolutions. Most of the ones I see are about losing weight, exercising more, and eating healthier. Like you said, I’ve also wondered why people only make these vows at the beginning of the year. Why not a new resolution at the beginning of each month, rather than each year? I think the reason behind it is that New Year’s Resolutions have become so popular that a lot of people are doing them. That allows people to receive motivation from people close to them. At other random times in the year, they probably won’t have that same motivation from others close to them.
2) The thing I liked the least in this section was the material on making specific target behaviors. The only reason for that is that there was so much material on the subject. I thought there were too many examples. Then again, it’s always better to have more content and more examples than less. It also made me question whether or not I had a good understanding of what made a good target behavior.
3) The first thing I’ll remember is the material on self-directed behavior. One reason for that is the involvement of the word “self”. It’s very easy to relate to it and to apply it to my life and my different goals. Also, the example using New Year’s resolutions really helped me understand this, and it was a very good example that will make this information stick with me. Another thing I’ll remember from this section is the material on other-directed behavior. This involves other people controlling the availability of reinforcers. A couple of examples I really liked was that about managing classrooms, and the one about cutting down on certain foods. Although the material wasn’t that hard to understand, the examples helped to solidify my understanding of it. The third thing I’ll remember from this section is a couple of reasons why some New Year’s resolutions fail. One reason is that they could be too broad and lack a specific target behavior. Another reason would be that they involve punishment instead of reinforcement. I thought it was interesting to learn about as a majority of New Year’s resolutions seem to fail, so it was nice to learn a couple of reasons as to why that is.
4) The thing I really liked from this section was the third step for changing a behavior. That step is to keep a record. A thing one needs to know when doing this is their baseline performance. One way people can record their baseline is by keeping a behavioral diary. Another important thing to do is to make notes in the diary as things occur while the information is still fresh on their mind. All of the steps were very interesting to learn about, but this is the one I liked learning about the most. Some information was somewhat a review as we’ve been introduced to it already, while other information just wasn’t as interesting. I really enjoyed learning about a behavioral diary and the best ways to use it.
5) The thing I liked the least from this section was the material on the fourth step, which is to graph a baseline. One reason is that it’s something I’ve already learned about. I’ve already taken Research Methods, so I’m very familiar with many different graphs, figures, tables, etc. It just felt like a lot of review, but it never hurts to get a good review of important information.
6) One thing I’ll remember from this section is the material on the third step of changing a behavior, which is to keep a record. The reason I’ll remember it is due to the behavioral diary. This was very interesting, and I really enjoyed learning the different things that needed to be done in order to record things properly. Another thing I’ll remember is the material on the fifth step, which is to determine contingencies. During this step, individuals are ready to implement the behavioral intervention. Many things have to be decided like what will be used as a reinforcer, when and how will it be reinforced, and the criteria used to determine if the behavior should be reinforced or not. I’ll remember this because these things are very important. Choosing the right reinforcer and the right time to use the reinforcer are key to changing a behavior. Choosing incorrectly could severely damage one’s attempt at changing that specific behavior. The third thing I’ll remember from this section is the material on the sixth step, which is to determine antecedents. Behaviors are elicited by antecedents, so this is actually a very, very important step. This is where everything begins. The example really made the information stick with me. That example was an individual wanting to eat better. This is something many people can relate to, including myself. One can change the environment by removing the unhealthy food from their home and replacing it with a healthy food.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Step 1: Exercise more
Step 2: I will either run or lift weights 4 times a week for at least 45 minutes
Step 3: I will take notes on my phone
Step 4: After one week, I will graph how many times I ran/lifted weights
Step 5: Once I meet the goal of running/lifting weights 4 times during the week, I will reinforce myself
Step 6: When analyzing my notes, I’ll be able to know when I ran/lifted weights and what the antecedents were
Step 7: After the first week, I’ll analyze how this system worked and make appropriate changes if necessary
7b) I’ll measure the behavior in the number of times per week that I run/lift weights for at least 45 minutes. I’ll keep track of the behavior using my cell phone.
7c) I think it would look very similar to the one we did for the water drinking. Hopefully, the behavior will stay high toward the end, rather than dropping off. The title of my graph would be Number of Times I Exercised Per Week. The label for the y-axis would be Times Exercised For At Least 45 minutes. The x-axis label would be Weeks.
8) self-directed behavior, specific target behavior, other-directed behavior, reinforcer, punishment, reinforcement, behavior, baseline performance, behavioral diary, contingencies, behavioral intervention, antecedent, y-axis, x-axis
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The idea of reinforcing alternative behaviors in order to diminish an unwanted behavior. Our goals to change self-directed behaviors are usually too vague; if we don’t succeed in one instance, we may see the process as a failure and quit early. If we use differential reinforcement of other and focus on the alternative behaviors we are reinforcing, we can see that we are making progress and be inspired to keep trying.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn’t anything I disliked in the section.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Resolutions tend to fail because we expect instant change.
Other-directed behaviors can feel manipulative.
Self-directed behaviors are an effort of free will that takes planning and monitoring.
Converting a behavior to punish into a behavior to reinforce is easy.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I found the entire section to be very helpful. I have a number of goals that I never actually start much less accomplish. The steps showed me how I suffer from a lack of overall planning, and how expecting perfection hurts my ability to follow through. I enjoy making lists in my spare time, so I especially liked the idea of recording and graphing my behaviors.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn’t anything I disliked in the section.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A goal has to be broken down so it is precise, manageable, and measurable.
Reinforcing the behavior provides motivation, while changing the environment provides the correct atmosphere.
Honest recording of your efforts can help pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses.
(Bonus: reinforcing is better than having to punish.)
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Set a Goal:
Develop a story bible for a writing project.
2. Define Target Behaviors:
Plot and outline story.
Finish character profiles.
Write blog posts about the project.
3. Keep a record:
Use a pen and small notebook to use as a behavioral diary.
4. Graph a baseline.
5. Determine Contingencies:
Deposit into my savings account a small amount of money to use towards the purchase of a new tarot deck. The amount will depend on how much time I spent on the project, and it will be reinforced after each time I work on it.
6. Determine Antecedents:
Store writing materials in living room instead of bedroom.
Turn laptop off; remove video games and non-writing books from the area.
Make living room comfortable enough to write in.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I can record what specific part of the project I worked on/how long/what I was able to accomplish/what next to work on, the amount of money to be deposited as reinforcement, and what stopped me from working on a specific day and why.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
Title: “Time Spent on Story Bible Project”
Y-axis: days.
X-axis: hours.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
self-directed behaviors, other-directed behaviors, differential reinforcement of other, behavioral diary, antecedent, contingency
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked the example of the New Year's Resolution with self-directed behavior because it is something that every person is familiar with and can apply to their life.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn't anything I disliked. The section was short so it was easy to read and there was a lot of clarification and examples of self-directed behavior and differential reinforcement of other.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) I will remember that both ourselves and others can direct behaviors because of the New Year's Resolution example.
b) I will remember that you need to be specific in the behavior you want to change because if you're too broad you have a greater chance of failing. I will remember this because of personal experience.
c) I will remember that it is easier to change a behavior with reinforcement rather than punishment because that seems like common sense.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked that the steps for self-direct behavior modification are laid out clearly because it makes it easy to understand and break down into parts.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn't anything I disliked in the section.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) I will remember the 6 basic steps to self-directed behavior because we did very similar steps in the water experiment.
b) I will remember that it's important for the behavior to be easy to record because at times I ran across that problem in the water experiment with trying to remember.
c) I will remember that it's important to determine the antecedents to help with the behavior.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Step 1: Getting out of bed earlier in the morning.
Step 2: Getting up by 9 every morning.
Step 3: Write down what time I wake up on a pad of paper on my nightstand.
Step 4: Graph the times I wake up each day.
Step 5: Figure out what effective reinforcers are.
Step 6: Determine the antecedents that are helpful.
Step 7: Adjust antecedents and implement them.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would measure and keep track of the behavior by writing down what time I go to bed and wake up on a pad of paper on my nightstand.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
A title for the graph would be "Get up time", a label for the y-axis would be day, a label for the x-axis would be time
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
self-directed behavior, differential reinforcement of other, punishment, reinforcement, behavior, antecedent, x-axis, y-axis
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked in this section was the quick little introduction page on the difference between self directed behaviors and others directed behavior, since up until this point we have mostly discussed and learned alot about the others directed behavior.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn't seem to dislike anything from this section. It was quite easy to read, and it was short, sweet and to the point.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Three things that I will remember from this section are:
1- Self-directed behavior is using what we've learned about behavior modification on ourselves. I'll remember this because it is us, freely choosing to change our behavior.
2- I will remember that there is a difference between self directed behavior and others directed behavior because others directed is just that, some other sort of person or thing being in charge of changing the behavior. We talked about this in class and how it can be used in classrooms to get rid of aversive classroom behaviors.
3- I will remember that the goal of Self directed behavior is for people to acquire better, more adaptive patterns of behaviors, that will eventually occur naturally as part of our daily routines. It will be easy to remember this because I think about what Dr. MacLin talked about his wife cutting back on her pop drinking and how its now become apart of her life.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked from this section were the boxes to be filled out because it helped me identify some behaviors and helped me get more specific with what target behaviors I possibly could identify.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing I didn't like from this section was the section on graphing and baseline. I understand they're important but, I felt that last week when we went over the water graphs and everything I got a great understanding of the information.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Three things that I will remember from this section are:
1- I will remember that when it comes to changing a behavior using reinforcement is better than punishment because punishment is associated with negativity and cruelness.
2- That target behaviors must be precise, measurable, manageable, and fit within practical scopes of our daily lives. I will remember this because if the target behavior isn't these things, it won't be effective.
3- It typically takes one week to build a baseline.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Step 1: Stop biting my nails.
Step 2: Let my nails grow put until they go past my tips of my skin on my fingers.
Step 3: Write down each time I get the urge to bite my nails and each day I successfully don't.
Step 4: Graph number of times per day I bite my nails.
Step 5: Figure out an effective way to reinforce not biting my nails. Like painting my nails everyday.
Step 6: Paint nails. Nail polish in my bedroom visible to me.
Step 7: Make adjustments if needed to antecedents and implement them.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would measure and keep track of the behavior by writing it down in a pocket notepad everytime I either bit my nails or didn't.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
Title for the graph would be: Jen Keitel nail biting
Y-axis: days
X-axis: nail biting
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms: self directed behavior, others directed behavior, aversive, behavior modification, differential reinforcement, positive reinforcement, punishment, behavior, baseline, y-axis, x-axis, target behavior,
My topic is parenting from a differential reinforcement standpoint. The information I found was mostly positive with those with disabilities so I imagined that not only would these strategies work on your children in the future or present, but would also work on your infants and very young children. Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) is very effective in combating undesirable behaviors. Even though I use the word “combating,” the very process of DRA is non-aversive. There are many variables that can be tweaked with DRA and one includes magnitude of the reinforcement. The higher the magnitude, or perceived pleasure to be received from the reinforcement, the more likely that the magnitude of the alternative behavior will also increase. You can then play around with the magnitude, so that you only have to give high magnitude reinforcement at certain variations of intervals or ratios. This would keep emitted behavior relatively similar in quality and quantity. Interval-based reinforcement has shown to be one of the most popular and effective ways to administer reinforcement. By using constant DRA and then moving to discontinuous DRA like we just talked about, you will see a continuation of the behaviors, but by using interval DRA you will be able to get the most out of your reinforcement and target behavior. Fixed-time intervals of reinforcement are incredibly powerful and useful techniques for preventing resurgence of problematic behavior and promoting alternative pleasurable behaviors. However, while spaced‐responding DRA, “in which a reinforcer (is) delivered contingent on each response if a specified interval had passed since the last response” is very similar to full‐session DRA, “in which a reinforcer (is) presented at the end of an interval if the response rate (is) below criterion within the specified interval,” the spaced-responding DRA is much more effective. While the full-session DRA will still allow for continued alternative behavior more so than ceasing reinforcement and allowing for extinction, if you don't reinforce them contingent upon their behavior, they will tend to cease the alternative behavior or go back to their initial undesirable behavior because they will receive the reinforcement either way.
Differential reinforcement, aversive, pleasurable, contingent, reinforcer, extinction, emitted, interval-based reinforcement, ratio
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Sections 4.1
I liked that this section related well with another class that I’m taking right now. I realize that there are a lot of instances where this occurs within Psychology, but it helps in reinforcing me to understand the behavior modifications that go on in everyday life.
I didn’t like that this section made me realize how much I need to improve on as far as my habits. It made me think about all of the behaviors that I want to begin to change in the next few months and years. This is a good thing and a bad thing, I think.
I will remember that in order to eliminate a behavior, it is better to use differential reinforcement instead of punishment. This will come in handy next time I try to change a behavior of someone who makes me angry. It might even make it more fun.
I will remember that the likelihood of me actually fulfilling a New Year’s Resolution is very slim unless I word it correctly and set myself up with reinforcement opportunities.
I will remember it is almost equally if not more important to define a target behavior that can be reinforced in order to change a behavior, than any other step.
Section 4.2
I liked that this section laid out the exact steps in changing a behavior because I think that we can talk about changing a behavior all day, but it becomes difficult to understand exactly how to do so.
I didn't like that I was pretty bad about keeping up with my behavioral diary. I think that this is something that I need to get better at, not only because it would help my data but because it would also help me get my frustrations out as far as if it was easy, hard or neutral.
I will remember the importance of knowing my baseline performance while setting goals. Without knowing where I am, it will be hard to know where I want to end up.
I will remember the idea of a behavioral intervention because I think this is where I actually lose in trying to change my own behaviors. I never face my problems and own up to what is actually needing to change.
I will remember the steps in changing the behaviors because knowing these off the top of your head will be more useful in the long run. If I have to think or look it up every time i try to change someones behavior, then it might get complicated.
I want to change the behavior of not completing the B-mod assignments on time or at all.
Step 1: I want to complete my assignments on time.
Step 2: I want to finish my B-mod assignments by Monday and Wednesday every week without hesitation or inner conflict.
Step 3: diary for a week
Step 4: Graph behaviors
Step 5: I will reinforce these behaviors with getting to spend time with my boyfriend. Until these assignments are done, I cant see or talk to him. If I get an assignment done on time, I can hang out with him that night meaning Monday and Wednesday nights.
Step 6: I will set aside time in my day specifically for this class’s assignments. Once I get in a routine for this class to be taken care of then I think it will become easy to sit down and do it.
Step 7: tweak contingencies after monitoring successes and failures with my goal.
I plan on measuring this behavior by telling my boyfriend ahead of time that this is something that I’m going to be doing. Then sort of put him in charge of knowing if my assignment is done or not. This will be sort of like an accountability partner in a way, but will then hold me accountable to keeping track of my progress. I’m going to have a literal diary that I write in letting me know when I did and didn't get an assignment done.
This would have a little different look than the water graph because the x-axis would be the times of the day that I try to sit down and do the assignments. I think that there will be a certain time of day that ends up being best for me to do these particular assignments. That will make the y-axis the success that I have during that time, so it would be the number of times that I ended up getting the assignment done and got to hang out with my boyfriend. The title would probably be Best time of day for completing B-mod assignment.
Term: Psychology, reinforcing, behavior modifications, eliminate, differential reinforcement, punishment, target behavior, behavioral diary, baseline performance, goals, behavioral intervention
APLK
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked about this section was the topic of self-directed behavior in general. I like that the introduction to this section was shown in a positive light and really focused on how we can better ourselves through behavior modification even if we thought we couldn’t change a certain thing about ourselves.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn’t anything in this section that I particularly didn’t like; however, the only criticism I can think of would be to take out all the examples of New Year’s resolutions from Google because everyone pretty much knows the gist of what a resolution is so it’s not really necessary information.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember from this section is the difference between self-directed and other-directed behaviors because they are both pretty self-explanatory terms that are not difficult whatsoever to remember. I will also remember that in order to make a goal realistic to obtain, you must keep it specific, rather than broad. I’ll remember that because it makes sense that if you make a goal too broad it will be harder to tell if you’ve met your goal by doing one specific thing or if you need to complete multiple things in order to satisfy the completion of that goal. Lastly I’ll remember that a targeted behavior must be specific and in order to meet some goals you’ll need reinforcement because that’s a logical way of reaching or doing any sort of task.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I liked about this chapter was how organized the material was. I liked that the 6 steps involved in changing a behavior were clearly identified and bolded because now I’ll remember them better since they were boldly defined and stuck out.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
From this section, there wasn’t anything that I didn’t like. I was interested in everything that I read and I liked reading through the steps of how to change behaviors that I do and writing down examples as I go.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I’ll remember about this section is the four criteria of a targeted behavior because they are short, to the point and single words (Precise, Manageable, Measurable, and Practical) so I can remember it with just a simple acronym of PMMP. I’ll also remember the term behavioral diary because it is an important aspect of changing a behavior so you can go back and read what you did before and after our baseline performance. Lastly I’ll remember that behavioral intervention is when you evaluate and make decisions once you’ve scrutinized your behavior because when people have interventions with friends or family, they observe a certain behavior the individual is doing wrong and they make it known and try to help fix it. So the term is easy to associate with its definition.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
The behavior I want to change is going on social media on my phone less just because I’m bored or need to unnecessarily occupy a few seconds or minutes of my time.
1. Set goal: Only go on social media 3 times a day.
2. Define/ Specify the Goal as a set of Targeted Behaviors: 1) Delete the apps from my homepage making them harder to access. 2) Keep myself busy with other hobbies in my alone/ down time. 3) Keep my phone tucked away when I’m in class or with people. 4) Set specific times that I can go on social media such as at lunch, supper time, and before I go to bed.
3. Keep a record: Write down every time I access social media on my phone and keep a tally and also when, where, and why I accessed it (ex: bored in my room, waiting for class to start) for one week.
4. Graph a baseline: Make a line graph with the number of times accessed on the y-axis as my dependent measure, and the time of day on the x-axis.
5. Determine the contingencies: For every day that I stay below 3 times, I will reward myself with an extra episode on Netflix at the end of the night. For every time I go on after 3 times, I have to add 50 cents to a jar and give the money to a friend as reinforcement.
6. Determine Antecedents: Only have my phone out when I absolutely need it, keep it in my bookbag when I’m on campus or in my coat at work, have it in my pocket on ring when I’m at home so I only take it out when I receive a text or a call so I’m not tempted to go on social media, make my hobbies have more of a prominent role in my life by keeping them easily accessible
7. Implement and adjust the contingencies: (will do as the process goes on)
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I’ll write down every time that I go on it during the day and what time I go on it and why. At the end of the day I’ll put all my data in a chart to get a visual aid on how I’m doing.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title would be Accessing Social Media on Cell Phone. The y-axis will be Times Accessed and the x-axis will be labeled Time of Day.
8) Terms: targeted behavior, reinforcement, self-directed, other-directed, behavior modification, behavior, resolution, Precise, Manageable, Measurable, Practical, behavioral diary, baseline performance, line graph, dependent measure
Section 4.1
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked reading about specific target behaviors, because it was interesting to recognize that the examples were something that just about everyone I know including myself have at one point used. In order to change behavior defining a good target behavior that can be reinforced is most likely the most important step. I liked this the most because it is a main and crucial part in behavior modification.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
In this section, I disliked reading about differential reinforcement of other (DRO) the most, because it did not provide much of a refresher on what it means or any examples. Because of this, it was difficult for me to determine how to redefine alternative behaviors in a way that it may be reinforced.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. From this section, I will remember the difference between self-directed behavior and other-directed behavior. Other-directed behavior is necessary when managing a classroom or safety in the workplace. Self-directed behavior occurs when an individual exerts his or her free will to select the behavior that should be increased or decreased and allows for structure own behavioral interventions and contingencies.
b. Several behaviors, especially New Years Resolutions, are likely to result in punishment, because the person wants to reduce the frequency of the behavior. It is important to remember that differential reinforcement of other (DRO) consists of reinforcing incompatible behaviors rather than punishing the individual for the behavior they want to decrease. Converting a behavior from one that would typically be punished into one that can be reinforced is typically more desirable rather than aversive.
c. When someone wants to reduce a behavior, it is important for him or her to consider whether to quit all at once or do a gradual reduction. This could impact determining and defining the target goal and the method of measurement of the behavior, in addition to the likelihood of maintaining this goal.
Section 4.2
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked about this section was the portion on determining contingencies, because it is where the behavioral intervention occurs and determines the whether or not the behavior should be reinforced. I found it interesting that behavioral change project does not require continuous reinforcement, like I was originally expecting, but can use other schedules of reinforcement, such as fixed ratio or variable ratio schedules of reinforcement. When and how often a person is reinforced depends on what the reinforcer is. I liked this part, because it allowed me to expand my beliefs on when reinforcement can occur during my own behavioral change project, and it might allow for more success in my future self-directed behavioral project.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
My least favorite part about this section was on keeping a record, because it is where I had the most difficulty in regards emitting the behavior of writing down the amount of water I had throughout the day for my previous behavioral change project. It is something a person should do right away, otherwise he or she could mistakenly write something down wrong or are unable to reconstruct the antecedents. Although I did not like keeping a behavioral diary, I do see that it is beneficial in allowing the person to acknowledge the ABCs of behavior. I realize there are other ways to keep track of behavior, which I might like better than regular pen and paper, such as using my cell phone. This may appear as less of a nuisance.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. I will remember the steps involved in self-directed behavior modification. These steps include: 1. Set goal, 2. Define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors, 3. Keep a record, 4. Graph a baseline, 5. Determine the contingencies, 6. Determine the antecedents, and 7. Implement and adjust the contingencies. This will be valuable for my behavioral change project and future behavioral interventions I would like to complete.
b. Also in this section, I will remember how to construct a graph, and that it is typically line graphs that are customary for graphing behavior. Also, the y-axis (vertical measure) is for a dependent measure that we are measuring. Forming a graph is an essential skill and can help a person collect and analyze data regarding the target behavior.
c. Another thing I will remember is that antecedents are powerful if they are used correctly. They may aid in controlling the environment. This could include the use of an alarm as a discriminate stimulus going off at a certain time the behavior should occur. This is something I will remember, because I plan to use this in my next self-directed behavior project.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
My behavioral goal is to exercise more. I walk to class every day and take the stairs, but in the winter I will be more likely to drive or take the bus to school, which will eliminate a good portion of my exercise for the day. In addition to this, I plan on adding a couple workout videos that vary in time from 45- 75 minutes. To measure my exercise time I have already noted that it takes me 15 minutes to walk from my apartment to my building where all my classes are in, so if I add this time to the time of the DVD, I will have my daily time of exercise This is precise, manageable, measureable, and something I can fit into my life.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will keep a record of this by putting it into my planner and scheduling time for it in there. Having specific times written down will help guarantee I follow through with this goal. To keep track of the days I follow through with this task, I will be sure to include check marks of the days I complete my workout, as well.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
This could look similar to the water drinking graph, because I could use a line-graph the x-axis would include the days of the week. The title could be “Amount of Exercise.” The y-axis label might be “Minutes of Exercise,” and the x-axis would be “Days of the Week.” Otherwise, I may determine how many minutes of exercise I would like to complete in a week and the x-axis would be the week numbers.
Terms: target behavior, behavior, reinforce, differential reinforcement of other (DRO), self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, behavioral intervention, contingency, punishment, frequency, punish, desirable, aversive, continuous reinforcement, fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement, variable ratio schedule of reinforcement, reinforcer, emit, behavioral diary, ABCs, baseline, antecedent, line-graph, y-axis, dependent measure, discriminate stimulus, elicit, response, x-axis
Please read sections 4.1 (Need for Self-Directed Behavior) and 4.2 (Self Directed behavior Steps)
Please fill out the boxes in the readings you may be quizzed on them in class.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked the discussion about New Year’s Resolutions and the correlation to self-directed behavior. I found this to be interesting because of the explanation about why people have trouble maintaining or keeping those resolutions.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was nothing I really disliked about this section. I felt that all the information is relevant to individuals who truly want to change a behavior in their life.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember is how specific you need to be when working to change a behavior; you need to pick a specific behavior, not an entire behavior class. I will remember this because it was brought up in this section and has been brought up in past sections.
Another thing I will remember is that target behaviors are more achievable when they are correlated with reinforcement instead of punishment. I will remember this because personally I respond better to changing my behavior when I know that I will be rewarded or reinforced.
Finally I will remember the four reasons individuals will change their behavior; they bother us, they bother other people, they might lead to trouble later on, and they are illegal. I will remember these reasons because they are sensible reasons to modify your behavior.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked the practicality of this section. I feel that this section will continue to be very useful even after this semester.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was really nothing about this section I didn’t like. If I had to pick anything, it would be the length of the section, but everything in this section was helpful information.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember are the steps to self directed behavior; set a goal, define goals as a set of specific behaviors, keep a record, graph a baseline, determine the contingences, determine the antecedents, and implement and adjust the contingences. I remember these steps because they will be helpful in modifying my target behavior for the upcoming assignment and for modifying behaviors in the future.
Another thing I will remember the importance of the perimeters of the target behavior. It is important to ensure that it precise, manageable, measureable, and fit in the scope of my life. I will remember this because this is how I set goals outside of modifying my behavior too.
Finally I will remember not to give up on my goal even when I am not successful right away. This is important for me to remember especially since I set a goal related to exercise. Usually when I set these goals I work really hard to maintain them, but I am easily discouraged.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
The behavior I would like to change is to spend more time exercising/walking.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will measure this behavior by keeping track of my daily steps on my Fitness app on my phone.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title to the graph would be An Increase in Steps. The y-axis would be the number of steps in the thousands. The x-axis would be the days.
8) Terms: x-axis, y-axis, target behavior, contingencies, antecedents, self-directed behaviors, behavior, behavior class, reinforcement, punishment
Section 4.1
1) I found it very interesting that in order to reduce a behavior in yourself the section said that we need to use some form of reinforcement than punishment. I would have assumed that it would be the opposite. After thinking about it more, I agree reinforcement is the best option because it is more encouraging and increases the desire to emit that behavior and would help it to become an automatic response rather than an aversive feeling that would be created with punishment.
2) Nothing stood out to me as something I disliked in this section. It all seemed like common conception and it was interesting to learn about these things with a different perspective.
3) (a) I will remember that self-directed behavior is using behavior modification techniques on ourselves, because, not only is the name self-explanatory, but I feel that people are doing this more often than they realize and it is a very interesting topic. (b) In order to succeed in increasing or decreasing a target behavior, one needs to be specific in what exactly they are trying to accomplish. For example you shouldn’t just say lose weight you should say exercise at least three times a week. I will remember this because it is very reasonable and relatable to problems I’ve had with goal setting in the past. (c) It is better to make the choice to change the behavior on your own so you are exerting free will and do not feel manipulated by others trying to change your behavior. This is easy to remember because it is an easy feeling to relate to and self-determination is better than the resentment of others trying to force something on you.
Section 4.2
4) I just liked this section as a whole because it was pretty helpful on understanding the exact steps that are expected of us in order to record and change our targeted behavior.
5) This section kind of reminded me of one of those self-help books but it did have good information within it. I began to feel that changing a behavior was being forced on me for the class so, like it said in the previous section, I kind of lost a bit of the self-motivation factor that is essential in self-directed behaviors.
6) (a) It is very important that a targeted behavior is manageable, because most goals fail because of unrealistic expectations. Again I will remember this because of my previous experiences in goal setting. (b) Knowing your baseline performance is essential in keeping a record because that is the only way that you can recognize progress. I will remember this because being able to recognize progress is one of my biggest personal motivators. (c) Antecedents are powerful at elicit behaviors and having a specific discriminative stimulus is important in direction our behaviors. I will remember this information because it is essential in achieving success in the goal I have set for myself.
7) a) I want to decrease my amount of eating/snacking in between meals. I want to only eat three times a day at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
1) Set Goal- eat healthier
2) Define Target Behaviors- stop snacking in between or after meals
3) Keep a Record- count how many times I eat anything in between meals (size doesn’t matter, account for everything)
4) Graph a Baseline-use the blank graph in the text
5) Determine Contingencies- reinforce myself with an extra hour of Netflix on the days that I don’t snack at all in-between meals for the first period of changing my targeted behavior, increase it to every two days in a row with no snacking later
6) Determine Antecedents- stop buying snaky/unhealthy food that I can grab on the go, buy healthier food that needs to be prepared
7) Implement and adjust contingencies- figure out if my rewards and other methods of shaping my targeted behavior are successful, if they are not then develop a new plan
b) I could measure the behavior by keeping count of how many times I eat during period’s in-between meals. The count would be based off of anything I eat in-between meals even if it is just a small treat or a larger snack.
c) The title of the graph could be “Snacking in Between Meals” and the graph would look rather similar to the water drinking graph but will hopefully be a negative correlation between the amount I eat and the extended period of time. A label for the y-axis could be number to times I eat something in-between meals and the x-axis is time.
8) Terminology Used: self-directed behavior, behavior modification, punishment, reward, stimulus, target behavior, aversive, emit, x-axis, y-axis, goal, baseline performance, contingencies, antecedents, elicit, discriminative stimulus, shaping
Section 4.1:
1a&b) I really like the example of the New Year’s Resolutions for this section. Most everyone complains about how no one keeps their resolutions and reading about why that is exactly was interesting. It’s true for the most part; people are more likely to use punishment and as we know that is not the ideal behavior modifier. I think most people give up on resolutions because they don’t precisely state their goals; or they just give up. In section 4.2, it states that if the goal is a good goal then you deserve to reach it and that things don’t work out smoothly. I really think that most people don’t reach their resolutions because they go about it the wrong way.
2) I didn’t really dislike anything about this chapter. Filling out the boxes, I found it difficult to clearly state the target behaviors. Which again resorts back to why I think people give up on resolutions; their goals are too broad.
3a,b&c) Three things I will remember from this section are 1) behaviors can be others-directed or self-directed; either we can modify others behavior or our own behavior. 2) It is necessary to clearly define the target behavior that you wish to modify and make sure that the behavior can be reinforced (or punished). 3) Most New Year’s Resolutions are not kept because the target behavior is too broad and not specific. Neither is the reinforcement (or punishment) kept diligently enough to actually reinforce (or punish) the target behavior.
Section 4.2:
4a&b) I really liked how this section laid out everything I need to know about self- directed behavior. It clearly stated all the things I need to clearly classify which behavior I want to increase, how to correctly record my behaviors before and after, and it also clarified how I need to measure and present my data. I found it to be really helpful, especially that there was an example given. All of the steps given seem reasonable and easy to follow.
5) There wasn’t anything that I did not like about this section. It was a nice ‘how to’ introduction to gathering, recording, and implementing self-directed behavior modification.
6a,b&c) Three things I will remember from this section are 1) there are 6 steps to self-directed behavior; Set goal, Define target behavior, Record observations sufficiently, Graph data, Determine Reinforcement as well as schedules and criteria for reinforcement, and Use antecedents. 2) Using a behavioral diary that is manageable and easy as well as taking distinct notes will help construct more clear conclusions from your data. 3) It is ok to change your original goal/reinforce/etc. Adjusting variables can help in the success of modifying the target behavior.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) Set goal: Work out more
2) Set target behaviors: Going to the gym after class each day, do every workout on the days workout plan.
3) Keep records: I already have the my fitness pal app so I could record everything that I am doing (baseline).
4) Make a graph: Graph this baseline of the days I worked out, the percent of the workouts completed.
5) Determine Contingencies: The effective reinforces I would use is after each week of fulfilling all my target behaviors; I can go out to eat that Friday of being done working out.
6) Determine the antecedents: The antecedent I would use would have notes all around the apartment on mirrors on the doors and most importantly in the fridge.
7) Implement and adjust the contingencies: See how successful my self-management project is going, and if the contingencies are not working find a more effective reinforce or delivery time.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I can keep track of this behavior by having a work out plan set up, and crossing out everything I am supposed to do on each day. This can be recorded by how many days a week I work out, and percent of work outs accomplished.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
It would look the same as the drinking graph. The title would be Work out. Y-axis would be labeled days working out, and percent of work outs accomplished. The x-axis would just be the days of the week.
8)Terms: self-directed, others-directed, target behavior, reinforced, punished, reinforcement, punishment, reinforce, punish, antecedents, behavioral diary
Reading Blog #10
Cassidy Monaco
Section 4.1
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked reading about people’s New Year's resolutions and the critiques of them from a behavioral perspective. It helped me understand the importance of having a clear and concise target behavior and how most New Year's resolutions are focused on a behavioral class, rather than a specific behavior. I am definitely guilty of making this mistake this myself.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I could not find anything that I liked least from this section because I really enjoyed it. Thinking about New Year’s resolutions really got me thinking more about modifying behaviors, and it was interesting to think of it in this way. There was nothing in this section that I did not enjoy reading about.
3 ) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) I'll remember self-directed behavior because it involves the word "self," which makes it easier to conceptualize as a behavior in which I will either reinforce or punish on my own, therefore eliciting the behavior to be emitted more often.
b)I will remember other-directed behavior because it is the opposite of self-directed behavior. This is what occurs during childhood because a caregiver decides and carries out punishments and reinforcement by determining whether your behavior had the appropriate consequence.
c)I will remember differential reinforcement of other because in one of the topical assignments I researched more about the different types of reinforcement. This is basically reinforcing any behavior except those behaviors that are aversive, like reinforcing behaviors that are desirable and ignoring those that aren't.
Section 4.2
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked learning about the different steps of self-directed behavior modification because this section helped me to further understand how to use detail to distinguish between behavior classes and specific target behaviors. This will be helpful to me in my own behavior change project.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I am kind of confused on the graph concept, which worries me because we were emailed a graph today to chart our water drinking behaviors. I am concerned that I do not understand this concept well enough to graph things.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) I will remember to make sure that the target behavior is: "1) Precise, 2) Manageable, 3) Measurable, and 4) Fit within the practical scope of our daily lives." I'll remember this because I had a few ideas for the Behavior Change Project that didn't meet one or more of these, which might signify that they are not a good choice. Also, one thing I thought of was actually a behavioral class, so I will be sure to be more specific.
b) I will remember about behavioral diaries because we all kept a behavioral diary for the water-drinking reinforcement period, and we will do this again for the behavior change project.
c) I remember the idea of behavioral intervention because once I collect the baseline (normal) recordings of my target behavior, I can then implement a behavioral intervention that includes a reinforcer and self-evaluated criterion for whether or not I performed the target behavior to a degree in which it should be reinforced. I am looking forward to this behavioral change project.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
I want to only consume one sweet/dessert per day for the entire months of March and April.
Step 1: set goal: To limit sweets/dessert consumption to one per day during March and April.
Step 2: define goal as a set of target behaviors
Step 3: keep a record: by using a behavioral diary
Step 4: graph
Step 5: determine contingencies
Step 6: determine antecedents
Step 7: Evaluate contingencies
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I can measure this behavior by writing down in a behavioral diary the dessert and time of day that I ate the dessert on each date. On the days that I limited myself to only one sweet per day, I can highlight on my calendar, which will show me the consecutive number of days I have met my goal.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title would be “Cassidy’s Dessert Consumption”. I am not sure how I would graph this, as this is something I am still confused with. On one axis I would probably want the number of desserts I consumed, although if I follow my goal, this graph would be straight across at 1 dessert per day. Is this correct??
TERMS: modify, behavior, target behavior, behavioral class, specific behavior, punish, reinforce, self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, elicit, emit, extinction, consequence, alternative behavior, differential reinforcement of other (DRO), aversive, behavioral intervention, baseline
Section 4.1
1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked the discussion of New Year’s resolutions and how, if we want to modify our behavior by using self-directed behavior, then we must be specific about the target behavior. We must identify the target behavior and describe it in a way that a stranger would notice it if they were told what target behavior to look for. This is important because too often people want to self-direct their behavior, but they state their target behavior too broadly instead of saying realistic target behaviors that can be monitored at a baseline and after reinforcement is administered to see if the behavior modification was successful. An example of a vague target behavior that was used in the section was “get fit” which is something that would not be able to be identified by a stranger since it is a behavior class; three specific target behaviors that I came up with for “get fit” are 1. Eat fruits/veggies with every meal, 2. Drink 64 ounces of water a day, and 3. Exercise for 30 minutes 3x a week. These are all specific target behaviors that can be monitored and reinforced.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was nothing that I disliked about this section, I feel like it is very interesting and relevant to all of our lives since we are constantly trying to adjust/change our behavior, sometimes without realizing that is what we are doing.
3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember to be specific when identifying target behavior that I want to change (as explained above). I will remember differential reinforcement of the other (DRO) because people are more likely to be successful in self-directing behavior if they are reinforcing themselves rather than punishing. This is because 1. Reinforcement is more pleasurable to receive than punishment, thus making the whole journey of behavior modification more enjoyable and 2. People are more likely to be successful in changing their behavior when they have something to reinforce themselves with, in other words they will have something to gain rather than lose when they reinforce themselves. Considering that these are the two main points from the chapter and that nothing else was really discussed, I do not have a third thing that I will remember, but I will remember what this chapter said about self-directed behavior.
Section 4.2
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked that this section set out all of the steps of self-directed behavior and did it in a way that was very simple and informative. This section will be very helpful while working on the self-directed behavior project and it has already helped me begin to think about how I am going to do the project and what behavior I want to change, how to make that a specific target behavior, how to observe it for a baseline, and how to reinforce myself for changing the behavior.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was nothing that I disliked about this section. It was very interesting and illuminating on the topic of self-directed behavior.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember 6 things: the steps involved in self-directed behavior. I will remember to set a specific target behavior as a goal, I will remember to keep a record of the baseline behavior and subsequent behavior after I start reinforcing myself, I will remember how to graph the behavior by putting the dependent measure (quantity of target behavior) on the y-axis and time on the x-axis, I will remember to determine contingencies, such as effective reinforcers and how/when they will be administered, I will remember to examine the antecedents and the consequences to see if there are any discriminative stimuli that increase my desired target behavior or what I could do to use antecedents to my advantage when changing the behavior. I will remember these things because this is how people can successfully change their behavior (if they implement the steps correctly) and it will be an important process for the rest of my life as I start grad school and eventually my career.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Step 1, Goal: Lessen my ecological footprint
Step 2, Target Behavior: “Weekday Vegetarian”—this means that Monday-Friday I will not eat red meat, chicken, or fish (eggs and cheese are still acceptable).
Step 3, Record: I am using the “notes” app on my phone to record when I currently eat meat throughout the day
Step 4, Graph: (described below)
Step 5, Contingencies: I plan on reinforcing myself using a fixed interval schedule of reinforcement in which every two days that I go without eating meat, I will buy myself a Starbucks drink.
Step 6, Antecedents: I will need my graph to complete this step
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
As I said above, I am going to use the “Notes” app on my phone so that way I can record how may times I eat meat throughout the day on my phone. I am going to count how many times I eat meat total throughout the day instead of just what meals I eat meat at. For example, today I had pepperoni pizza and a salad made with chicken, this would count as eating meat 2 times even though I ate it at the same meal. I think this will be the most accurate way for me to record it.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of the graph would be “Meat Consumption” and I think a good label for the y-axis “Number of Times Meat Was Consumed” and a good label for the x-axis will be “Time” since I am going to record it in days like we did for the water drinking activity.
Terms: self-directed behavior, target behavior, baseline, reinforcement, behavior modification, reinforcing, punishing, differential reinforcement of the other (DRO), behavior class, dependent measure, contingencies, antecedent, consequence, discriminative stimuli, fixed interval schedule of reinforcement
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked the example of the New Year's Resolution with self-directed behavior because it is something that every person is familiar with and can apply to their life.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn't anything I disliked. The section was short so it was easy to read and there was a lot of clarification and examples of self-directed behavior and differential reinforcement of other.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that both ourselves and others can direct behaviors because of the New Year's Resolution example.I will remember that you need to be specific in the behavior you want to change because if you're too broad you have a greater chance of failing. I will remember this because of personal experience. I will remember that it is easier to change a behavior with reinforcement rather than punishment because that seems like common sense.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked that the steps for self-direct behavior modification are laid out clearly because it makes it easy to understand and break down into parts.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn't anything I disliked in the section.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the 6 basic steps to self-directed behavior because we did very similar steps in the water experiment. I will remember that it's important for the behavior to be easy to record because at times I ran across that problem in the water experiment with trying to remember. I will remember that it's important to determine the antecedents to help with the behavior.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Step 1: Going to bed earlier at night.
Step 2: Getting into bed 10 every night (when not working the late shift for work.
Step 3: Write down what time I go to bed on a pad of paper on my nightstand.
Step 4: Graph the times I go to bed each night.
Step 5: Figure out what effective reinforcers are.
Step 6: Determine the antecedents that are helpful.
Step 7: Adjust antecedents and implement them.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would measure and keep track of the behavior by writing down what time I go to bed on a pad of paper on my nightstand.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
A title for the graph would be "Go to bed time", a label for the y-axis would be day, a label for the x-axis would be time
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
self-directed behavior, differential reinforcement of other, punishment, reinforcement, behavior, antecedent, x-axis, y-axis
1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked about this section is that it helped me think of what I would like to do for our final self-directed change project. I really liked when it talked about the four reasons why you may change behavior. It bothers you, it bothers other, it may lead to trouble later on, or it is illegal. Like the text mentions, usually we change our behavior based on the first two reasons. For this project we are either going to think of a behavior we want to increase by reinforcing that behavior, or we should think of behaviors that are incompatible with the bothersome behaviors and reinforce the incompatible behaviors. Reinforcing incompatible behaviors is called differential reinforcement (ABC section 4.1 p. 1).
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing I liked least about this section is it seemed kind of repetitive. I thought it was helpful to go through one of the New Year’s resolutions and figure out how we could narrow it down into a target behavior. However, we went through quite a bit and then it started to feel repetitive and I started to go straight to the activities. Since I filled out the activities without and struggles I felt that I could move on in the reading.
3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember is that self-directed behavior is different than the type of behavior you may find used in schools and animal training classes. Self- directed behavior is different because it relies on yourself to manage the behavior and administer the consequences. For example, with the water project we did the last few weeks it was self-directed because we were in charge of providing rewards and consequences for our behavior of how much water we drank each week. Another thing I will remember about this section on self-directed behavior is that its goal is to get people to acquire better more adaptive behavior patterns that will hopefully in the future occur automatically. This is important to remember because you can tell if you are doing a good job at changing a behavior by using self-direction if the behavior happens automatically in the future.
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really loved about this section was how it went through the step by step process of how to use self-directed behavior to change behaviors. I liked this because when I can go back while I am making my outline, I can easily view the steps that I need to take in order to put together the correct steps in altering my behavior using self-directed behavior.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The part I liked least about this section was when it talked about graphing your progress when you are all done. I have never been very good at creating graphs and statistics was also difficult for me. Although it was kind of confusing, it opened my eyes to help me realize I need to learn how to use excel better so that I can make graphs and it won’t be so stressful and difficult for me.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember because it will be important for our upcoming self-directed change project is that the behavior I want to change must be a target behavior that is precise, manageable, measureable, and it fits within the practice scope of our daily lives. I will also remember to make notes in my notebook as they occur because the information will be fresh on my mind and it won’t force me to try and remember information that I did 12 hours ago. Lastly, I will remember to graph a baseline before I start my project so that I have something to compare my final graph to. All three of these things are important to remember because they will make my project much easier and attainable.
7) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Minimizing the amount of money I spend on clothes
• Give myself a certain dollar amount that I can spend each week
• Reward myself by letting myself spend a certain dollar amount if I abide by my rules
• Ex. Only allow myself to spend 30 dollar clothing items for 2 weeks, if I abide by this rule I can spend an extra 20 dollars (50 total) the next two weeks.
• Keep track of what I buy, where I buy it, and how much I spent
• Write down when it was the hardest and when I was most tempted to abide by my rules
8) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would keep track of the behavior by keeping track of my receipts each week so I know what I spent my money on and how much I spent. I will measure it by how much I spend each week.
9) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of my graph would be amount spent on clothing. The y axis would be money spent in increments of 5 dollars. The x axis would be week (week 1, week 2, etc.).
Terms: self-directed behavior, consequences, rewards, differential reinforcement, target behavior, attainable, record, graph, x axis, y axis
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
a.I really liked how we had to come up with specific target behaviors that go under the behavior classes such as “Quite drinking” and “get fit.”
b.I liked this because it helped me narrow down what I want to do for my behavior modification project which is under the class of getting fit.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I would have liked a deeper description of incompatible behaviors because it seems like a simple term but an example of a few more terms would have helped with my confusion. I get that you can’t do the two behaviors at the same time but would drinking water instead of pepsi be considered an incompatible behavior?
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a.I will remember that you have to choose a specific behavior to change instead of a behavior class because trying to change a whole behavior class will most likely lead to failure. Speaking from experience and it has been a reoccurring theme in this class.
b.Self- Directed behavior is when we choose a behavior on our own free will to change. This chapter was all about that and the term is very strait forward.
c.Another reason new years resolutions fail is because they are based on punishment instead of reinforcement. I will remember this because it is an interesting fact and makes sense because we try to avoid aversive consequences and would stop a behavior all together if the consequence was harsh every time we didn’t do a behavior.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
a.I like how the steps for changing a behavior were detailed in their descriptions.
b.Knowing the steps will make it easier to accomplish the goal that I set.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I don’t like having to use just one line graph, I would almost like two separate graphs: one for if I didn’t exercise or did and one for the minutes I exercised.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a.Keeping a diary will make it easier to keep track of behavior. I find this interesting because I never thought of this, it’s so simple and I never thought of it.
b.Recording the behaviors as soon as they happen is important, I will remember this because it seems important and makes sense because you do not want to record something false.
c.Antecedents are very important when trying to reach a goal because they can elicit a desired behavior. I will remember this because it also makes sense and I thought of ten different ways to change my environment so that I will emit the desired behavior more often.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1.My goal is to lose weight.
2.My target behavior that I want to increase is exercising every day in the morning.
3.I will record whether or not I exercise that day and how many minutes I exercise for.
4.My y axis will be time spent exercising and the x-axis will be days of the week.
5.I will use eating a cream saver as a continuous reinforcer and watching an episode of Lost after every three days that I make my goal. If I skip a day, I will use not watching any TV as a punishment.
6.I will wake up every day two hours early because I will have the time to exercise and take a shower after and eat before I go to class. I also have a workout video that I can follow and a bike trail that I can walk on days that I want to be outside on.
7.I will adjust the reinforcers if I get use to them or do them anyway. It will be a work in progress.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I can measure whether or not I exercised that day and for how many minutes. I will write it down in a journal or keep a graph up that I can plot a point on.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
On the y-axis, I will have the minutes that I exercised and the x-axis will be the days of the week. If I do not exercise, the minutes will be at 0 and in my journal, it will say the reason why I didn’t exercise. Hopefully as I gain stamina and lose weight, the amount of time that I can exercise will increase.
8) Terms: Target behavior, incompatible behaviors, behavior class, self-directed behavior, consequences, punishment, reinforcement, elicit, emit.
1 a&b ) One thing that I really liked that was in this section was the part on self-directed behavior. With self-directed behavior, we are free to make our own goals and structure our own behavioral interventions. I think that the new year resolution example was very helpful. Having precise and specific target behaviors are very important. They should be easily identified and can be easily measured. It makes sense to have a good target behavior before we can start changing our behaviors.
2 ) One thing that I disliked that was in this section was the part on other-directed behavior. It was a little vague for me and I couldn’t quite grasp the definition of it. The part on self-directed behavior however was clear and in an orderly manner.
3 )
a. I will remember that behaviors can be directed by others or by ourselves. They are also known as the other-directed behavior and self-directed behavior. I will remember this because this entire section was about them.
b. I will remember that self-directed behavior occurs when we exert our free will to choose a behavior that we want to increase or decrease. Because this was the part that i thought was most interesting in this section.
c. I will remember that having a specific and good target behavior is important for self-directed behavior because a good target behavior is the most important step in changing our behaviors. It makes a lot of sense because you need to know what precisely about your behavior needs to be changed and if you really understood what is it that you want to change.
4 a&b ) I really like the entire section. It was very organized and the step-by-step procedure was really clear. I also liked how each steps of the procedure are so well explained and the examples that were given were so helpful. It makes me understand why it is important to have a specific target behavior and how to achieve it.
5 ) There was nothing that I disliked about this section. I think they were all put together nicely and the entire section was very well explained.
6 )
a. I will remember which step comes first and which step comes next. They all made sense and they all link together perfectly.
b. I will remember the target behaviors need to be precise, manageable, measurable, and fit within the practical scope of our daily lives. Because only with this four criteria can someone come out with a good target behavior.
c. I will remember that one way to start recording a baseline is to keep a behavioral diary. It is a diary that keeps what the behavior was, what happened before and what happened after, and allows you to later go back and use the ABCs of behavior. I think it makes a lot of sense because you cannot possibly remember everything that happens in a day.
7a )
Set goal: Exercise more
Define/Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors: Go on a 30 minutes run twice a week around the neighborhood
Keep a record: Record the amount of time I run per week on my cell phone.
Graph a baseline
Determine contingencies: I would reward myself with $10 to spend on anything I want if I run for an hour in a week. The reinforcement schedule for this is an intermittent fixed ration schedule.
Determine antecedents: Weighing myself every morning
Implement and adjust the contingencies
7b ) I can measure my behavior by having a running app on my phone that counts my steps or records the amount of time I run.
7c ) The title of the graph could be Run Schedule. The y-axis would be hours of running, and the x-axis would be weeks. I think this graph would look similar to the water drinking graph. It might start off low but the graph will slowly go up and maintain.
8 ) Self-directed behavior, behavioral interventions, target behavior, other directed behavior, baseline, behavioral diary, ABCs of behavior, contingencies, antecedents.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
- What I really like in this section is the self-directed behavior topic. This is because instead of trying to modify other behaviors among in other individuals, we are focusing in ourselves. I have many behaviors that I will love to change so this reading section gathered my attention as soon as I started reading. What I found really interesting was the fact that changing a behavior, by myself, will definitely become part of my routine and I am the one controlling my own actions for this new behavior. The resolutions where very interesting as well.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
- What I found kind of aversive but not really to the point that I hated it, were the little exercises. Maybe because I found it really interesting to read that I kind of felt that doing to the exercises will kind of distracted me, However because they are related tot he reading I end up enjoying doing them.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) I will remember self directed behavior because of the behaviors, i want to change for myself.
b) I will remember the difference between Other directed behavior and self-directed behavior.
c) I will remember the resolutions and how some of them are harder than others.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
- What I really like on this section were the steps in other to achieve the desired behavior. This is because they were easy to follow and understand. Just starting the reading it gather my attention giving some thoughts on what I wanted to change, why and how to accomplish it.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
-I did not actually found something I did not like in this section, instead, I actually pretty much like everything. What I could say I liked the least was that the chapter was pretty explanatory but kind of long. However it was very helpful.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) Step number one! This is because is the beginning of trying to achieve a change and is the beginning point in order to start making the changes.
b) The steps overall, Set the goal, define the target, keep record, graph a baseline, determine reinforcers, determine antecedents and implement contingencies.
c) I will remember to always keep the behavior going on. To not give up that easily and keep going to achieve my desire behavior.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Eat healthier
1) Eat healthier
2) Eat more fruits and vegetables
3) Have an app on my phone keeping track of what I am eating
4) Have a baseline of the at least amount I should be consuming of fruits and vegetable
5) If I ate healthy for a week I deserve a small dessert
6) Antecedents in this case will be pictures of my goals
7) Keep reinforcing myself every week but also getting to the point that is only my own choice and that i do not need junk food.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will use my phone application to keep track of what I am eating and the portions.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)?
This will be the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed in a week
What would be a title for the graph? Increasing your Healthy eating
What would be a good label for the y-axis? Amount of fruit and vegetable
What might be a good label for the x-axis? How long the behavior can last (time)
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
-Behavior, aversive, emit, self-directed behavior, Other-directed behavior, consequence, steps to change a behavior, antecedent, emit, elicit.
1. I liked that I was able to refresh my memory in this section. I have learned from the previous section that the more specific the target behaviour is, the more effective it is to modify that behaviour. I also refreshed my memory on which behaviour is a behaviour class and which ones are specific target behaviours under the behaviour class. Lastly, I enjoyed knowing that one of my New Year’s resolution is still going on strong because it is specific enough – to not skip a class until I graduate.
2. I was hoping to learn something new every section, but this one is 100% recap. Recaps are good, they refresh memories and make learning new things easier, but I do not see a point of designing a chapter just to remind me of everything I have learned before without teaching me something new.
3. I will remember to set a specific target behaviour next time when I want to change something about myself, I will also remember the differences between specific target behaviours and behaviour class, and lastly, I will remember differential reinforcement of other is alternative behaviours that can be reinforced, but can also reduce the original unwanted behaviours as well. I will remember these because I have known these before this section.
4. I loved that each step of self-directed behaviours are clearly explained. The one example of Kyle wanted to write more that was used throughout the section also helped with my understanding; the graphs were very beneficial in showing me how it can show the success or failure of behaviour modification, as well as how setting a baseline is important. After reading this section, I have a better picture of how self-directed behaviours work.
5. For some reason, I feel like this chapter is nowhere near challenging enough. It is very easy to understand and too easy to a point where I perceive it as repetitive. This is the only one thing that I do not dislike about this chapter.
6. I will remember the importance of defining a specific target behaviour based on the goal, and that goals are typically broad, like a behavioural class rather than specific target behaviours. I will also remember the importance of keeping a diary recording behaviours to establish baseline. I will also remember to identify the antecedent that will help eliciting desired behaviours.
7. I initially wanted to say buy less, but I do not want to set myself up for failure. So I am going to say check my phone less.
Set my goal: check my phone less, or have a longer intervals between each phone checks, since the textbook say set a goal that can be reinforced rather than punishment
Define target behaviours: hide the phone somewhere out of reach when I need to focus on studying; wait longer between each desire to check the phone, perhaps I can start out with 30 minutes; only check social media and online shops once in the morning and before I go to bed, only use the phone as needed during the day to reach out for people
Keep records: will steal a waitress’ handbook at work to keep my records everyday
Graph: this won’t happen until I have data
Contingencies: If I can minimum my phone use to less than ten times a day, including checking social media and online shops less than ten times combined, I can have a donut before going to bed – eating a donut and checking social media/online shop before bed is heavenly!
Antecedents: the antecedents for checking my phone will be while I need to focus on studying, because I usually use phone as a distraction to avoid studying and keep on procrastinating
Adjustment: this won’t happen until I start recording myself!
I will have a small handbook on hand everywhere I go. Every time I check my phone unnecessarily, I will put down a tally for that day. My title for the graph will be “frequency of phone use,” y axis will be the number of times I check my phone, and the x-axis will be the days I record my data. This will look like the line graph we used for the previous behaviour modification.
TERMS: contingencies, antecedents, behaviours, behaviour modification, target behaviours, specific target behaviours, behaviour class, self-directed behaviours, behaviour class
1)One thing that I liked about this section is how it helped clarify how it would be much easier to change our self-directed behavior if we were just more specific in the behavior we want to change. I think that defining the behavior better instead of using a target behavior will definitely make it much easier for all people to be able to change a behavior that they find undesirable.
2)There really was not anything in this section that I disliked. I felt that all of the information presented is very valuable especially to those who want to change a behavior.
3)One thing that I will definitely remember from this section is how important it is to be more specific when defining a behavior if it is a behavior that you want to change. This will make it easier to modify the behavior. I think this is important to know and something I will remember because it is not just something we have focused on in this section, but also previous section. Another idea that I found memorable was other-directed behavior. I found this interesting and memorable because sometimes behavior directed by others makes it easier to modify our own undesirable behaviors because we are no longer in control of them. Another idea that I found memorable was that many of our goals and aspirations to modify and undesirable behavior do not happen because we are trying to punish instead of reinforce.
4)One thing that I really liked about this section was how it laid out specific plan to follow in order to achieve self-directed behavior modification. I think each of the steps was broken down very well and were explained in a way to make it easy for most to understand and be able to carry out.
5)One thing that I liked the least about the section was step number three or keeping records. I understand that this is a very important part of changing a behavior because one needs to make sure they record the behaviors they are performing, however, this is a task that I have difficulties doing whether it is just from being lazy sometimes or completely forgetting.
6)One thing that I will remember from this section is that it is important to remember to decide what you will reinforce yourself with so you have some sort of initiative or reason to continue your behavior modification. Another idea that I found memorable from this section is how important it is to record your behaviors. Without records of your behavior you will not be aware of how many times you engaged in it which will make the entire process of modifying your behavior completely useless because you will have nothing to go off of. Lastly, remembering to establish antecedents that will help elicit the desired behavior I also found to very memorable. By doing this it will make the behavior modification process that much easier because the environment you are putting yourself in will help reinforce that desired behavior.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) Set goal: Reduce nail biting
2) Target Behaviors: clip, file, paint, get fake nails/manicure instead of biting
3) Keep a record: Keep a pocket sized notebook and keep track of how many times and in what setting I bite my nails.
4)Graph a Baseline: After a week of recording I would graph my data to see how often I actually bite my nails.
5) Determine the Contingencies: After one full day without nail biting reward myself with something enjoyable such as watching a movie.
6) Determine the antecedents: after keeping a diary I would know when and where I bite my nails most often and could then avoid those situations and/or find something else to preoccupy myself.
7) Implement and adjust contingencies: See how this works for me for a while and adjust reinforcements/antecedents as needed.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would keep a pocket sized notebook with me and mark every time I bite my nails.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of the graph would be nail biting. The y-axis would be days of the week and the x-axis would be how many times I bite my nails per day. Good titles would be days and nail biting.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms: behavior, other-directed behavior, undesirable behavior, self-directed behavior modification, reinforce, antecedents, target behaviors, baseline, contingencies, graph, y-axis , x-axis.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked the example of the new years resolutions when talking about self-directed behaviors. This was pretty relatable because I think a lot of people struggle with keeping their new years resolutions because they are not specific enough.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn't dislike anything in this section, I think it was all pretty clear and easy to understand when talking about self-directed behavior and other-directed behavior.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior and the examples about the new years resolutions because the other and self directed behaviors are self explanitory and the example about the new years resolution just helps clarify and put the behavior into perspective.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked that it was broken down into smaller sections when explaining the steps toward accomplishing a goal or changing target behaviors. This was helpful because it further explained the subpoints, therefore making it more clear what each step was.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
What I disliked about this section was that it was all pretty much a review. There wasn't much in this section that was brand new, which made it easy to read through but I didn't learn anything new. This is something I disliked because I like to learn new things from every section.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the self-directed behavior steps- Set a goal, specify the goal to target behaviors, keep a record, graph a baseline, determine contingencies, determine antecedents, implement and adjust contingencies.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Set goal: walk more steps in a day
2. Target Behaviors: take the long way to class, take a walk instead of watching TV, park further away from stores
3. Keep a record: use my fitness tracker to see how many steps I take in one day
4. Graph a Baseline: I'd get an average of the daily steps for a week and set my baseline based on that
5. Determine the Contingencies: reward myself with 1 episode of a show on netflix if I increase my steps for the day from the day before
6. Determine the antecedents: bad weather, feeling sick, anything that would prevent me from feeling motivated
7. Implement and adjust contingencies: if this contingency works for a while but then I get too used to it and it stops being as effective, I'd change it to something different like rewarding myself with shopping of some kind.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
My fitbit tracks how many steps I take in a day, so I would write down how many steps it says I took at the end of the day before I go to sleep.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
On a graph I would hope it would look like stairs or increasing somehow. The title would be Steps Per Day, making the Y-axis the number of steps by the thousands, and the X-axis would be the days of the week.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
TERMS: self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, target behaviors, baseline, contingencies, antecedents, x-axis, y-axis
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
-I really liked reading about self-directed behaviors. I found it interesting when the text explained about self directed behaviors being emitted as free will and when others direct behavior it is often felt like the person is being manipulated. I thought this was interesting because it reminded me of working out for basketball in high school, when we were punished with running it felt like our coach was manipulating us but when we ran for warm ups it felt okay because we decided as a team to warm up with running.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
-One thing I disliked was the concept of differential reinforcement of other (DRO) which was kind of confusing to read, but the example boxes helped to understand it.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
- I will remember that behaviors can be directed by yourself or others, new years resolutions often fail because they involved punishment not reinforcement, and new years resolutions sometimes fail because they lack a specific target behavior. I will remember all of these things because they are relatable and I often set new years resolutions so I will use this information to set new resolutions.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
- I liked how we read this section after we altered our behavior of increasing how much water we drank. Since we read this after doing the experiment it was easier to relate to the reading.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
- There wasn't anything I disliked about this section, everything was pretty easy to read and understand.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
- I will remember the steps to self-directed behaviors, I will remember that it is important to define a goal with target behaviors, and it is important to keep a record so it is possible to graph the progress of the self-directed behavior.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Set Goal- Stop biting nails
2.Target Behaviors- don't put hands in mouth, no biting nails, paint or get manicure so I don't bite them
3.Record- keep track of when and in what situations I bite my nails
4. graph-after recording when I bite nails graph data to see how often I actually bite them
5.contingencies- every time i bite nails have to repaint them a different color as punishment, and when I go 3 days without biting my nails I reinforce with ice cream
6.antecedents-painted nails, nervous situation, bored situation,
7.-implement/adjust contingencies- adjust as needed after a while of keeping records and see when and what makes me bite my nails, try to avoid those situations if possible
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
-every time I bite my nails I would write it in a notebook and put the time and where I was and if I was in any stressful or nervous situation.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
-Title-Nail biting Y-axis- time (Day of week) x-axis-number of times per day
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
-self-directed behaviors, punishment, reinforcement, punished, emitted, others direct behavior, target behavior, DRO, behavior, contingencies, reinforce
Section 4.1
1 a&b) One thing I really enjoyed about the section was the talk about New Year’s resolutions and their function with self-directed behavior. Now that we have been examining behavior consistently for over half of the semester I can understand now why many resolutions don’t work, even when they don’t begin at the time of the new year. I am really interested by the idea that we want to wait for a new day or new year for change instead of starting now. I think if we decided in the moment to change we would be more likely to stick to an idea or resolution, especially if behavior modification is used instead of just will and hope.
2) One thing I disliked was defining the target behavior and then thinking of an alternative behavior. I understand that the ease of this will get better over time but I struggle with how clearly you could punish a target behavior, but then my alternative behavior may not work at all or as well as the punishment. I assume trial and error and creativity are all in the mix with alternative behaviors to reinforce.
3 a,b&c)
a. To make self-directed behaviors successful the first step is to define the target behavior. I will remember this because broad resolutions or changes make it difficult to adhere to that change, especially with behavior modification mechanisms like a schedule of reinforcement or even how to reinforce the behavior.
b. Deciding whether you want to quit something cold turkey or if you want to gradually reduce it. It is important to clarify this because it change what sort of emitted behaviors you reinforce or punish for yourself.
c. Use differential reinforcement instead of punishment when possible. I will remember this because it is much more pleasant to be reinforced and it works just as well, though it may take more time.
Section 4.2
4 a&b) One thing I really liked in this section was the criteria: specific, manageable, measurable and practical. If an individual wants to change their behavior their target should meet these goals. I like this because when I have been narrowing down my potential behavior intervention I didn’t take all of these into account but it makes a lot of sense.
5) The part I liked least was the keeping a record, mainly because I didn’t dislike any of it but I am struggling with how I want to record the behavior I want to change.
6 a,b&c)
a. Changing the antecedent can impact the behavior. It is surprising how just understanding that you do a certain behavior because of a state of mind can change the frequency of that behavior.
b. Keeping a record. I will definitely need to keep a small book with me so I remember to write down my data right when the behavior occurs.
c. Graphing a baseline. This is important, especially if you want to reduce a behavior, you need to know how often you do it to start because guessing playing into the generalization too much.
7a) Behavior I want to change: the amount of money I spend
1. I want to cap my weekly spending at $50 but that may change due to what I find from my baseline.
2. I want to reduce the amount of money I spend on food, leisure and knick-knacks. Hopefully this will be based on a weekly budget
3. I will record the amount of money I spend each day and if the weekly total is under my goal then I will reinforce myself.
4. I will record the amount of money I spend uncontrolled this week to determine where to start to decrease from there.
5. I will reinforce once a week per my goal. My reward will be frozen yogurt. If I do not have access to that I will treat myself to a beverage of choice.
6. Determine antecedents. Often I spend money on take out that would be reduced if I actually got food for home to have in the fridge. Maybe grocery shopping more consistently would help my goal, and to get drinks that I pick up at the gas station in bulk there as well.
7. Adjustments may need to be made based on the types of food I need to get or if I need to get a clothing item but in general these will come with the intervention.
7b) I will measure and keep track of behaviors by recording how much money I spend as soon as I go through the check out in a little notebook or checkbook.
7c) It will look like a line graph of how much money I spend per day and per week. Money Spent would be the title, the y-axis: amount of money, and x-axis is the day or week.
8) reinforce, differential reinforcement, behavior intervention, reinforcement, punishment, emit, antecedent, schedule of reinforcement
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked in this section was how in depth it discussed how to for our target behaviors for our next project over self-directed behavior.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The thing I liked least in this section was that, for me, it was difficult to tell which behaviors in the examples are able to be punishable rather than reinforced, and more clarification would have benefited me.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A = I will remember that it's better to reinforce a behavior than to punish a behavior when discussing self-directed behavior.
B = I will remember that many resolutions fail because the goal is too broad, and no real reinforcement is in place.
C = I will remember that free will is used in self-directed behavior rather than manipulation.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked that the section was set up like a recipe, and it walked through each step in depth. It definitely helped me understand how I should complete this project.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I least liked how there was not instructions on how to make an excel line graph, and I have a feeling I'm going to struggle in making one.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A = I will remember to keep a behavior diary for my self-directed behavior
B = I will remember the importance of determining antecedents
C = I will remember to organize the diary based on the ABC's of behavior.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) Step 1: Set Goal: I want to read my books (my own, on my own time) more.
2) Step 2: Define/Specify the goal as a set of target behaviors: A) read for 30 minutes a day. B) Keep a record of all the days, whether I read or not. C) Avoid procrastinating other things to give myself more time to read.
3) Step 3: Keep a record: In a notebook, keep track every day of when/if I read
4) Step 4: Graph a baseline: The first week, I will not reinforce myself to determine how much I read on my own time.
5) Step 5: Determine Contingencies: As a reinforcer, If I meet my goal for the week, I will give myself Pancheros the 7th day.
6) Step 6: Determine antecedents: I sometimes procrastinate my other work. I will avoid doing that over the course of this time frame. I can also evaluate the times things can be done, maybe I can read now and other work I can (really) afford to put off for a bit.
7) Step 7: adjust and implement contingencies: Adjustments may need to occur based on my baseline scores, less time may be allotted or less days I try to read.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Keeping record in a behavior diary on how long I read will enable me to keep track of my emitted behavior.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title would be Reading books. The y-axis would be labeled hours read. and the x-axis would be days of the week.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms: target behavior, punishment, reinforcement, behavior diary, self-directed behavior, antecedent, baseline, emitted.
1 a&b) One thing that I really liked in this section was the inclusion of information about New Year’s Resolutions, because it’s relative to so many people and it’s always interesting that almost no one actually keeps theirs. I now understand why!
2) The thing I liked least in this section was when we were asked to pick five of the 10 provided resolutions that could be reinforced. I thought that this was too vague of a task because the resolutions provided did not have clear target behaviors, and I was unaware of using DRO was an option or not.
3 a,b&c) One thing I will remember from this section is that the main reason people have trouble with resolutions and self-directed behaviors is that they tend to be too broad and represent an entire functional or topographical class rather than one specific thing. Another thing I will take from this section is that the best goals or target behaviors to modify are ones that can be measured. If you can put a check mark by your target behavior indicating whether it was done or not, it specific enough to modify. The third thing that I will take from this section is that in many instances self-directed behaviors, or self-reinforcement, can be more difficult than other-directed reinforcement. An example of this is when you want to give up eating ice cream, but your significant other LOVES ice cream. It will be hard for you to give up ice cream, you may need to ask for help from your significant other or a friend to keep you on track.
4 a&b) One thing that I liked in this section was that it included very detailed descriptions of the self-directed behavior steps. Thorough and relatable descriptions gave me a better understanding of the material.
5) The thing I liked the least in this section was that it asked me to record my data from the past week, as though it had been something that was already assigned. But I do not remember Dr. MacLin saying anything about recording data.
6 a,b&c) The first thing that I will remember from this section is that in order for a behavior to be modified, you need to measure baseline performance and keep a behavioral diary. Keeping a diary is essential because it allows you to pay attention to the ABC’s of the behavior you wish to modify, and notice which things elicit the behavior. Identifying a baseline allows you to measure the change in frequency of emittance of your behavior. The second thing that I will take from this section is that behavior is always measured by using line graphs. There was no reasoning given for this, but it is probably because the lines give us an easy visual representation in change of frequency. The third thing I will remember from this section is that trial and error are inevitable, and we must learn from them. Step #7 tells us to modify our contingencies, so if we start out trying to change a behavior and it isn’t working it doesn’t mean that we can’t reach our goal, it just tells us that we need to modify it a little bit. If you follow these steps strictly, you can accomplish your goals.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
#1 (set a goal) My goal is to work out more
#2 (define) My target behavior is to do a cardio workout 3x per week for at least 30 minutes each time.
#3 (record) I am going to use my planner as my diary because I have it with me at all times and I use it a lot.
#4 (graph a baseline) My baseline is currently an average of 0-1 times per week of 30 minutes of cardio, and I used the past 2 weeks as my data (I write down when I work out in my planner)
#5 (contingencies) Every time I work out, I am going to allow myself to watch one episode of White Collar on Netflix, and if I have completed my goals for the week then I will by myself something for less than $10.
#6 (antecedents) The antecedent of this behavior will likely be me being on campus and having workout clothes. Because of this, I’m going to fit specific times into my schedule to work out and bring my gym clothes with me at least 3x per week.
#7 (implement & adjust) I’m going to have a few things from Target picked out so that I can have in mind what I am going to purchase at the end of the week.
7b) I am going to measure the behavior by monitoring how much cardio I do per day, and if I do cardio at for at least 30 minutes for at least 3x per week then I get my item at the end of the week!
7c) On a graph, this will probably look sort of like a wave because I plan on working out Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, because it fits best in my schedule on those days. The title for the graph would be “minutes of cardio”. The Y axis would be labeled as minutes, and the X axis would be labeled as days of the week.
8) Target behavior, reward, differential reinforcement of other, self-directed behavior, functional class, topographical class, self-reinforcement, baseline performance, behavioral diary, emit, elicit
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked the point made about New Years resolutions, because it's very true. We have a custom in our culture to want to make changes to our lives once a year. And often that one time of making a resolution we expect a behavioral change to follow. But this section makes a point in that it will not happen, and most likely, many resolutions are left unfulfilled. And we also shouldn't wait for that one time a year to decide to make a change, that we can do it now. There is nothing wrong with wanting to start rather than continuing on saying "tomorrow."
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
This section really wasn't that bad. It was short and to the point. Maybe the only thing is that it talked a lot about the same thing so possibly redundant, but I really didn't have a problem with it.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
1- Self directed behaviors are the behaviors that we desire in ourselves. While we spend a lot of time focusing on the behaviors of others and how they can be changed, we can apply these same practices to ourselves to modify our behaviors.
2-When making resolutions to change your behaviors it's important to be specific. Often resolutions go unfulfilled because the target behavior we wish to change is a broad behavioral classes, and cannot be measured. It's more of a checklist, not something we can reinforce or punish, so therefore goes unchanged.
3-Reinforcement is always preferable over punishment. But yet we often choose broad resolutions that tend to fall in the punishment category. For example, to QUIT doing something. It's important to specify whether you want to quit entirely or just want to reduce. And after that, an individual can break down this undesirable behavior into alternate behaviors that can be reinforced. This will be more effective.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I like how this section broke it down step-by-step on how to go about successfully changing a self direct behavior. It provided six clear steps and used the example of an individual wanting to increase the likelihood of a writing behavior and illustrated it in each step. It made the concept much easier to understand for the project.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was a lot of information in this section. However, it was laid out very clearly so was easier to understand because of it's organization which helped.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
1- Setting a behavioral goal is the first step in self directed behavior. It's important to make sure you are not making an entire behavior class a goal. It's too broad and you won't be able to measure it. You also want to choose something that can be reinforced when it is emitted.
2- When defining and specifying in our goal we must list target behaviors we would like to increase. There are four criteria for these target behaviors. They must be; precise, manageable, measurable, and fit within our lives (must be pratcial).
3- When trying to achieve our goal it is very important to track and record our target behaviors so they can be measured. This is done by first starting off with a baseline performance: how much we are currently performing this behavior. Something that can help us in keeping track is keeping a behavioral diary, so we can record the information down.
7a) 1-Workout more 2-Work out for 30 minutes at least three times a week, write down everyday I work out and what was done, create a schedule for my day so it is easier to fit the workout in. 3-Keep a notebook to write down how long I work out/what days/what time/what I did. 4-Don't reinforce myself the first week, but have a schedule made, to see how much I currently follow through with my goal. 5-If I meet my goal I will let myself eat out at a place of choice (restaurant/take out/fast food) once at the end of the week. 6-Since my schedule is always busy, set a time out in the day of just half an hour so I can complete my workout. Set my workout days every other day so I have a time of rest in between them. Make a to-do list of all things that need to be done besides exercising so that they are clear and don't get in the way of achieving my goal.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Keeping track in a notebook or journal on how long I worked out each day of the week, and seeing if I at least did 3 out of the 7 days achieved my 30 minutes.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
This graph will probably look slightly different as it will go up and down depending on the days I choose to workout, but the real emphasis will be on whether or not I hit the 30 minute mark. The title will be Exercising. The y-axis would be minutes worked out, and the x-axis would be the days of the week.
8) Resolution, behavior change, self directed behavior, desirable behavior, modify, target behavior, behavioral classes, reinforce/punish, reinforcement/punishment, undesirable behavior, alternative behavior, emit, baseline performance, behavioral diary,
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I really liked about this chapter is how well it is explained that goals that are set need to be specific. If a goal is not specific, it wont be achieved because the person can find little loopholes around it. Setting a specific goal makes it easy to follow and clear enough to see when you have achieved it.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I feel that this section could have gotten into more detail and discussed more. Overall, I just found it to be a bit short.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
1. Goals must be specific. 2. Behaviors can be directed by ourselves, or others. 3. After setting a goal, many can be changed to fit reinforcement instead of punishment.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how each step of self-directed behavior modification are clearly written out and easy to understand. This will help me understand them much better than trying to piece together a long paragraph.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I feel like much of the information in this section was redundant. Also, a lot more information could have been described more in detail as to just reiterating things.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
1. I will remember the 6 basic steps of self directed behavior. 2. Record information from your progress immediately instead of trying to remember it. 3. Remember to change up the reinforcer a bit if I begin to get satiated.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
My behavior that I would like to change is to stop spending money on things that aren’t necessary.
Step 1: Set goal: “stop spending money on unnecessary items.”
Step 2: Define/Specify Goal: other than rent, utilities and food, I don’t need to spend lots of money.
Step 3: Keep a record: Keep a notebook or something to write down how much I spend each day.
Step 4: Graph a baseline: after a week, look at my expenses and weed out what it not needed.
Step 5: Determine Contingencies: my reinforcer will be a 6 pack at the end of each week if I spend less than $50 on things I don’t need.
Step 6: Determine Antecedents: stop going out on the weekends, stop buying fast food, try and do things that don’t require spending money.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
To measure and keep track of my behavior, I will record each time I spend money. This will show me just how much of the money I have goes to useless things, such as additional food (that I could have made at home), candy, sports drinks, etc.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
This would be similar because the lines would indicate how much I’ve been spending on things I don’t need, however, I’m hoping the lines go the opposite way. The title could be “Money spending habits”. The y-axis could be each day of the week and the x-axis could be amount of money spent.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Reinforcer, positive, antecedents, behavior, behaviors, reinforcement, behavior modification, self-directed.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I really liked about this section was the information about New Years resolutions. I have made many New Years resolutions in my life and they almost always never actually work out so the information provided was very relevant to my life.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I didn't really like about this section was the information about differential reinforcement of the other. I'm just having a bit of trouble wrapping my mind around the concept.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a)I will remember that other-directed behavior is when other people control whether someone will be reinforced or not. I will remember this because the term clearly expresses the definition.
b)I will also remember that self-directed behavior is when a person themselves chooses what behavior they wish to modify and are also in control of reinforcing or punishing themselves. I will remember this for the same reason that I will remember what other-directed behavior is.
c)Finally, I will remember that the reason that many New Years resolutions fail is because their target behavior is too broad and represent a behavioral class rather than a specific behavior. I will remember this because, as I said before, I have made many New Years resolutions that have failed so the information was relevant to me and very interesting.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I really liked about this section was the fact that it broke down the major steps that are involved in changing a behavior. The fact that it broke down all of the steps made it easier for me to fully understand the concept of self-direct behavior modification.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn't really anything that I disliked about this section. I thought everything was clear and easy to understand.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a)I will remember that it is very important that, when making a goal, the behavior should be precise, manageable, and easily fit within our lives. I will remember this because the fact that a target behavior should be specific has been reiterated throughout the text from the beginning.
b)I will remember that you should keep a detailed record of when you emit the behavior you wish to change in a behavioral diary a week before you implement any sort of change so you can develop a baseline. I will remember this because it is important to know where you are starting from when using behavior modification so you know whether or not you're making progress in actually modifying the behavior.
c)I will remember that, in the final step or implementing and adjusting the contingencies, it will take some modifying and time to dial in on how you are going to be the most successful in modifying a behavior. I think that it is important for myself to remember this because when things don't go the right way in the beginning, I often find myself giving up. Because it is so important to me to remember that it takes some tweaking to get things right, I will remember this.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. My goal is stop my use of profanities
2. My target behaviors include thinking about what I'm going to say before speaking and writing down every time I use a profanity so I can bring to my own attention how bad the issue really is
3. I will use the notes section in my planner to record every time I use a profanity
4.During the first week of my self-direct behavior modification I will record a baseline of how often I use profanities in my day to day life. I will not use any sort of reinforcement in the first week. After I am done recording for the week, I will graph my data.
5.Everyday that I do not use a swear word I am going to allow myself to watch one episode of whatever I am currently watching on Netflix.
6.The antecedent for this behavior would be talking with friends. I am someone who speaks before they think which results in my use of profanities without my even noticing most of the time. So, from now on I will attempt to think about what I am going to say before speaking when I am with friends.
7. I will probably need to make some adjustments to the way that I am going about trying to modify my behavior and I will make those changes as I see fit as this modification project goes on.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I am going to measure my behavior and keep track of it by writing down the date and a tally mark every time I use a profanity.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I hope that my graph looks like a downward slope. The title of my graph would be "Profanity Use". The y-axis would be labeled "Number of Profanities Used" and the x-axis would be labeled "Days".
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Other-directed behavior, reinforcement, self-directed behavior, differential reinforcement of the other, behavior, reinforcing, punishing, target behavior, behavioral class, emit, behavioral diary, baseline, behavior modification, contingencies
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked reading this section because it started to talk about how we can reinforce or punish ourselves into doing something. For example, this section talked a lot about New Years resolutions. People are always making them but rarely stick to them. I liked how it made me think of different things that I may want to change.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The only thing that I found that I didn’t like about this section is that it brought back all the times that I tried to set a goal and rarely achieved. There wasn’t anything specific in the reading that I didn’t like but those bad memories.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing that I learned from this section is about self-directed behavior. An example of this would be the goals that you set. Another thing that I will take out of this section is that of the people that set goals, barely of them will actually stick to it. I will remember that because I don’t want to be one of those people any more. I want to be able to set a goal and stick to it. The last thing that I will remember is that you need to be specific about your goals. You will make too many excuses if you don’t make it specific. You don’t want it to be too broad.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I really liked about this section is that we are starting to set goals for ourselves. I am the type of person that doesn’t set very many goals so I am excited to try and push myself.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I didn’t really like about this section is that it wasn’t much different than the last section. I think that they should have put the two together.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing that I learned from this that once you set a goal, the best way to keep track of it is by a graph. It makes it easier to see your daily process if you keep a graph of it. The next thing that I took out of this is that you need to determine the contingencies. You need to award yourself for making your goal. Or there needs to be a punishment if you don’t. This will make you want to succeed even more. The last thing that I will remember out of this is that you need to consider you antecedents. You need to see exactly what will help you succeed in your goal.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Start to work out more
2. Run at least 6 miles per week
3. I will keep records of how much a run on my phone
4. As of now I don’t run at all and I haven’t since summer
5. If I do my goal, every Sunday I can get 4 queens
6. One thing that affects me by not working out is not getting enough sleep, meaning I need to start going to bed early so that I have energy to get up and work out
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will keep track of my behavior on my phone. It will be the most convenient way for me. I will measure it by how many miles I do per time.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The beginning of the graph will hopefully start to be a dramatic increase going from 0 to 6 miles per week then I hope that it continues to increase. The title will be Miles per Week. The x-axis will be the days of the week while the y-axis will be how many miles.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
reinforce, punish, self-directed behavior, contingencies, punishment, antecedent
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I enjoyed the part about new years resolutions. It is interesting to think that we only seriously commit to goals like once a year. Why not more? And why doesn't it work? It was well illustrated what is wrong with new years resolutions.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I disliked the reference to Skinner and his book. I disliked this simply because Skinner was kind of radical and I disliked his ways (although his ideas were revolutionary).
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Self-directed behavior is when you apply behavior modification to yourself. I will remember this simply from the name of it. I will also remember differential reinforcement of other as reinforcing other behaviors to get rid of another behavior because it backs up the idea that reinforcing a behavior is better than punishing a behavior. I will also remember other-directed behavior modification, which is when behaviors are directed by others. I will remember this because it happens the most.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I like how well-articulated the explanation was on how to dwindle down a behavior group to a target behavior. This makes it easier to do so on my own.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I disliked the very long explanation of the self-directed behavior steps. It seemed redundant after a while.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that behavioral diaries are a great way to track a baseline because you are keeping track of all behavioral instances. I will also remember that the behavioral baseline is important in comparing with the rest of the data set, giving life to the new data. I will also remember that sometimes the reinforcement given can be changed over time to better fit the changing needs of the individual.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Set goal: Eat more vegetables
2. Define goal: Eat at least two servings of vegetables a day.
3. Keep record: I will keep a journal with the amount of vegetables I have consumed each day.
4. Graph a baseline: After a period of time I will create a baseline of how much I regularly eat to compare with the increase.
5. Determine the contingencies: If I meet my goal of two servings of vegetables a day for a week I will reinforce myself with a night out at a restaurant.
6. Determine the antecedents: I will purchase more vegetables. With more vegetables I will eat more vegetables. I will also purchase less unhealthy foods to make myself eat more vegetables.
7. Implement/Adjust contingencies: If this reinforcement schedule does not work, I will try reinforcing more often. If I eat two servings of vegetables daily I will reinforce daily with something else (to be determined).
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I plan to keep a journal of how often I eat vegetables and how much. I will measure this by portion size.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of the graph would be "servings of vegetables per day." The X axis would be the date and the y axis would be the number of portions consumed for the day.
8) antecedent, contingencies, baseline, record, target behavior, behavior, goal, reinforcement, punishment, Skinner, self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, behavior modification, differential reinforcement of other, behavioral diaries
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked the section about other-directed behavior. I completely understand that some people and especially students might find someone manipulating their behavior to be a bit “creepy”. The reason why I liked the idea was that I have had troubles changing behaviors because of lack of self control and I understand that it might be easier to do when someone else is helping me.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
On the flip side of that. I didn’t like self-directed behavior. I find it very hard to change behaviors on my own. I find that I usually will give up after awhile even when I have good positive reinforcement.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Other-directed behavior is when other change your behavior, self-directed behavior is when you change a behavior on your own, and for a behavioral change to be effective it has to be a specific target behavior
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
Step #2: Define goal by listing target behaviors. That really makes it more clear to me. I want to have the goal of eating better and I had no idea how I was going to gauge that until I read that second step. Several target behaviors that I could emit came to mind right away for me that relate to eating healthier.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I think recording my progress will be hard to do. I honestly did not think that it would come up that we would have to record anything. However, I do think that this step of recording itself will elicit better eating behaviors because I will almost feel ashamed if I look down and have made no progress, which makes it positive punishment because its the addition of something aversive.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Step 2: define your goal as a set of target behaviors, record a baseline for a week before implementing changes, and the x axis measures time while the y axis is the dependent measure
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1: I want to try and eat healthier 2: eating more vegetables, eating less sweets, drinking less soda, 3: I will keep a record in my phones notes app and record after every meal 4: I will have 3 baseline graphs for all of the target behaviors listed in step 2 5: I think effective reinforcer would be things like extra tv time or netflix 6: antecedents are hard because I live in the dorms and usually eat in the dining center so I don’t get to chose how the food is presented
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
If I have a serving of vegetables I will mark it in my phone. The same goes for sweets and soda.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title for the vegetables graph would be vegetables eaten. The y axis would be the amount of serving of vegetables, the x axis would be days of the week. Soda and sweets could replace the vegetables too even though they are something I want to decrease.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, behavior, positive reinforcement, behavioral change, target behavior, emit, positive punishment, aversive
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked that now we can start applying what we have learned so far and emit a certain target behavior that we want to increase or decrease. I liked that the chapters are really well written and give a step by step process on how to increase or decrease the frequency of a behavior.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Now I am going to have to change a behavior that is dysfunctional and that means that it is time to work hard at something that I might not succeed at changing.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? I will remember the 7 steps to changing a target behavior; I will remember to be specific on what behavior to change. I will also remember that if I do not see results that I might have to change the frequency of my reinforcement or change my reinforcer.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I enjoyed the example of Kyle and how he is going about changing his target behavior of wanting to write more. The examples given of how he can accomplish this goal put a picture in my head of how I can go about my own target behavior.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? Again, I know this is a set up for me choosing a target behavior to increase or decrease and it could be uncomfortable.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? I will remember Kyle’s examples of how to write more frequently, I will remember to change a reinforcement to punishment if needed, and I will remember to graph results and baseline.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. I want to lift weights at the gym at least 4 times a week one of those days being a weekend day for the rest of my college career. I will keep a record of the days that I went to the gym starting with how long and how many times a week I am in the gym (baseline). If I complete at least 40 minutes weight lifting 4 times a week including a weekend day then I can have a Coke to drink on one day of the week that I choose. The antecedent I will use will be a goal of having a six pack in my abdominal muscles and larger biceps by looking to see my progress by the end of each workout.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior? I will make a graph showing which days I went to the gym and collecting how much time I spent in the gym, or if I was able to get a complete workout done which is finishing 5 or 6 different lifts.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis? It would be called Gym Workout Schedule and the y-axis will count how much time or how many lifts accomplished in the gym and the x-axis will show what days of the week I am showing up at the gym.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I really liked from section 4.1 was the information on what self-directed behaviors are. Self-directed behaviors are behaviors that we direct ourselves. These behaviors occur when we choose, through our own free will, to increase or decrease a behavior. I really liked that in this section it talked about how people choose resolutions to change their behaviors once a year during New Year's, instead of whenever they feel a need to change a behavior. I also liked how it discussed the reasons why many New Year's resolutions fail. This information made me realize that we can use behavior modification any time to change our own behaviors that we don't like, or increase those behaviors that we do like. I thought that reading about self-directed behaviors will be very useful when it comes to the second part of our behavioral project.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn't anything in section 4.1 that I disliked in this section. I thought that this section was short and contained valuable information that was easy to understand.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Three things that I will remember from this section is differential reinforcement of other (DRO). DRO is redefining alternative behaviors that can be reinforced, but will also still function in order to reduce the original target behavior. Another thing that I will remember from this section is that we may often feel manipulated when other people direct our behaviors. A third thing that I will remember from this section is that many New Year's Resolutions fail because they are too broad or that they may involved a punishment rather than a reinforcement. I will remember these three things because I think that they are all useful when trying to successfully change a behavior
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I really liked from section was that it listed out the steps needed to successfully change a behavior. These steps include: setting a goal, define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors, keep a record, graph a baseline, determine the contingencies, determine the antecedents, and implement and adjust the contingencies. I think that these steps will be very useful when it comes to doing our own behavioral project.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There isn't anything in section 4.2 that I disliked. I liked having the steps listed and then having them laid our with descriptions underneath each section. This made it easy to understand.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Three things that I will remember from section 4.2 is that a target behavior needs to be precise, measurable, practical, and manageable in order to successfully change a behavior. Another thing that I will remember from this section is, when setting a goal try to increase a desirable behavior, rather than an undesirable behavior so we can use reinforcement instead of punishment. This will make it easier to reach the target behavior. The third thing that I will remember from this section is that recording the behaviors as soon as they occur is the best. Relying on memory can be very unreliable. I will remember these three things because they will be helpful to keep in mind when choosing my behavior that I would like to change.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Set a goal: nail biting
2. Target behavior: paint and/or clip nails
3. Record: I would use my planner to keep track of how many times I bite my nails and the settings in which I bite them.
4. Graph a baseline: After one week I would graph the data I had collected to see how often I really do bite my nails.
5. Determine contingencies: After 1 day of not biting my nails, I would reward myself with something desirable (such as having ice cream)
6.Determine antecedents: After keeping a diary, I would know when and where I most often bite my nails. I would use this information to be aware of those settings and take the necessary actions.
7. Implement and adjust the contingencies; I would see how this would work and adjust my reinforcement when needed.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would go about measuring the behavior and keeping track of it by using a planner and mark every time I would bite my nails.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
This graph might be similar to the water graph we did in class, because I am sure there will be times that I will be better and not biting my nails, and other times where I will bite them more often. The title for the graph would be nail biting. A good label for the y-axis would be the days of the week and the x-axis label would be the number of times the nail biting behavior occurred.
8) Terms: self-directed behaviors, behavior, behavior modification, differential reinforcement of other (DRO), reinforced, target behavior, punishment, reinforcement, baseline, contingencies, antecedents, reinforcement, reward
1 a&b) the thing that I really liked about this section was the subject matter itself. I really liked that it was about self-directed behavioral change. Not only does it really apply to what we have been discussing in class, but it is a topic that I find very interesting.
2) There was nothing that I disliked about this section. Not only did I find this section to be very informative, but I think that the information provided will be very helpful and directly applicable to the project that we are completing as a part of our coursework.
3 a,b&c) One thing that I will remember is that the reason that New Years Resolutions often fail is because they are too often far too broad and lack specific target behaviors.
Another thing that I will remember is the difference between self-directed and other-directed behaviors. I will remember that self-directed are those that we modify ourselves while other-directed are those that are modified by others.
Lastly, I will remember that reinforcement is more effective than punishment. Because of this, I will be more likely to use reinforcement rather than punishment when I am attempting to modify behaviors.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) One thing that I really liked was that it included the 6 steps involved in changing behavior. I thought that these steps were very informative and were presented in a way that will be easy to remember and recall.
5) One thing that I disliked was the graphs. While they were very informative and helpful, I found that they broke up the flow of my reading. I thought that they were kind of distracting and took away from the content of the section.
6 a,b&c) One thing that I will remember is that a baseline is very important when trying to track any improvement that you have made. I will remember this because it will be very helpful in the future when I am trying to change behaviors and track my progress.
Another thing that I will remember is that antecedents are very important to the success of a target goal, and that they are responsible for eliciting the behaviours that are necessary in order for us to achieve these goals.
Lastly, I will remember that when setting a goal, the target behavior has to be precise, manageable, measurable, and must fit within the practicality of our day to day lives.
7a) A behavior that I would like to change is taking naps less often or for too long. I work early in the morning and after I get off, I usually go home and take a nap. Unfortunately, I usually end up hitting the snooze button and wasting the rest of my day.
1. Nap less often
2. Set and alarm, don’t hit snooze, wake up on time
3. Keep track of the days that I take naps after work and how long I sleep.
4. Make a graph of a month how often I nap and for how long.
5. After waking up on time, or skipping a nap all together, I will reward myself with a treat.
6. I will set a lot of very loud alarms so that sleeping is difficult and unpleasant. I will also schedule activities in the morning after work so I can’t sleep.
7b) I will measure this by keeping track of how many days I nap and how long each nap is.
7c) I think that this graph might look pretty rough at first, especially in the beginning when I am first adjusting my sleep schedual. I think it will decrease on days when I don’t have work and as a result am not tired enough to need a nap.
Terms: antecedent, reinforcement, punishment, self-directed, other-directed, target behaviors, behavior, ellicit, emit
Please go to the following blog page:
http://www.psychologicalscience.com/bmod/abcs.html
Please read sections 4.1 (Need for Self-Directed Behavior) and 4.2 (Self Directed behavior Steps)
Please fill out the boxes in the readings you may be quizzed on them in class.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked the part about the resolutions because it made sense to me that there needs to be a construct of what behavior you're trying to change.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was nothing specifically that I didn't like.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember new years resolutions fail most of the time because they are too broad, I will also remember that when people try to change a behavior they use punishment instead of reinforcement which leads to the behavior most likely not changing, I will also remember that self-directed behavior is when we set our own goals and use our own punishers and reinforcers.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really like how this section explained how to properly set a goal and how to measure it to see which reinforcers are working and which ones are not from looking at the graph.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn't like the part about the graph because it was a little confusing to me how you would set up a graph for every goal.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the 7 steps on how to set, record and achieve a goal. I will also remember that it is important to pay attention to antecedents to see what situation worked best for you and to pay attention to contingencies so you can continue to achieve your goal.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
My target behavior would be to increase the amount of time I spend doing homework and studying outside of class.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I could measure this by recording how many hours I spend on homework outside of class each day in my planner.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
This would look very similar to the water graph but you would notice that on certain days I do not do much hw because I have class most of the day therefore I don't have much time to fit it in. The Y-axis would be the amount of hours and the x-axis would be the day.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Reinforce, reinforcement, punishment, self-directed behavior, contingencies, antecedent, target behavior, reinforcers, construct.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I like how they broke down the two resolutions: spending more time with family/friends and getting fit. I liked this because it implemented the terms behavioral class and target behavior and the significance of the difference. It makes sense why a broad resolution like hanging out with your family more would be hard to behaviorally reinforce because there is no specific target behavior, which you can measure or reward yourself for.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I did not like the order of the first two pages of information. I did not like this initially because the second page gave more of the exact definitions and examples of self and other-directed behavior, while the first page kind of gave more context information, so I was kind of confused about the terms when I started reading.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the main reason resolutions fail is not defining a target behavior, because there is no way to measure or reinforce/punish a broad resolution. I learned this through resolution examples.
I learned how to use differential reinforcement for self-directed behaviors that usually use punishment to reduce the frequency of behaviors. I learned this because I connected the information that it is easier to modify a behavior with reinforcement, and it makes sense to be able to have a behavior that doesn’t allow the other behavior.
I learned the difference between self-directed and other-directed behavior being that other-directed is when you are managing someone else rather than yourself. I remember this because of the examples provided made it easy to understand.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked how this section was laid out in general. I liked this because this chapter broke down each one of the steps in their each individual segment, which would have been more understandable then if it were all-together.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I did not dislike anything about this section. It was split up nice, it gave step-by-step instructions of self-directed behavior, and it supplied one very easy continual example of the writer.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the importance of a diary. This is because it allows you to record your baseline and determine the quality of results of the behavioral intervention and contingencies.
I learned about how goals need to be manageable and need to fit into your life. I know this because I have previously known the importance of the preciseness, but it only makes sense that it needs to fit into your life also, which makes it apparent to me that you need to think about your target behavior in that context.
I also learned that you might need to change your contingencies around a bit after you see your results. Behavioral modification does not always work right away; you might need to change around the reinforcers and when they are delivered.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) Set goal: get a healthy amount of sleep
2) Set target behaviors: Going to bed before 11:00 pm, disconnect all electronics an hour before bed, meditate and do self-relaxation exercises
3) Keep records: Have a notebook of my hours slept each day, and figure out how much I sleep before I start the reinforcement (baseline).
4) Make a graph: Graph this baseline of the days I slept 8-9 hours,
5) Determine Contingencies: The effective reinforces I would use is after each week of fulfilling all my target behaviors; I can go out to eat that Friday having slept the right amount
6) Determine the antecedents: The antecedent I would use is to shut down all of my electronics an hour before bed. 30 minutes before bed I will meditate and perform self-relaxation techniques to prepare my body and mind.
7) Implement and adjust the contingencies: See how successful my self-management project is going, and if the contingencies are not working find a more effective reinforce or delivery time.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will use my smart watch to monitor the amount of hours I slept. As well as marking the days I did not get 8-9 hours of sleep and contemplate the reasons why.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I would have to make two separate graphs most likely, and it would look the same as the drinking graph. The title would be Sleeping Pattern. Y-axis would be labeled days slept 8 hours,The x-axis would just be the days of the week.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in
your post.
Behavioral class, target behavior, reinforce, self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, differential reinforcements, punish, diary, baseline, behavioral intervention, contingencies
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked learning how we can use behavior modification to develop desirable behaviors in ourselves using self-directed behavior because there are a few things I would like to change in my behavior.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? There wasn’t anything that I disliked about this section.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
1) behaviors can be directed by others or by ourselves.
2) with self-directed behaviors we set our own goals and administer our own reinforcers.
3) some new years resolutions fail because they involve punishment rather than reinforcement.
1. One thing that I really like about this section was the whole idea of self directed behaviors. I think that it is very interesting to learn about and the best ways to change our own behaviors. I think that it is even more difficult sometimes to change and manipulate our own behaviors rather than others most of the time.
2. What I didn't like about this section was the way the first couple of pages are set up. It kind of confused me because I felt like in the second page we back tracked and started talking about a sub topic.
3 Three things I will remember: even when manipulating your own behavior, you need to have a specific target behavior in order for the change in the behavior to occur. Self directed behavior is when we set goals for ourselves and use reinforcement or punishment to accomplish those goals. For self directed behavior, we are mostly changing our behavior because it is bothering ourselves or is bothering others.
4. I liked how well this section described each of the six steps in self directed behavior and the examples it used throughout.
5. What I didn't like about this section was all of the extra information about the Kyle in the example. I didn't see a point in it and it made it harder to concentrate on what was important.
6. Three things that I will remember: There are six steps in self- directed behavior. It is important to have target behaviors that are specific and fit into the practicum of your life. It is important to figure out what reinforcers and punishers work for you.
7. Set goal: I want to get a healthy amount of exercise during the week.
Set target behaviors: setting aside an hour each day that I work out, wake up earlier so I have more time, work out 5 days a week, make sure I am organized.
Keep records: Since I am using my phone for an iPod, I will log into my calendar every day and the amount of time that I worked out.
Make a graph: I will graph the number of days compared to number of hours I worked out each week.
Determine Contingencies: The effective reinforcer that I would use would be to allow myself ice cream or another treat at the end of each week that I accomplish my goal.
Determine the antecedents: The antecedent I would use would be bringing or wearing my workout clothes to class so that I can go to the gym right after and wouldn't have an excuse to go home and become relaxed first.
Implement and adjust the contingencies: I would see how well it worked giving myself a treat at the end of each week. If it worked well, I might move it to every other week. If it isn't working, I would think of something else that I could use as a reinforcer, such as going out on the weekends.
7b. I will use my phone for the most part to keep track of my behavior and I can also use my FitBit to help keep track of the amount of exercise that I do per day.
c. I would make one graph with the days on the x-axis and the total amount of exercise on the y-axis. I would label it Exercise on a Day to Day Basis. It would hopefully look pretty steady at first and then as the weeks go on, the amount of exercise would go up.
Terms: behavior, graph, x-asix, y-axis, antecedents, contingencies, reinforcer, target behaviors, self-directed behavior, punishers,
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The chapter does a great job of explaining clearly self-directed behavior works. The section that explained that the reasons New Year’s resolutions fail is because of the specificity or because of the use of punishment over reinforcement.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was not too much information added this chapter, the concept of self-directed behavior was explained so clearly and felt that much of the information was fluff. There could have been more concepts introduced in this section.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
• Self-directed behavior deals with changing your own behaviors.
• Redefining alternative behaviors that can be reinforced gets the best results, this is referred to as differential reinforcement of other DRO
• Successful resolutions need to be target behavior and not a behavioral class.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I thought this chapter was extremely readable with the process being explained though steps.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
This section feels out of place with our lectures, we covered our these but were not aware of the names and only briefly touched on them in class.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
• 7 steps of self-directed behavior.
• It is important to remember to decide what you will reinforce yourself in order to maintain initiative.
• On average it takes one week to build a baseline.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) Stop Eating out so much
2) Limit eating out to at most 2 times a week
3) Note each time I do go out to eat
4) Graph each time that I go out to eat
5) The effective reinforces will be money saved for other uses.
6) Don’t ask others to go out to eat as an activity.
7) Adjust antecedents and implement them
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Make a note each time I go out to eat each week and graph the results weekly.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The y-axis could be time in a weekly schedule (Monday-Sunday) and the x-axis could be meals eaten out that day.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Self-directed behavior, resolution, differential reinforcement of other, self-directed behavior, baseline, antecedents, implement,
1. I liked how this section broke down resolutions. by that i mean how important it is to be very specific in your plans. In this section an example of a good revolution was "Call mom every sunday at 6pm for 20 min while she is cooking dinner. This is a good example because it is very specific and takes into account available time in a busy schedule. A bad example of a resolution is "get fit". it is open to interpretation, there are no guide lines like when to go and how long to work out or even what to do.
2. It was tricky thinking about resolutions and remembering the specifics about the specific behavior we want to eliminate or reduce. The example in the book was "I want to stop drinking". this could mean alcohol, coffee or even energy drinks. It was difficult being so detailed.
3. I will remember how important it is to be specific in behavioral modification and defining a target behavior. I will remember self-directed behaviors and other-directed behaviors, how to identify and change them. Lastly i will remember how important reinforcement is when trying to change a behavior.
4. I liked the step by step walkthrough of self-direct behavior modification. It took the complicated fundamentals of last section and put it in an easy to follow process in this section.
5. Since this section was about the 7 steps of self-directed behaviors, i found the last two steps to be the least likable. if i were to follow these steps they would be the hardest to stay on top of and keep track of. personally out of the ABC's the antecedent was the hardest part to understand and identify.
6. I will remember the 7 steps required for self-directed behavioral modification. I will remember steps 6 and 7 specifically because i think i would have the most problems with those steps. step 6 determining the antecedent and step 7 implementing and adjust the contingencies.
7.
a.
#1-A behavior i would like to change is shooting in the gym.
#2-Specifically i would like to increase the number of shots i shoot around the arc.
#3-I would record the number of shots i take, when i start the process and how long the process takes.
#4- I would try to go in to the gym everyday around 4pm, my graph will measure shots per hour, the dependent variable will be shots along the y-axis. The time will be x-axis.
#5- I would reinforce myself at the end of the shoot around, I would reward myself with some kind of sweet, a candy bar or something like that.
#6- A useful antecedent would be watching film, what i mean by that is i would watch film on basketball with my coach. This antecedent would help me because i would already be very close to the gym and it would make the process of shooting a lot better for me.
7b. Luckily for me the machine i shoot with is called "the gun". this machine keeps track of how many shots i take and the percentage that i make. If i had to make a goal i would like to shoot a minimum of 500 shots a day.
7c. I think this graph would be very similar to the water drinking graph. The title would be Number of Shots per day. x-axis title would be "Length of Shoot around". y-axis would be "Number of Shots"
8. terms.
self-direct behavior, other-direct behavior, emit, diary, contingencies, antecedent, behavioral class, specific behavior, differential reinforcement of others (DRO).
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I liked about this section was how it used New Years Resolutions as an example to help explain the entire concept of self-directed behavior. It was really interesting and helped me understand it better.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was nothing specific that I disliked about this section, but the way the information and concepts were ordered kind of confused me in the first couple pages.
3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember from what I read in the section is that some New Year’s Resolutions fail because they are too broad and they involve punishment rather than reinforcement. This is kind of common sense and was explained a lot in the section. Another thing I will remember from what I read is that self-directed behavior occurs when we exert our free will to choose a behavior that we want to increase or decrease. Self-directed behavior gives us the freedom to make our own goals and to structure our own behavioral interventions. Finally, I will remember that other-directed behavior is when others control our interventions and reinforcers for behaviors. I will remember these concepts because they are what the section was all about and were explained well.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked the seven steps that were explained for changing a behavior. I liked this the most in the section because it can be applied to real life and I like being able to do that when I read for a class.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I was a little confused with the part about the graphing and how to do it. I don’t really get how to make a graph for every goal to change a behavior. I'm also confused that the section said there were six steps, but listed seven.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember from what I read in the section is that the seven steps involved in changing a behavior are: set a goal, define the goal as a set of specific target behaviors, keep a record, graph a baseline, determine the contingencies, determine the antecedents, and implement and adjust the contingencies. I will also remember to try and set the goal to increase a desirable behavior rather than to decrease an undesirable behavior to avoid the need for punishment. Finally, I will remember to record behaviors for about a week prior to implementing the behavioral contingencies for use as a baseline. I will remember these concepts because I understood the section pretty well and these are simple ideas.
7) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1) Set a goal: get 8 hours of sleep per night
2) Set target behaviors: go to bed before 11:30 every night, stay off my phone in bed past midnight, do my school work during the day so I’m not up late doing it, stop watching TV at 11:00
3) Keep records: I will have a notebook or use the notes in my phone to keep track of how much I sleep each night and to keep track of my baseline, or how much I’m sleeping now without reinforcement.
4) Make a graph: graph the baseline
5) Determine contingencies: the reinforcer I will use if I do my target behaviors the entire week is to allow myself to eat a candy bar at the end of the week (since I rarely eat candy and love chocolate).
6) Determine the antecedents: the antecedent I will use is to stop watching TV at 11:00
7) Implement and adjust the contingencies: if my reinforcers are not effective enough, change them until they are effective
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will record when I go to bed at night and what time I wake up the next day to help me figure out how many hours I am sleeping. I will keep track of the behavior by writing in a notebook the days I did get 8 or more hours of sleep and the days I did not.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
This graph, in my opinion, will look similar to the one we did for the water drinking. A good title for this graph would be hours of sleep. A good label for the y-axis would be days slept 8 or more hours, and the x-axis would just be labeled as the days of the week.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Self-directed behavior, punishment, reinforcement, behavior, other-directed behavior, reinforcers, target behaviors, contingencies, baseline, antecedents, desirable, undesirable
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I liked in this section was, if we want to change our self-directed behavior, we have to be more specific in the behavior we want to change. This is because being specific makes it a lot easier to change a target behavior that are undesirable.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I found all the information in this section useful. There was nothing that I disliked in this section as everything was informative.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Firstly, I will remember the difference between self-directed behavior and other-directed behavior. Self-directed behavior is when someone exerts his or her free will to select the behavior that should be increased or decreased and allows for structure own behavioral interventions and contingencies. On the other hand, other-directed behavior is when others control the availability of reinforcers. Secondly, I will remember the four reasons why we should change behaviors: 1) They bother us, 2) They bother other people, 3) They might lead to trouble later on, and 4) They are illegal. I will remember this because it is a refresher from the very first section of this book. Lastly, I will remember that reinforcement is always a better method than punishment for self-directed behavior. This is because one may become discouraged if they keep punishing themselves instead of reinforcing themselves.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I like the most in this section was how it had a plan to follow in order to achieve self-directed behavior modification. I liked it very much because I thought each step was well explained and easy to follow through.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing that did not like very much in this section was keeping record of my behavior. This is because I always have a problem keeping track of behavior I emit. So, I thought this step was too tedious because it needs to be done right away, otherwise, the data might be wrong.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Firstly, I will remember the steps involved in self-directed behavior modification. These steps include: 1. Set goal, 2. Define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors, 3. Keep a record, 4. Graph a baseline, 5. Determine the contingencies, 6. Determine the antecedents, and 7. Implement and adjust the contingencies. I will remember these steps because it will be useful for my behavioral change project. Next, I will remember that when making a behavioral diary, it is good to write it in the context of ABC's. This is because it aids in knowing what happened before and after the elicited behavior. Lastly, I will remember how to construct a graph because I am going to design a graph for my behavioral change project.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1)Set goal: Getting 8 hours of sleep every night.
2) Target behaviors: I would like to get to bed early.
3) Keep records: write down what time I get to bed every night and wake up every morning
4) Make a graph: My graph will measure how the number of hours of sleep I get every night.
5) Determine contingencies: the effective reinforcer I will use for getting 8 hours sleep every night is going out with friends during the weekend.
6) Determine antecedents: the antecedent that I will use is getting my homework and studying done before 11pm and putting my phone away.
7) Implement and adjust contingencies: see how successful my project is, and change the contingencies if needed.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would measure the number of hours I slept by writing it down in a book on a daily basis.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The graph will look similar to the water drinking graph. The title of the graph would be My Sleeping Habit. The x-axis would be the days of the week while, the y-axis would be number of hours of sleep.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Punishment, reinforcement, reinforcer, emit, self-directed behavior, other directed behavior, undesirable behavior, target behavior, contingencies, antecedent.
Section 4.1
1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
This section really made me think about my ability to alter my own behavior. I like the idea of self-directed behavior modification. I believe it will be beneficial for me to practice the principles of self-directed behavior modification in my own life. I have in the past modified my own behavior to create a more beneficial set of behaviors to meet my goals. I believe I will be able to go much farther with the practice of behavior modification principles. I am excited to practice these principles in my own life!
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was nothing that I specifically disliked about this section. I thought it was beneficial.
3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember how the principles of behavior modification can be used to modify a target behavior of another and how they can in turn be used to modify one’s own behavior, such that, we can apply our free will to select a behavior that we wish to decrease or increase. This section made me think about the idea of when is the appropriate time to make a change. I have always been one to consider now is the best time to make a change, but I do not always know how to make the change that needs to be made right now. This section has helped me to understand why I may have struggled with this in the past. My goals have not always been specific to a target behavior. They have been too broad. I will remember that when I am trying to modify a behavior I need to focus my attention on a target behavior that I can reinforce rather than focusing my attention on a behavioral class. In addition, I will remember that when I wish to reduce a target behavior it is better to redefine an alternative behavior that can be reinforced. It will also be beneficial for me to remember to ask myself, and plan for, whether I wish to quit a target behavior all together or if I wish to simply reduce a target behavior. I need to consider what the most realistic approach for the target behavior I wish to decrease or increase is.
Section 4.2
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how section 4.2 outlined the steps involved in changing a behavior. The breakdown of the steps allowed me to grasp a better understanding of what it means to effectively implement self-directed behavior modification. This section allowed me to think about the concept on a deeper level. I am starting to feel more and more comfortable and motivated to get started on the upcoming behavior modification project.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was nothing that I specifically disliked in this section. I found the information useful.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
From section 4.2 I will remember the practical function of a behavioral diary. When I was reading over the portion of the section discussing a behavioral diary I became excited. I feel keeping a behavioral diary will be stimulating to me and helpful to my evolution into a more disciplined individual. I will also remember when collecting baseline data for my behavior modification project it will be beneficial to graph it. It will be beneficial to me to develop a baseline graph, in addition to, writing in my behavioral diary the information pertaining to my target behavior(s) (note: Why am I doing the behavior? What is maintaining the behavior?). Finally I will remember how powerful antecedents actually can be. Prior to reading this section I was not focusing much attention on creating an environment that elicits my desired behavior(s). After reading this section my interest sparked and I have now started to evaluate my environment and think about how I could potentially optimize my desired behavior(s) now and in the future.
7a. Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Step #1 Set Goal
1. Reduce my cigarette smoking behavior.
a. Increase my behavior of working out (reinforcer = cigarette)
b. Increase my behavior of studying (reinforcer = cigarette)
c. Increase my behavior of going donating plasma (reinforcer = cigarette)
Step # 2 Define/Specify the Goal as a set of Target Behaviors
1. Reduce my smoking behavior.
a. Reduce my time spent driving around in my car when I do not have an intended destination just to have a few cigarettes to pass time.
b. Reduce my number of cigarettes smoked per day overall.
c. Reduce my metal focus on needing a cigarette by diverting my attention for one hour onto another goal or task and reward myself with two cigarettes after focusing on something else for one hour and accomplishing an alternative goal. After one week reduce reward to one cigarette after focusing on something else for one hour and accomplishing an alternative goal. After two weeks reduce reward to one cigarette after focusing on something else for two hours and accomplishing an alternative goal. After three weeks reduce reward to one cigarette after focusing on something else for three hours and accomplishing two alternative goals. After four weeks reduce reward to one cigarette after focusing on something else for four hours and accomplishing three alternative goals. Baseline Average number of hours spent diverting my metal focus from needing a cigarette (Mon-Fri) 0 Hours. Currently when a cigarette crosses my mind I jump to attention and satisfy my craving. I do not currently resist or divert my attention to an alternative focus.
**Possible alternative goals or tasks to focus my attention on for one, two, or three hours respectively: Set a reasonable goal for a (one, two, or three hour) session of leaning new material in a class (Bio-Medical Ethics, Behavior Modification, Statistics), Set a reasonable goal for amount of material to cover in a (one, two, or three hour) review and study session, Set a reasonable, physically appropriate goal for an hour-long workout session, Complete an hour-long task of donating plasma, Set a reasonable goal to complete a household (one, two, or three hour) cleaning or organization task.
Note: The reason my goal(s) and target behavior(s) only apply Monday-Friday is because I do not typically have an issue with smoking on the weekends. I rarely smoke on the weekends. I spend the majority of my weekends in a relaxing environment, with my boyfriend, where I tend not to focus my attention on needing cigarettes.
Step #3 Keep a Record
I have started this week keeping a record of my target behavior(s) and paying attention to why I am doing the behavior and what is maintaining the behavior.
Step #4 Graph a Baseline
At the end of the week, after I have collected my baseline data, I will graph my baseline(s). I plan to use more than one graph to demonstrate what I wish to measure (driving time, number of cigarettes, and time spent diverting focus)
7b. How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will be measuring the behavior by time spent driving around per day, number of cigarettes smoked per day, and hours of time spent diverting mental focus to an alternative goal or task. I will keep track of my behavior(s) by documenting my daily statistics in my planner along with information about the antecedent and the consequence.
7c. How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
My graph for time spent driving would be minimally variable for the baseline week (Mon-Fri). Once data were collected after baseline I imagine the graph would look somewhat similar to the water drinking graph we did in class.
Title: Driving Time
Y-axis: Number of hours
X-axis: Day of the week (Mon-Fri)
I would also create a graph for my baseline data to measure number of cigarettes smoked per day and hours of time spent diverting mental focus, as well as, once data were collected after baseline.
8) TERMS: Behavior, self-directed behavior modification, target behavior, decrease, increase, reinforced, behavioral diary, graph, antecedent, elicits, environment, desired behavior, set goal, reinforcer, set of target behaviors, record, baseline graph, baseline date, title, y-axis, x-axis
1. A) I really liked learning about self-directed behavior.
B) I liked this because I can use this on myself to improve. When people are thinking about using this on themselves but don't think they need it, they should think of the four reasons people should change their behaviors. This is also good because self-reinforcement can be used.
2. I disliked reading about specific target behaviors most. I disliked this most because I thought it was something obvious that people should do without being told. I also thought it would have been good if there was an example for how 'get fit' should have actually been stated.
3. A) I will remember that with differential reinforcement of others certain behaviors can be reinforced that is not the same or compatible with the one that should be changed or decreased. Also, find alternative behaviors that could reduce the unwanted behavior.
B) Stating the target behavior that will be reinforced is one of the most important in changing the behavior.
C) Sometimes changing a behavior might not work because using punishment rather than reinforcement. It's more beneficial to use reinforcement.
4. A) I liked the section about the first step, setting goals.
B) I liked this because for me it would be the most important step. Noticing something that I could improve or change and actually take initiative by setting a goal would be the start of the process.
5. I most disliked the step of graphing a baseline. I disliked this because i don't really find it interesting to keep measurements and graph them.
6. A) I will remember that when using a graph you will not know much about the antecendent or the consequences.
B) There are six steps in self-directed behaviors, set goal, define/specify the goal as a set of target behaviors, keep a record, graph a baseline, determine contingencies, determine antecedents, then you will implement and adjust those contingencies.
C) I will remember that target behaviors must be precise, manageable, measurable, and fit within the practical scope of our daily lives.
7. A) Set goal: I would like to stop procrastinating my homework.
Define/ specify the goal as a set of target behavior: When I have homework do it over the weekend or a few days before it is due.
Keep a diary: I could use my planner to know when I actually did my assignments and keep track of when they are due.
Graph a baseline: My graph will show the days that I don't procrastinate.
Determine contingencies: My reinforcer will be that once I do my homework I can do something I enjoy like hanging out with my friends.
Antecedents: Once I get done with class I will go to the library to do my homework.
Implement and adjust: I could set aside $10 every week that I do not procrastinate to spend as a reinforcer.
B) I would keep track of the days that I do not procrastinate and use that on my graph.
C) The graphs would probably look the same. They would both show improvements. The x-axis would show the daysand the y-axis would show the assignment I did not procrastinate. The title would be Days without Procrastination.
8) Terms: contingencies, consequence, antecedent, self-directed behaviors, target behavior, behavior, reinforcement, self-reinforcement, specific target behavior, punishment, differential reinforcement of other.
1 a&b) I enjoyed learning about self-directed behaviors because that is what we are currently working on in class. Self-directed behaviors are a type of behavior modification that focuses on what we are learning about behavior modification on ourselves. With self-directed behaviors you can help fix the deep-rooted behaviors that seem impossible to change. In my case I will use self-directed behavior modification on waking up earlier in the mornings. Another thing I like is how the passage went into detail about how resolutions tend to fail. Every year I make about the same resolutions, as does my parents, and every year they fail. After taking this class and reading more into the behavior aspect behind resolutions, it is obvious.
2) I wish that in this section there had been more about self-directed behavior because it really seemed to interest me. I was hoping the whole section would have gone on for more about when is the right to use this modification.
3 a,b&c) I will remember when setting a goal, you will do not want to work on decreasing an undesirable behavior, but rather base it on increasing a desirable behavior. Punishment is not a good way to change a behavior. Another thing I will remember is to have a good, specific target behavior to modify because without a specific behavior class chosen, it can be hard to know when to punish or reinforce a behavior. One more thing that I will remember is the term other-directed behavior. Using this type of behavior modification is good for a person that does not have the self control needed quite yet, and is in need of someone around them to help control their behavior urges.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) One thing I really liked about this section is how it was broken down into very specific steps. It became really helpful when using our own examples when attempting to understand more clearly. Another thing I like about this section was that. It was nice that this section really elaborated on self-directed behavior, like I wished of the section before.
5) There wasn’t a whole lot, if anything I disliked about this section. If I had to say something I would say that I could have gone without reading the graphs.
6 a,b&c) I will remember that when setting a goal you want to be specific as possible and try to base it on increasing a desirable behavior rather than decreasing an undesirable behavior. Another thing that I will remember is all the steps, and specifically determining contingencies because that seems to be the most important steps to me when continuing on with behavior change. Lastly, I will remember that in the middle of the behavior intervention process, you might want to consider revising the target behavior to better control yourself for change.
7a) 1. My goal is to wake up earlier in the weekday mornings
2. I will attempt to go to bed earlier, so therefore it will be easier in the morning to get up. I will also need to plan out my day better and not procrastinate so I don’t need to stay up later.
3. I will record both the times I went to bed and when I awoke. I will also record how I feel in the mornings on if I think I got enough sleep for the day.
4. I will monitor my hopefully progress so that I can clearly see how I am improving. I will do this by making two graphs, one of when I go to sleep, and the other when I go to bed.
5. I will choose two reinforcers. One will be if in bed on time, I can watch a show on Netflix. The other reinforcer I think for now will come within itself of waking up early as I make to class on time, with homework done, and prepared for class.
6. I will set an alarm 20 minutes before I go to bed as a reminder that I need to get ready for bed at this time.
7. I will evaluate the worth of the reinforce, the schedule of reinforcement, if needed redefine the target behavior (which I think I will end up doing), and work with the antecedents again.
7b) I will measure this by keeping track of the numbers of hours of sleep I get each weekday night. I would do this by keeping track of when I went to bed, and when I woke up.
7c) I think this graph would have a very slighting moving upwards slope of improvement. I would title the graph number of hours of sleep. Y-axis would be time I went to bed, and x-axis would be time I woke up. I will have to keep in mind though that at the time I wake up, I should have a good enough amount of time before I need to go do something like class, or work.
8) self-directed behaviors, Punishment, target behavior, other-directed behavior, undesirable behavior, antecedents, reinforce, behavior intervention process
1 a&b) I really liked that in this section they talked about how most of the time target behaviors are too broad when it comes to resolutions. I liked how this section focused on the need for specific target behaviors. That the target behavior should be so specific that anyone could recognize it if they were told what it was.
2) The only thing I don't like about this section was the number of examples needed. I got a lot of them, but not all. And the ones i did get I am not completely positive that they are right. I wish there was a way to check those.
3 a,b&c) Three things I will remember from this section are; others-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, and reinforcement vs. punishment. Other-directed behavior is when others control the availability of a reinforcer. While Self-directed you are in charge of the reinforcer, you also have a choice on your specific target behavior. Lastly I will remember that when it comes down to it, reinforcement it stronger than punishment.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) I really liked that this section went over graphs again. It was fast enough that I didn’t get bored with it, but very informative so I understood the material. To be honest a lot of the material in this section was interesting to me.
5) Like I said above this section was really interesting, I don't really have anything in this section that bothers me.
6 a,b&c) The first thing I will remember from this section is the steps to follow in self-directed behavior. first you start by setting a goal. For the next step you must specify your specific target behaviors. Then its all about keeping record, and graphing your data/ baseline. After that determine your contingencies and antecedents, and and adjust and implement your contingencies. The second thing I am sure to remember is that target behaviors should be precise, manageable, measurable, and should still fit into our daily lives. I also learned that it is more beneficial to increase a desirable behavior rather than decreasing and undesired behavior.
7a)
Set a goal: I would like to do my homework during the day.
Define target behaviors: Complete homework before 9pm. When doing homework sit at desk.
Keep a record: record what time I do my homework.
Graph baseline: What times do I do my homework, another graph for amount of time spent
Determine contingencies: After completing my homework I can have some free time to watch Netflix.
Determine antecedents: Set an alarm on phone for 2 o’clock to remind myself its time to go downstairs.
Implement and Adjust: May have to adjust where I do my homework, or perhaps the time will interfere with practice.
7b/c) I would record on a spreadsheet what time I completed my homework. Then plot that on a graph titled “time homework was completed.” My x-axis would be labeled days and y-axis labeled time.
8) Terms: target behaviors, other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, reinforcement, punishment, 7 steps of self-directed behavior, goal, contingency, antecedents,
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I enjoyed learning about self directed behavior modification because of the potential the information has. I can use this information to change aspects in my own life for pretty much anything.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Setting goals, and nearly everything else in behavior modification needs to be very specific. It takes a little more work but it’s important to the success of the intervention and being able to track behavior.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Goals need to be very specific in order to know when/if we’ve reached them (get fit is not good enough). Having a set plan on how the goal will be attained and then reinforced is imperative to it’s success. It is better to reinforce and alternative behavior than to punish a behavior every time it occurs.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The six basic steps to self-directed behavior modification break down what can seem like a hefty task. It’s an easy and simple system that nearly anyone can use.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Keeping track of the behavior, or its failure can be annoying. But, it’s very important for understanding the effect of the contingencies.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
You need to keep records on the prevalence of a behavior before and after you implement contingencies in order to know what the effect was. Understanding the antecedent and placing it/them in places where they’ll be noticed is a good way to implement the target behavior. You need to be realistic when setting target behaviors; e.g. pick things that are manageable and you can fit into your daily life.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Set Goal: Go to the gym 3 times a week and work out for 45 to 75 minutes. Target behaviors: going to the gym. Keep a record of pre-reward behavior and graph baseline. Determine contingency: I can only drink alcohol on the weekends of the week I met my goal. Determine antecedent: wanting to go out to the bars with friends on the weekend.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I’ll keep track of how many times I go to the gym each week and how long I stay there.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
Title: Gym visits per week. Y axis: # of gym visits per week X axis: Week number
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Behavior, antecedent, self directed behavior modification, reinforce, punish, goals, intervention, contingencies, target behavior
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
In this section I liked that it mentioned that most of time that it is hard to change our behaviors because we set them too broad and do not have a way to measure them. This explains why certain things have not worked in the past for me.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn’t anything in this chapter that I did not like because I thought that it was all useful information and I was able to connect it.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The reason that we use self- directed behaviors is because we want certain behaviors to become habit and behaviors that we do not need to think about.
Depending on how you word the behavior that you want to change determines if you use reinforcement or punishment. It is less aversive to use reinforcement so the goal is to figure out how to word it in order to use reinforcement.
The most important step is choosing a specific, good target behavior otherwise you may be setting yourself up for failure from the beginning.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I like that this section breaks down self- directed behavior into steps because it makes it simpler to implement into ones life.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The only thing that I disliked about this section is that it discussed all of the steps and in detail as though we were at that stage. For example, when you get to step 5 it is slightly confusing because this step does not occur right away and is hard to picture without being that far into the assignment.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
When graphing behavior it is important to have a baseline in order to determine behavior change.
It is important to keep some sort of a journal that is kept as the behavior occurs so that the behavior is remember accurately.
Antecedents play a big role because the help set the stage for behaviors. It is important to make the antecedent in close proximity because it helps create the behavior.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
The behavior that I want to change is wearing my retainers more in order to make my teeth straight again. STEP 2: I want to start with wearing my retainers every night like I am supposed to and gradually increase to wearing them throughout the day. Step 3: Keep a journal in the morning if I wore my retainers or not that night and then as time goes on continue to track the amount of time I am wearing them. STEP 4: I will start this week with a baseline and get into the habit of recording my information and then I will be able to create a graph. STEP 5: I still need to figure out what my reinforcement will be because I know that Netflix did not work. In the end, I hope that my teeth looking good will become enough reinforcement, but I do not think that it will be enough at first. STEP 6: I will have to think about what the best antecedents will be in certain situations and set those up.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will create a log at first in order to track how often I wear my retainers at night. This will be a yes or no thing and as time goes on I want to wear them for a certain number of hours throughout the day in order to get used to wearing them throughout the day.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I do not know what the graph will look like because at first I want to just record whether I did it or not which will be 1 or 2 extremes. Then the graph will change into the amount of time I wore my behaviors and days in the month.
8) Terms: reinforcement, antecedent, target behavior, self- directed behavior, punishment
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
- I really enjoyed how they talked how you could rewrite your New Years Resolution to a less broad class to make it easier to know if you actually accomplished the target behavior or not.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
-I really did not see anything that I disliked in this chapter and thought everything was easy to understand and it all made sense to me.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-I will remember the difference between other-directed behavior and self-directed behavior because, I thought the book did a good job on explaining the two and I thought it was easy to comprehend.
- I will remember the Differential Reinforcement because, even though we learned a little about it earlier I thought it was a little confusing and I think this chapter made it more clear on how to redefine an alternate behavior that can be reinforced, but still function to reduce the original target behavior.
-I will remember when I make a new goal that reinforcement is better than punishment and it works better to omit a certain behavior.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
-I will remember the 6 steps to use for setting a goal and self-directing the goal yourself.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
-I think the thing I disliked the most would be keeping a record. I do not dislike the fact that you need to keep record, however I think this would be very difficult and tough to get all the correct numbers. However, it is very important.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-I will remember how you need to set a reasonable goal because other wise you would fail all the time and it would not be to your benefit to keep trying to you would end up not trying to reach your goal.
-I will remember that you need to keep record of your goal and graph the records so it is easier to see how well you are doing on achieving the goal.
-I will remember to use an antecedent because they are extremely useful if they are used correctly.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
-1)Read more
2)Read a chapter a week
3)Every week record if I read a chapter a week
4)If I read a chapter mark down as a 1 on graph, if I did not read a chapter mark down as a 0 on the graph.
5)If I do read a chapter a week I will be able to enjoy a glass of desired drink.
6)Place the book on my bed each night and read a little section of the chapter each night.
7)If I fail to reach my goal, place book in backpack and every time I passed the library heading for home, go in and read for twenty minutes.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
- If I do read a chapter a week, mark down as a 1 on the graph. If I do not read a chapter a week, mark down a 0 on the graph.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
-TITLE: Chapter a week. Y-AXIS: 0 or 1 for did I read a chapter this week. X-AXIS:Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, and so on. I would use a bar graph to measure the graph.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
- Other-directed behavior, Self-directed behavior, target behavior, reinforcement, omit, punishment, antecedent
Reading Activity Week 10
Section 4.1
1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The thing that I liked the most about this section was that it starts to relate the topics to our own behaviors and how we can change our own behaviors. When we are setting our own goals and changing our own behaviors, it is called self-directed behavior. I like this section because we are starting to learn about self-directed behavior and how to modify our own actions. This will come in handy in the future when I am setting goals for myself and trying to accomplish new things.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The thing that I liked least about this section was the lack of detail about the material. I do realize that we will cover it further in future chapters/sections, but I just wish there was more on self-directed behaviors and how we can best change our own behaviors. It is hard to write and reflect on a section that doesn’t have much new content or new vocabulary.
3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A. One thing that I will take with me from this section is one of the reasons why New Year’s resolutions are rarely kept or tend to fail. The reason that the reading gives is that the resolutions are too broad and vague. You must have a specific target behavior that you want to change. I suppose before I read this, I would have thought differently. I figured that the more vague the resolution, or the behavior you are trying to change, the easier it would be to change it. If it is broad, then there are many things that can be done about it, right? But that is probably not the case. With broad goals, there is a lot of room for failure. I want to start getting fit, but what exactly does that mean? I need to be more specific about the behavior I want to change. For example, it would be better if I said, “I want to start running 4 times a week”. And even that goal could be made more specific! This will be important to remember when changing behaviors in the future.
B. The next thing I will take from this section is the idea of differential reinforcement and incompatible behaviors. When we are changing behaviors we need to keep in mind the alternative behaviors that we should differentially reinforce to be able to change our behaviors easier. For example, when we were increasing our water drinking behavior, there were other behaviors I changed as well that helped me to increase my water drinking. In the morning, I cut back on the amount of coffee I drank – so it was easier for me to drink more water. I used to have a glass of milk with my lunch and my supper. But I would make sure to not drink milk with my meals, which also increased my water drinking behavior. There are other behaviors that a person can change and modify in order to eventually change the target behavior. This will be important to remember because it will make the whole process easier.
C. The third thing I will take with me from this section is the other reason that New Year’s resolutions fail. That reason is that people try to use punishment rather than reinforcement. Throughout these readings, we have discussed that reinforcement is a more viable option when changing behaviors. This section just reiterates that fact. I will take this with me because it will come in handy when trying to change my own behaviors. I know that the best way to successfully change a behavior is to use reinforcement rather than punishment.
Section 4.2
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The thing that I liked the most about this section was just the way it was laid out. It is easier for me to read (and to learn) if I have a list, or a set of guidelines. I am more able to understand the concepts if they are numbered and listed out. I like that this section is just a list of steps when we are modifying our behaviors. It makes it easy, and it’s also information that I can take with me in the future when I want to modify my behaviors.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I can’t really say there was anything significant about this section that I didn’t like. All of the information and concepts were pretty straight forward and I feel that I understood it well. It was all pretty self-explanatory.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A. The first set of things I will take from this section are the 7 steps to self-direct behavior modification. I won’t list the seven steps because I will be listing them later in order to relate them to my own self-directed behavior that I am changing. These steps are going to be very important to take with me when I am changing my own behaviors in the future. Anyone can change their behavior, but in order to do it successfully, I think that I will need to follow these steps. Guidelines are important for any task that a person takes on, and when I take on the task of modifying my own behaviors, I will need these guidelines (seven steps) to help me out.
B. Another thing I will take from this section comes from the second step in the self-directed behavior changing process. The second step is to define and specify the goal by using a set list of target behaviors. In the previous section, it was discussed that the target behavior needed to be specific. This is something that I struggled with in the past. This step will allow that specificity to take place and it will help me with my end goal when changing the target behavior. I think that this step will be very important because it will help me to change my target behavior successfully.
C. The third thing I will take from this section is the difference in what to put on the x-axis and the y-axis. According to the text, the x-axis is almost always time. If the process goes successfully, then the behavior should increase (or decrease) with time. The y-axis is for the dependent measure. For example, with our experiment to increase water drinking behaviors, the dependent measure was the number of ounces of water. Another example would be from the text. There was a person who wanted to write more. He measured this with the number of words he wrote. This will be important to take with me because I think that logging my data and creating a graph will show me my results. I can physically see the incline or decline of my behavior, which will be more encouraging and it will make me feel good about the progress I have made.
Changing Behavior
7) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Step 1: Set goal
-I want to run more
Step 2: Define/specify the goal as a set of target behaviors
-Get to the gym at least twice a week, go on a run at least 3 times a week (at the gym or outside, times per week goal will increase with time)
Step 3: Keep a record
-I will log my behaviors in my planner on my calendar. On the days that I run, I will put a check mark. I will also put down a distance (just because I am curious as to how that will potentially increase as well).
Step 4: Graph a baseline
-I will graph my baseline after the first week (this week)
Step 5: Determine contingencies
-If I can run the set amount of times per week (right now the goal is 3), then at the end of the week I will set aside some time to download at least one new song onto my iPod. This will be reinforcing because I love new music, and I really need to update my collection. It will also make me want to run more because I will have that new music to listen to while I do run.
Step 6: Determine antecedents
-I will schedule in times to go run at least 3 days a week. At the beginning of each week I will write down times during each day when I am available to run (allowing at least an hour). When I have set times, I will be more likely to go run.
Step 7: Implement and adjust the contingencies
-If I need to adjust my contingencies and what I am using as reinforcers, I can do that when the time arises.
8) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will keep a log of the behavior on my calendar in my planner. I will simply put a check mark on the days that I do go run, and I will not mark the days that I don’t run. I also want to keep track of how far I run (just because I am curious). So the days that I put a check mark, I will also write down a distance.
9) How might this look on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I want to make two different graphs for my target behavior that I am changing – especially since I will be logging two different things. One of my graphs will be titled “Distance Ran”, and this graph will only contain the days that I actually went on a run (this will be for my own personal interest). And the second graph will be titled “Number of Days Ran”. This graph will be an accurate depiction of the target behavior I am ultimately trying to change. I want to start running more and this graph will show whether or not I have been. The x-axis for both graphs will be time. The y-axis for the first graph would be how far I ran. I am not sure how I will measure that yet (yards, miles, laps around the track, etc.). I am getting a new iPod soon that has a specific fitness tracker, so I need to wait and see how that tracker will measure my distance – and that is what I will go with. The y-axis for the second graph will be the number of days per week that I run.
TERMS: Behavior, Target Behavior, Differential Reinforcement, Incompatible Behaviors, Alternate Behaviors, Reinforcement, Punishment, Self-directed Behavior, X-axis, Y-axis, Dependent Measure
1. A. I really liked the emphasis on self-directed behavior and the difference between it and others-directed behavior.
B. I liked it because knowing about DRO and how to better describe changing my own behavior will help me better understand how to improve myself as I see fit.
2. A. I didn't really dislike anything.
B. The whole section was on what I described as liking above.
3. A. I will remember the difference between self-directed behavior and others-directed behavior. I will remember this because it was a main focus of this section.
B. I will remember that instead of punishment a behavior we want to decrease, we can practice "differential reinforcement of other". This means defining a target behavior that is incompatible with the behavior we want to decrease and instead of punishing the problem behavior, we reinforce the incompatible behavior.
C. I will remember that behaviors we wish to increase, decrease, or the incompatible behaviors for use in DRO must be specific, measurable target behaviors. I'll remember this because it as a focus of this section.
4. A. I really liked how directly to the point this section was.
B. The lack of fluff made it a fairly straight forward read. I don't learn well from anecdotes, but definitions and facts help me a lot!
5. A. I disliked how some of the sections were mainly story in a couple of cases.
B. I like cold, hard facts and definitions more than anecdotes. I understand with this subject it is kind of needed though.
6. A. I will remember that the steps of a self-directed behavior project are 1) Set a goal, 2) Define goals as specific target behaviors, 3) Keep a record, 4) Graph a baseline, 5) Determine contingencies, 6) Determine antecedents, and 7) Implement and adjust the contingencies. I'll remember this because the whole section was about these.
B. I will remember the impotence of the behavioral diary and baseline graph. I'll remember this because a lot of the project relies on these elements.
C. I will remember that the y-axis of a baseline graph is always for the dependent variable, and the x-axis is always for measuring time. I'll remember this because I found it interesting that a good template that is always followed is available.
7. A. A behavior that I want to change in myself is my level of dedication to my class work.
- 1. Set a goal: To increase the quality of my schoolwork.
- 2. Define goals as specific target behaviors:
- Target behaviors:
- Always write .5 pages more than the minimum on assigned papers
- Minimize fluff in papers (decrease meaningless "padding")
- Devote an equal amount of study time as in class time (at least a 1:1 ratio of class time to study time for that class)
- Take notes over all assigned readings, powerpoints, and materials instead of relying on my memory for short readings or materials
- Email or meet with professors if I don't fully understand a concept instead of relying on Google to try and understand it myself. do this only is truly struggling to minimize asking for help where it is not needed. "Needed" will mean if I do not understand after 2 hours of self study.
- 3. Keep a record:
- I will record the length of my papers vs the required length of the assignment
- I will record the number of sentences in my assignments that are rewordings, or don't deal directly with subject matter vs the number that do not do these things
- I will record the amount of time I spend studying vs the amour of time I am in class
- I will record what readings I am assigned, and check them off the list after I have taken notes on them
- I will keep a list of concepts that I struggle with. I will cross them off after I understand them, and note if I did it myself of if I got help
- 4. Graph a baseline: I will create 5 separate graphs of the above recordings. the first will be length vs. required length, the second will be filler length vs content length, the third will be study time vs class time, the fourth will be readings vs notes taken, and the fifth will be concepts struggled with vs struggles resolved
- 5. Determine contingencies:
- My reinforcer for paper length will be an extra 30 minutes of allotted video gaming time (I only allow myself a max of 45 min per day usually)
- My reinforcer for fluff minimization will be 15 min of extra game time the day I complete the assignment
- My reinforcer for meeting my study time goals will be one League of Legends game per two study time goals met on the following weekend (I stopped playing the game to try and increase study time before)
- My reinforcer for note taking will be the increase in grades it causes. I am hoping for natural reinforcement to take hold here (maybe even for all of them when my grades start to go up)
- My reinforcer for resolving study struggles will be that, if at the end of a given week I have no more concepts I am struggling with, I will treat myself to Cold Stone.
- 6. Determine antecedents: All of these target behaviors can benefit from spending time in the library each day. By changing my environment to the library, where I am able to work hard without distracting, I will greatly increase my chances of success
- 7. Implement and adjust contingencies: Here is where I will put all of this in to practice and adjust my plan as needed
7. B. I covered this above in the Keep a Record step. As for tracking the behavior during the implementation stage, I would record is exactly as I recorded my baselines with the addition of if I administered the correct consequences.
7. C. I also covered this above.
- Graph 1: Required Assignment Length VS Actual completed Assignment Length. X-Axis: Required Length. Y-Axis: Actual Completed Length.
- Graph 2: Amount of Filler VS Amount of Content. X-Axis: Amount of Content in Sentences (defined as direct relation to subject, and not a restatement). Y-Axis: # of Sentences of Filler
- Graph 3: Study Time VS Time in Class. X-Axis: Time spent in a given class class on a given day. Y-Axis: Time spent studying the matching given subject on that given day.
- Graph 4: Readings Assigned VS Notes Taken on Readings. X-Axis: number of Assigned Readings. Y-Axis: Binary (0 or 1, Completed or Not); 0 if notes for the assignment were not done, 1 if they were.
- Graph 5: Concepts Struggled With VS Struggles Resolved. X-Axis: Concepts Struggled with (#). Y-Axis: Struggles Resolved (as binary again).
* My very first major was Software Engineering. Hopefully the habits I picked up there don't distort my thinking on this too much
8. TERMS: self-directed behavior, others-directed behavior, differential reinforcement of other (DRO), incompatible behavior, *listed the 7 steps of a self-directed behavior project, baseline graph, behavioral diary, dependent variable, x-axis, y-axis, target behavior, contingency, natural reinforcement, consequences
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
-- I really found the part about New Year’s Resolutions to be the most interesting to me. The fact about that there typically is most unfulfilled resolutions that fulfilled is what I found interesting. I never knew that the reason why some people are falling in their resolutions is because their topic/resolution tends to be too broad and represents a behavioral class rather than a specific target behavior. As the book states you need a clear concise measurable target behavior. I really like this topic because my resolutions have failed and these reasons might help me in the future.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
-- The thing that I disliked the most in this section is that between the first 1-4 pages it confused me because it mixed up the information and the new terms. For example definitions of and examples of self-directed behavior were more about in the first 1-2 pages then it went on about other definitions and then after that more context information of self-directed behavior was on pages like 3-4 and after. I don’t know why the all the information about one topic would be in one area; it just tends to confuse me.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-- 1) The reasoning behind using self-directed behavior is because we all have goals. This is because self-directed behavior is basically something someone wants to increase or decrease which can be goals. 2) I will remember that the number one reason for failed is not have a specific target behavior; most people have to broad of a resolutions therefore they can not measure the behavior like they could with a target behavior. 3) It is so much better to redefine the alternative behaviors that can be reinforced. Even though we still want to reduce the regular target behavior. Differential reinforcement of other (DRO) is what this is called.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
-- What I really liked in this section is that the how each section of steps is broken up and broken down in describing what each step illustrates. It was laid out very well in this section and helped me understand it better than combining each concept.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
-- There wasn’t one thing that I disliked or liked least in this section. I really thought this section was broken down in step-by-step instructions on self-directed behavior; better than any other section I have read. This section really described the 7 steps in a very good way.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
--1) I will remember the seven steps on self-directed behavior and there definitions; set your goal, define target behavior, record your behavior, graph a baseline, determine contingences, determine antecedents, implement and adjust the contingences. 2) I will remember is that it can be important that I determine the antecedents for my target behavior change. I will remember this because I am now more aware that I can change antecedents in order to influence my behavior, and these antecedents can make a difference in my behavior. 3) I will remember that the y-axis is for the dependent measure and the x-axis is almost always time. I will remember this because it was similar to the water graph we did for class last week.
7a) I want to emit the behavior of not forgetting to wash my face morning and night and do it every night because some nights I just shake it off and forget.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
--I would keep track of every Monday-Sunday on a chart and make sure I do this before when I waking up and go to bed. The consequence of washing my face twice daily and not forgetting some nights is I will have a clear face.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
--I think this graph might be very similar to the one we did for the water graph kind of, because I am recording something every day, Monday-Sunday, twice daily. But then how would I measure it if I forget? Something I will ask in class. The x-axis could be like Monday-Sunday and y-axis would be if I washed my face or not those two times a day. This is something I will speak to Dr. MacLin about in class.
Terms: target behavior, reinforcement, self directed behavior. Behavioral class, baseline, contingences, antecedents, y-axis, x-axis, reinforced, emit, consequence.
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked about this section was the fact that it talks about people believing they can’t change deeply rooted behaviors. I feel this is important because a lot of people would rather take the easy way out and convince themselves that they can’t change a behavior. With section 4.1, it talks about self-directed behavior programs which can help people acquire more effective ways of modifying behavior. The section explains how effective programs are able to change deeply rooted behaviors, proving those who believe they can’t be changed wrong. Another thing I also liked was when it talked about specificity of target behaviors to modify. I agree 100% that behaviors that need to be modified should be specific and manageable in order to change them. It’s important for the behavior change to be objective, as it can give a clear and concise goal to reach. For example, with getting fit, there isn’t necessarily a specific way to measure that. The individual must give some sort of measurable goal to reach that correlates with being fit.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn’t anything I found in this section that I disliked. I believed that it was well written and provided some good information.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember from this section is how goals need to be measurable. This is important because a measurable goal is more likely to be reached than a subjective goal that can be changed. The second thing I will remember from this section is that self-directed behaviors are more successful because they make individuals feel less “used” and more in control. The third thing I will remember is that some goals fail due to whether or not they’re punished or reinforced. Research has shown that reinforcement is more successful when trying to modify behaviors, so that is something important to remember.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
What I really liked from this section was how it was entirely about the steps. It was very descriptive and gave many examples for each of them. I believe this is important as it gives quality explanation towards the seven steps featured in the section.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Again, I found nothing to be wrong or dislikable about this section. It was well written and provided with a lot of examples to help explain the terms.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing I will remember from this section is that is it important on trying to increase a desirable behavior rather than decreasing an undesirable behavior. This will provide more opportunities for reinforcement and less for punishment. The second thing I will remember is how important it is to define your target behavior. This will help you be specific with what you plan to accomplish. The third thing I will remember is that you must always adjust contingencies. It is always a good idea to fade the reinforcement, so you no longer are dependent upon that reinforcer for the behavior. This is important as it will truly help you create a more effect modification of the behavior.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Set Goal: Spend less money
2. Define Target Goal: Spend $50 less than you would per week.
3. Keep Records: Create a baseline amount of money spent per week
4. Graph baseline: Create a line graph for the baseline in order to get an idea of how much you spend per week
5. Determine Contingencies: Create a reinforcer where every two weeks you get to go out with your friends and have a fun time.
6. Determine the Antecedents: Understand and monitor what situations cause you to spend money; being in store, going out to dinner, etc.
7. Adjust contingencies: begin to fade reinforce away or increase amount of money saved per week
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
You can measure the behavior by figuring out a baseline of how much to spend per week. Most banks and credit unions have online banking which help monitor amount of money spent.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
If followed correctly, the baseline numbers on the x-axis would measure amount of money spent per week. The y-axis would show time. The baseline measurements would be higher as it was before the behavior was modified. If followed correctly, the latter measurements would show less money spent per week.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms: behavior, target behavior, self-directed behavior, reinforcement, reinforce, reinforce, punishment, antecedent
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked about this section was the fact that it talks about people believing they can’t change deeply rooted behaviors. I feel this is important because a lot of people would rather take the easy way out and convince themselves that they can’t change a behavior. With section 4.1, it talks about self-directed behavior programs which can help people acquire more effective ways of modifying behavior. The section explains how effective programs are able to change deeply rooted behaviors, proving those who believe they can’t be changed wrong. Another thing I also liked was when it talked about specificity of target behaviors to modify. I agree 100% that behaviors that need to be modified should be specific and manageable in order to change them. It’s important for the behavior change to be objective, as it can give a clear and concise goal to reach. For example, with getting fit, there isn’t necessarily a specific way to measure that. The individual must give some sort of measurable goal to reach that correlates with being fit.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn’t anything I found in this section that I disliked. I believed that it was well written and provided some good information.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I will remember from this section is how goals need to be measurable. This is important because a measurable goal is more likely to be reached than a subjective goal that can be changed. The second thing I will remember from this section is that self-directed behaviors are more successful because they make individuals feel less “used” and more in control. The third thing I will remember is that some goals fail due to whether or not they’re punished or reinforced. Research has shown that reinforcement is more successful when trying to modify behaviors, so that is something important to remember.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
What I really liked from this section was how it was entirely about the steps. It was very descriptive and gave many examples for each of them. I believe this is important as it gives quality explanation towards the seven steps featured in the section.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Again, I found nothing to be wrong or dislikable about this section. It was well written and provided with a lot of examples to help explain the terms.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing I will remember from this section is that is it important on trying to increase a desirable behavior rather than decreasing an undesirable behavior. This will provide more opportunities for reinforcement and less for punishment. The second thing I will remember is how important it is to define your target behavior. This will help you be specific with what you plan to accomplish. The third thing I will remember is that you must always adjust contingencies. It is always a good idea to fade the reinforcement, so you no longer are dependent upon that reinforcer for the behavior. This is important as it will truly help you create a more effect modification of the behavior.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Set Goal: Spend less money
2. Define Target Goal: Spend $50 less than you would per week.
3. Keep Records: Create a baseline amount of money spent per week
4. Graph baseline: Create a line graph for the baseline in order to get an idea of how much you spend per week
5. Determine Contingencies: Create a reinforcer where every two weeks you get to go out with your friends and have a fun time.
6. Determine the Antecedents: Understand and monitor what situations cause you to spend money; being in store, going out to dinner, etc.
7. Adjust contingencies: begin to fade reinforce away or increase amount of money saved per week
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
You can measure the behavior by figuring out a baseline of how much to spend per week. Most banks and credit unions have online banking which help monitor amount of money spent.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
If followed correctly, the baseline numbers on the x-axis would measure amount of money spent per week. The y-axis would show time. The baseline measurements would be higher as it was before the behavior was modified. If followed correctly, the latter measurements would show less money spent per week.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms: behavior, target behavior, self-directed behavior, reinforcement, reinforce, reinforce, punishment, antecedent
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? One thing that I enjoyed about this section was the concept of self-directed behavior as a whole. I like this because it's interesting to learn how much control you can have over you own life with essentially no assistance from others.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There really wasn't anything too specific that i didn't like. Above, I explained why I liked basically all this information - which wasn't quite as much as past sections.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember what DRO is because its better to redefine alt. behaviors to reduce the original target behavior. I will also remember that many New York resolutions fail, because they become too broad or use punishment over reinforcement. Lastly, I will remember that defining a good target behavior that can be reinforced is the best way to go, I will remember this because that basically sums up a majority of what we've learned thus far in class.
4.2
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that i really liked in this section was the step by step process that they describe. I liked this because it becomes more much simplistic in getting yourself to elicit your target behavior when you have everything that you need to do laid out in front of you.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I liked least is in the end summary, the first bullet reads that there are only six basic step, and then continues to describe the SEVEN steps in the following bullets. So that made me scroll back up and down a few times and added a tee bit o' confusion.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?That it's better to try to increase a desirable behavior rather that try to decrease an undesirable behavior. I will remember this because it helps to avoid punishment. Secondly, I will remember that when defining your goals you want to be precise as possibly; I'll remember this because making it specific narrows down a bunch of the extra confounds that would affect your work. Lastly, I will remember that sometimes your first method wont always work out but you can adjust your contingencies accordingly. I'll remember this because I know that you don't always have to succeed your first try, to still be a success.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Goal: Drink less beer
2.Define target goal: Drink no more than a 18 pack over the weekend
3.Keep Records: Make a baseline on amount of beer drank over the weekend
4.Graph baseline: Make a line graph for the amount of beer drank to help keep track
5.Determine Contingencies: Create a reinforcer for every time you drink less than your goal.
6.Determine the Antecedents: Understand and monitor what situations cause you to drink a lot more than what you originally want to.
7. Adjust contingencies: possibly change the reinforcer or its delivery.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
One way, is to simply record on a graph how many beers i drank for that night of the weekend and add it up at the end to see if I fell under my goal.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The x-axis would probably be labeled by each day of the weekend and the y-axis would be number of beers drank; while the title would be something alongs the lines of "beers per weekend" and the graph would most likely either be a line or a bar chart.
Terms: DRO, reinforced, target behavior, punishment, self-directed behavior, antecedent, reinforcer,reinforcement, da "7-steps".
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked how this section clarified how to change our self directed behavior by explaining how to describe the specific behavior we want to change.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
This section seemed somewhat repetitious. The information was repeated, it was just applied differently.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A) I will remember the idea of self directed behavior as a more specific idea rather than changing broad target behaviors. This is what the whole sections was about so it will be hard to forget.
B) I will remember that some New Years resolutions fail because they involve punishment rather than reinforcement. I will remember this because I relate to this, it’s how my New Years resolutions fail each year.
C) I will remember that it is better to redefine alternative behaviors that can be reinforced, but will still function to reduce the original target behavior. This is referred to as differential reinforcement of other. I will remember this because I can easily apply it as a fitness instructor at work.
4.2
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked that this sections was broken down into steps on how to change behavior. It was easy to follow.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
So far this was my favorite section to read, I don’t have anything I didn’t like about this one.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A) I will remember the importance of recording behaviors for about a week prior to implementing the behavioral contingencies for use as a baseline. This I will remember because it in the past has been a step that I skip.
B) Making sure it is easy to record the behaviors as soon as they occur. In the past I have been really bad at this so it will be important for me to emit this.
C) When making goals it is important to try to increase the desired behavior rather than decreasing an undesirable behavior to avoid the need for punishment.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
Step 1: goal setting: I would like to start working out in the mornings three times a week outside of the fitness classes I teach.
Step 2:Define your target behaviors: I would like to do cardio for 30 minutes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday Mornings.
Step 3: Keep records: I will write down how often I do this without being reinforced, as a baseline
Step 4: Graph the baseline, I will probably do this by hand on a printed spread sheet.
Step 5: Determine contingencies such as effect reinforces and how often/ when they will be delivered. If I do this behavior every Monday Wednesday and Friday I will get to have a smoothie for breakfast that day after my workout.
Step 6: Determine the antecedent that will help elicit the desired behaviors. I will go to bed early the nights before to make it easier to get up in the morning. Also, I will have workout clothes on already so I can just wake up and go.
Step 7: I will adjust the contingencies as needed.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will keep a graph on my fridge that I will fill out after each workout.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title will be “Daily exercise” I will only write one it what I do outside of my classes. The X axis will be the days of the week and the y axis will be minutes of exercise in 5 minute intervals.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Self Directed behavior, punishment, reinforcement, target behavior, differential reinforcement of other, baseline, emit, antecedents, contingencies,
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked this section because it talked about setting goals and following them for yourself. I especially liked that it talked about new years resolutions because I am usually the person who makes one and doesn’t follow through. This section really made me think about what I want to change and why I haven’t managed to change it up until this point.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn’t anything that I didn’t like in this section. It was pretty short and to the point and made me think about myself personally and how t avoid punishing yourself, which I found helpful because a person would need a lot of self control to punish themselves as a way to change their own behavior.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Self- directed behavior, this is when you choose to increase or decrease a behavior on your own. I will remember this because I feel like usually when we think of changing behaviors we think of changing other people, but this doesn’t always have to be the case. We have the free will to change our own behaviors. I will remember that many times a resolution will fail because we are trying to punish ourselves rather than using reinforcement. I will remember that when deciding to change something the target behavior needs to be specific, so you know exactly what you are wanting to change and how you’re going to do it.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really like how this section breaks down each step of the self-directed behavior steps and uses an example and fill in boxes along the way. I think this makes the process very clear and easily to replicate with our own behaviors that we want to change.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn’t really anything that I didn’t like, but I do think that this information would have been more helpful before we did the water graph. I think that knowing how to keep track of our progress and how exactly to plan out our goal and reinforcement would have made the water graph more successful for me.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the 7 self -directed behavior steps: 1. Set goal, 2. define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors, 3. keep a record, 4. graph a baseline, 5. determine the contingencies, 6. determine the antecedents, and 7. implement and adjust the contingencies. I will remember that when graphing time is on the bottom (x-axis) and the side (y-axis) is the dependent measure. I will also remember that when choosing a reinforce you need to make sure that it is actually reinforcing. Sometimes it might be reinforcing at first but then the effect goes away. Consider using a reinforcer that is related to the behavior. I will also remember that recording the behavior right away is very important, so always try to keep a notebook or a place in your phone handy to make sure that you don’t forget about it later.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
I would like to make it a habit of eating breakfast in the morning.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would define this as making something or having a granola bar and juice before leaving for class. At the moment I hardly ever, if ever eat in the morning and I always regret it by lunch time. So my target behavior for starters will be to eat breakfast 4 out of the 7 days of the week. I would keep track of this by putting it in my phone every day that I ate breakfast and what I ate.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I would title the graph “When Chelsea ate Breakfast”. On the y-axis I would have yes and no and on the x-axis I would have the days of the week.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Target behavior, reinforcement, punishment, self-directed behavior, behavior, behavior modification, emit, contingencies
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how you showed why some of the resolutions were too broad because they were behavioral classes and came up with easier solutions.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I thought that there were maybe too many examples about the specific target behaviors. I started understanding the concept after the first few.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? 1. I will remember when to use other-directed behavior and self-directed behavior because other-directed behavior is necessary when we are managing classrooms, marketing, etc., and self-directed behavior is necessary when you are trying to make goals for yourself. 2. Many New Years Resolutions fail because they are using punishment instead of reinforcement. 3. Many of these fail because they are too broad as well. For example, quit drinking…what? Soda? Alcohol? They need to be more specific to accomplish the goal.
After reading section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how you used the example of Kyle and talked about self-direct behavior modification. It was very helpful to understand.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I liked everything about this section. It was easy to follow along to.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
1. There are 6 steps involved in changing a behavior: set goal, define the goals as a specific set of target behaviors, keep record, set a baseline, determine the contingencies and antecedents, and adjust. 2. Target goals need to be precise, manageable, measurable and fit. It will be difficult to accomplish if they do not follow these rules. 3. When graphing, the y-axis is used for our dependent measure, such as number of pounds lost, number of calories, etc.
7a) Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2.
1. Drink less coffee
2. Only drink 3 cups of coffee per week.
3. Write down when I have a cup of coffee.
4. After a few weeks, graph my progress and see how many cups I am having.
5. I will reward myself with ice cream if I am only drinking 3 cups of coffee per week.
6. Determining the antecedents- try to go to sleep earlier to not be as tired.
7. See how cutting out coffee is going/see if I need to change anything to be successful.
7b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would graph in my planner every time I have a cup of coffee eventually put it into a graph to see my results.
7c) How might this look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of the graph would be "Drinking Coffee." A good label for the y-axis would be number of cups and the x-axis would be number of times a week.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
behavioral class, target behavior, other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, punishment, reinforcement, antecedents, contingencies, behavior modification, target goals,
Section 4.1
1a&b) The one thing I really liked from this section is the part about resolutions and how it is usually unfulfilled. I liked this part because it is now clear to me why all my resolutions from the time I started having “resolutions” till now have never been fruitful. This is because resolutions can be a tad too broad and does not focus on the “NOW”.
2) The one thing I liked least from this section is the part about converting an undesired behavior into a desired behavior. I didn't agree with this part because it states that converting an undesired behavior from one that would ordinarily require punishment into a behavior you can reinforce that will lead to the same outcome is east and typically much more desirable. In my opinion, in certain circumstances it is not that easy and punishment might work better.
3a,b&c) The three things that I will remember from this section are behavior modification actually works, the difference between other-directed behavior and self-directed behavior, and Quitting VS Reducing. The reason why I would remember that behavior modification actually works because it goes against the norm of people saying that our behavior can’t be changed because “we are who we are”. As for the difference between other-directed behavior and self-directed behavior, I will remember this because it can be related to certain undesired behaviors that I have. An example would be smoking. Finally, I will remember the part about Quitting VS Reducing because I agree that the goal of reducing works better than the goal of quitting. An example would be my own struggle with smoking and how by having a goal of reducing the amount of cigarettes instead of quitting, I have reduced the amount I smoke on a daily basis.
Section 4.2
4a&b) The one thing that I liked about this section is the 5th step of self directed behavior modification which is determining the contingency. I really liked this part because I believe that humans are driven by the reward that they get or are “promised” which is the reinforcement that is part of this step.
5) The one thing I liked least about this section is 3rd step of self-directed behavior which is keeping a record. I did not like this part because I know I am not a consistent person and it requires a lot of discipline to be consistent.
6a,b&c) The three things I will remember from this section are improper reinforcer, setting a goal, and relying on memory is insufficient. The reason why I will remember improper reinforcer is because it gives me an example of a reinforcer that does not work which is when there is no change to the frequency of behavior. As for setting a goal, I will remember this because it is the first step to self-directed behavior and this step is important because without a goal, there would be no behavior to change. Finally, I will remember that relying on memory is insufficient because I can relate to this by overestimating myself when it comes to writing notes in class. Some classes I don't take down notes because I feel that my memory is sufficient enough to get me a good grade when there is an exam but at times I regret not taking down notes because relying on just the memory from my lecture was not sufficient enough.
7a) a behavior that I would like to change is decrease the amount I spend shopping online.
Step 1 (set goal): Spend less online shopping.
Step 2 (Define Target Behavior): Spend less than $300 a month online shopping on amazon.
Step 3 (Record): I would record the amount I spend on amazon every end of the week.
Step 4 (Graph a Baseline): I would graph a baseline on the data of how much money I spent on amazon. X-axis would be the amount of money spent on amazon and the y-axis would be weeks.
Step 5 (Contingencies): The reinforcer would be suspending my amazon prime subscription.
7b) I will record my spending through amazon itself and note down how much I spend every end of the week.
7c)Then I will plot the data on a graph with the title “Amount of Money Spent on Amazon”. I will label my x-axis as money spent and my y-axis as weeks.
8) undesired behavior, desired behavior, punishment, reinforce, other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, goal, intervention, contingencies, target behavior.
Section 4.3
1a&b) The one thing I liked about this section is about how some goals are life changing and can be very disruptive. This is because some goals can lead you to go out of your comfort zone and for many it is not an easy task. The reason why I liked this part is because I found it very true in terms of my own personal goal to quit smoking. Back when I was in Malaysia, a lot of my friends were smokers and for me to achieve my goal of eventually quitting smoking was quite the challenge. No matter how I try, eventually I would relapse because I did not have supportive friends due to their smoking habits. However, when I came to Cedar Falls, all my close friends do not smoke and I find it a lot easier because they don’t encourage me to smoke and always give me support to achieve my goal.
2) The one thing that I disliked about this section was the part about being realistic. This is because in my opinion, being realistic can sometimes pull you down in terms of achieving goals that may seem “unrealistic”. At times, you do not know what you are actually capable of until you put your mind to it and by placing a barrier such as “being realistic” you would not even try to achieve goals that you might be capable of. An example of this would be my dad. When I was younger, my dad went into bankruptcy due to a business investment gone wrong and we were basically living below minimum wage. However, my dad had a dream to send me overseas to study but with our situation it was definitely unrealistic. Albeit, my dad did not lose that goal of sending me overseas and with a bit of luck and a lot of hard work he managed to pull us out of that poverty line. I was able to go to the best private college in Malaysia and transfer to the US. My brother will be going to the UK this September and my sister would be heading to New York to continue her studies in interior design in spring next year. This sounds very unrealistic for a family that a decade ago was under the poverty line but it is a goal that was achieved by my dad.
3a,b&c) three things that I will remember from this section is the part on timeframe, sub goals and how goals should be manageable. The reason why I will remember these three things from this section is because these in my opinion are the most important parts to achieving your goal that you set out to do. First of all, the timeframe is very important because it can be very motivational to have a set length of time that you believe you can achieve your goal as long as it is realistic. Secondly, the part on sub goals is very important because large goals can look very intimidating and can discourage us from even trying to achieve it, however, when you divide it into smaller sub goals, it will become more achievable. Finally, having manageable goals is very important because we should be very honest on how much we can take on at one. Doing otherwise can lead to breakdowns mentally and physically which ultimately does not benefit our path towards achieving a set goal.
Section 4.4 (5.1)
4a&b) The one thing I really liked about this section is the part about how all behaviors have a function. I really liked this because sometimes we don’t realize how even the simplest behaviors have their own function and this reminds me that by paying attention to behaviors that I do on a daily basis, I can learn more about myself.
5) The one thing that I disliked about this section is the part on topography of behavior (revisited). The reason why I did not really like this part is because I lose interest when there is anything repetitive and its not that I did not enjoy learning about topographical behavior but I couldn’t seem to pay attention to the content because I feel like I am reading the same thing. Although it wasn’t entirely the same and I did learn about how the context is very important when it comes to topography of behavior, it still took a lot of time for me to get through it because I was constantly being distracted.
6a,b&c) The three things that I will remember from this section are functions of behavior, topography of behavior, and measuring behavior. The reason why I will remember these three things is because it is all revisited and I believe that I have read enough of it to understand what these three topics are about. I also have a deeper understanding on its importance and role in behavior modification.
7a) I have decided to decrease my spending amazon to less than $300 a month. I have decided to not have a spending cap, but instead try to reduce as much as I can. But realistically speaking, it should be at least below $300 a month.
7b) My reinforcer for this behavioral intervention would be unsubscribing from amazon prime. This is a good reinforcer because by unsubscribing to amazon prime will not get the special privileges of 2 day shipping for free and instead I would have to pay $14.99 to get 2 day shipping which is a huge difference in extra cost. This I believe would discourage me to shop as often. The reinforcement schedule that I am using is continuous reinforcement because by removing my Amazon Prime subscription, every time I shop online the reinforcer would be not having the privilege of having a Prime account and that would hopefully reduce my spending over the next few weeks of this behavioral intervention project.
8) disruptive, goal, being realistic, timeframe, sub goals, manageable, topography of behavior, functions of behavior, measuring behavior, reinforcer, behavioral intervention, reinforcement schedule, continuous reinforcement.
Section 4.1
1a&b) The one thing I really liked from this section is the part about resolutions and how it is usually unfulfilled. I liked this part because it is now clear to me why all my resolutions from the time I started having “resolutions” till now have never been fruitful. This is because resolutions can be a tad too broad and does not focus on the “NOW”.
2) The one thing I liked least from this section is the part about converting an undesired behavior into a desired behavior. I didn't agree with this part because it states that converting an undesired behavior from one that would ordinarily require punishment into a behavior you can reinforce that will lead to the same outcome is east and typically much more desirable. In my opinion, in certain circumstances it is not that easy and punishment might work better.
3a,b&c) The three things that I will remember from this section are behavior modification actually works, the difference between other-directed behavior and self-directed behavior, and Quitting VS Reducing. The reason why I would remember that behavior modification actually works because it goes against the norm of people saying that our behavior can’t be changed because “we are who we are”. As for the difference between other-directed behavior and self-directed behavior, I will remember this because it can be related to certain undesired behaviors that I have. An example would be smoking. Finally, I will remember the part about Quitting VS Reducing because I agree that the goal of reducing works better than the goal of quitting. An example would be my own struggle with smoking and how by having a goal of reducing the amount of cigarettes instead of quitting, I have reduced the amount I smoke on a daily basis.
Section 4.2
4a&b) The one thing that I liked about this section is the 5th step of self directed behavior modification which is determining the contingency. I really liked this part because I believe that humans are driven by the reward that they get or are “promised” which is the reinforcement that is part of this step.
5) The one thing I liked least about this section is 3rd step of self-directed behavior which is keeping a record. I did not like this part because I know I am not a consistent person and it requires a lot of discipline to be consistent.
6a,b&c) The three things I will remember from this section are improper reinforcer, setting a goal, and relying on memory is insufficient. The reason why I will remember improper reinforcer is because it gives me an example of a reinforcer that does not work which is when there is no change to the frequency of behavior. As for setting a goal, I will remember this because it is the first step to self-directed behavior and this step is important because without a goal, there would be no behavior to change. Finally, I will remember that relying on memory is insufficient because I can relate to this by overestimating myself when it comes to writing notes in class. Some classes I don't take down notes because I feel that my memory is sufficient enough to get me a good grade when there is an exam but at times I regret not taking down notes because relying on just the memory from my lecture was not sufficient enough.
7a) a behavior that I would like to change is decrease the amount I spend shopping online.
Step 1 (set goal): Spend less online shopping.
Step 2 (Define Target Behavior): Spend less than $400 a month online shopping on amazon.
Step 3 (Record): I would record the amount I spend on amazon every end of the week.
Step 4 (Graph a Baseline): I would graph a baseline on the data of how much money I spent on amazon. X-axis would be the amount of money spent on amazon and the y-axis would be weeks.
Step 5 (Contingencies): The reinforcer would be get to play Dota 2 (online computer game) each day I don’t spend on amazon
7b) I will record my spending through amazon itself and note down how much I spend every end of the week.
7c)Then I will plot the data on a graph with the title “Amount of Money Spent on Amazon”. I will label my x-axis as money spent and my y-axis as weeks.
8) undesired behavior, desired behavior, punishment, reinforce, other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, goal, intervention, contingencies, target behavior.
1.It was interesting to read about New Year’s Resolutions and to understand why many of those resolutions do not work. I always knew that many resolutions don’t pan out because after a certain point of time people just stop and don’t continue their resolution. I learned that it is important to be specific when setting a resolution and that if people create a very narrow and specific target behavior their goal would be much more attainable.
2.I liked everything about this section because it seemed to resonate more with me than previous sections because of the material on New Year’s Resolutions as well as self-directed behavior and it was much more personal and relatable than some of the other behavior modification concepts.
3.One of the things that I will remember from this section is the difference between self-directed behavior and other directed behavior. In self-directed behavior we have control over our own behaviors and we can chose to change those behaviors that we dislike or behaviors that impact and disrupt our daily life. When it comes to other directed behavior it is changing another person’s behavior. Another important concept I will remember is that reinforcing desirable behaviors is much more successful and effective than punishing behaviors that are aversive. It makes sense because in previous sections it has discussed that punishment is not as effective as reinforcement is. The last thing I will remember from this reading section is the concept of differential reinforcement of other. This concept focuses on reinforcing another competing behavior rather than punishing the target behavior.
4.I liked this section because is all about the steps for self-directed behavior. It goes into lengthy detail about each step and how to successfully use self-directed behavior by first setting a goal, defining and specifying the goal by setting a target behavior, keeping a record, graphing a baseline, determining contingencies, determining antecedents, and implementing and adjusting the contingencies.
5.I could not find one single thing about this section that I disliked because it was the most enjoyable read by far. It listed out step by step how to successfully incorporate self-directed behavior and it provided completely clear and concise information for each step so that it was easy to follow the material.
6.One of things that I will remember from this section is to try to reinforce a behavior rather than trying to punish and undesirable behavior which is at times very hard to do because it seems like punishing the unwanted behavior is much easier to do, but it is less effective than reinforcing a behavior. I will remember to record the target behavior immediately after it occurs but to also record the antecedent in which the behavior occurred. Antecedents are a major factor in eliciting behaviors so knowing which environmental contexts my target behaviors are occurring will ensure that I continue to create an environment where the behavior with have a higher frequency of occurring. The last thing I will remember from this section is the importance of determining the contingencies that will be used during the behavioral intervention. What will be used as a reinforcer, how and when the behavior be reinforced, what criteria will be used to determine if the behavior should be reinforced or not and that choosing an appropriate and effective reinforcer is important as well as the time to use the reinforcer are crucial in changing the target behavior.
7.Step 1: Eat more vegetables
Step 2: Eat the recommended amount of servings of vegetables each day which is 3 cups of vegetables, no specific requirement for what type of vegetables.
Step 3: I will take notes on sticking notes during each meal and snack that I engage in.
Step 4: After one week I will graph how many cups of vegetables I had each day to set a baseline.
Step 5: I will reinforce myself at the end of the week if I meet 5 out of the 7 days of having at least 3 cups of vegetables for each day. I will reinforce myself with a large Oreo Blizzard at the end of the week if 5 out of 7 days are met having eaten 3 cups of vegetables on five days.
Step 6: When I analyze my notes I will be able to determine what the antecedents were for eating vegetables.
Step 7: After the first week of reinforcement I will look over the data for the week and determine what changes need to be made with either the reinforcement schedule, or reinforcer.
I will measure the behavior by using dry measure cup. Needing to eat at least 3 cups of vegetables a day as advised by the CDC. I will record the behavior on a sticky note pad I will carry around with me and record the antecedents that precede the target behavior.
Title: Number of Cups of Vegetables Consumed Per Week
Y-Axis: Number of Cups of Vegetables
X-Axis: Days of the Week
8.Terms: Target Behavior, Elicit, Reinforcement, Punishment, Self-Directed Behavior, Other Directed Behavior, Desirable, Aversive, Differential Reinforcement of Other, Contingency, Antecedent, Baseline
After reading section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked learning how we can use behavior modification to develop desirable behaviors in ourselves using self-directed behavior because there are a few things I would like to change in my behavior.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? There wasn’t anything that I disliked about this section.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
1) behaviors can be directed by others or by ourselves.
2) with self-directed behaviors we set our own goals and administer our own reinforcers.
3) some new years resolutions fail because they involve punishment rather than reinforcement.
1) In this section I found it interesting to learn about the term self-directed behavior. I thought that was interesting because I knew that it went along with behavior modification but I liked how the text compared it to how it is different than some behavior modification we have been learning about.
2) I found it least interesting to learn more about target behaviors. In my opinion we have already learned enough about different target behaviors and what the criteria are to have a good target behavior. I thought having to read about and to think of different target behaviors for each resolution was a little much.
3) This section relates to what I knew previously from this class with target behaviors and alternate behaviors. In previous sections we focused mostly on how to accurately and meaningfully find different target behaviors and I feel like that is what I did in this chapter. Reading about target behaviors in this section really didn’t help me learn anything new.
4) Two things that can relate to my life from this chapter are New Year’s resolutions with reinforcement, and setting target behaviors to achieve those goals. I remember last year one of my New Year’s resolutions was to stop drinking pop after a month which was my target behavior. I set goals for myself that I would drink less and less pop each week until I finally was drinking none by the end of January. I would reinforce myself each week by going out and buying myself something I wouldn’t normally buy myself (food, clothes, etc.).
5) In this section I thought it was interesting learning about the self-directed behavior steps; Set goal, define goal, keep a record, graph a baseline, determine contingencies and antecedents, and adjust contingencies. I found this interesting because in the previous section (4.1) I liked how it used the self-directed behavior compared to behavior modification and this section expanded on it more about how and when to kind of use it.
6) In this section I found it least interesting to learn about the contingencies and antecedent steps of the self-directed behavior steps. I found it least interesting to learn about because I just did not connect well with the information I was reading. I just got a little bored.
7) This section relates to what I have previously learned in this class by setting a goal or target behaviors. This class has had a lot to do with setting goals for certain behaviors and so it has been present in many different sections we have read throughout the year so far.
8) Two things that can relate to my life from this section is making a control/baseline of a certain topic, and keeping a record in a behavioral diary. This can relate to my life because I know someone who has gone on a diet recently and he has to do both of those things. He had to take a before picture as a control or baseline in order to compare it to the results in the future. He also has to record and keep track of what he eats and how much physical activity he does a day.
9) Reading these sections have influenced my original idea of behavior modification because I realize now there are more steps involved than I thought. You can’t just have an idea that you want something to change and change it on the spot. There are steps that are involved in the process in order to be successful. I feel like that goes along with almost any behavior that is trying to be modified.
10a) I think the behavior I am going to change is drinking as much pop as I do. The steps for self-directed behavior I am going to use are:
•Set goal: Drink 1 pop a week
•Define goal: Gradually work my way down from 5-6 cans of pop a week to 1
•Keep a record: I plan on keeping a record of how many 8 oz. cans I drink a week in a journal
•Graph a baseline: After the first week I will graph a baseline about how many times a week I drink pop so I can see it for myself if it is a lot
•Contingencies: I will reinforce myself with cheesecake every week if I hit my target goal of that week. After the baseline week I will reduce the target amount once per week until I hit zero.
•Antecedents: Before I start trying to get to my target behavior of zero a week, I plan on putting notes above the fridge if my roommates have pop in there in order to remind myself to avoid it. I also plan on putting out all of my pop before I start.
•Adjust contingencies: I might have to change my reinforcement if it doesn’t work out
The behavior I am going to stop is drinking pop. The difference between behavior and behavioral class is that behavior is something you do where a behavioral class is something that is very broad.
10b) I’ll measure the behavior by drinking 8 oz cans of pop until I reach zero. I’ll keep track of it by writing it down in a notebook how many I drink in a week.
10c) The data from this on a graph will have a negative slope and I would name it, amount of pop that was drank over time, I would put the weeks on the x-axis and the amount of pop that was drunk in the week on the y-axis.
11) Terms: behavioral diary, target behavior, self-directed behavior, behavior modification, alternate behavior, reinforcement, baseline, antecedent, contingencies
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The information that I found most interesting throughout this section was the part on New Year's resolutions and why they do not work. I along with I'm sure many other people throughout the class have tried to set New Year's resolutions and of course they have failed. This may be because, like the book said, I had a behavioral class and not a target behavior as my resolution. I feel like a target behavior would be much easier to accomplish. This is interesting to me because it applies to my life and what I have done in the past. It also is interesting because it gave me new tools to set goals in the future.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The part I found least interesting throughout this section was about target behaviors. I found it least interesting because we have gone over this concept a lot throughout not only the book but also in class discussion. It is frustrating because I feel like I know what a target behavior is and can think of examples, but when trying to set a goal of my own it is hard to come up with one and easier to just use a behavioral class.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
I had learned about New Year's resolutions not so much in other classes but just because it is such a popular thing to do and I feel like everyone knows what this is because of family or friends doing this and then hearing about it. I also knew about target behaviors from class discussion as well as trying to reinforce and not punish yourself to change a behavior.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Like I stated in earlier questions, New Year's resolutions relate to my life because I have tried them numerous times. Not only New Year's resolutions but throughout the year when trying to diet as well. I think reading this section has shown me why I always fail at these diets because I am not clear about what I either need to stop doing (eating) or need to increase (workout). Self-directed behavior is also relating to this because I am controlling everything. However if I want to cut back on certain foods and my roommates keep buying that food and then leaving it on the counter for us all to eat, it may be other-directed behavior that I am emitting.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found this whole section really interesting because I am big on goals and dieting and like to look at different ways to set goals to change and eventually make it into a lifestyle. The one that I found the most interesting of these steps was to graph a baseline. As shown in class and doing the water graph, this is a great way to see how you have been doing and I will definitely be using this set when setting my next goal to change my behavior.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The part I found least interesting was right at the beginning of the section that was talking about target behaviors because this was talked about a lot in the last section that we wrote on and is something that we talk about a lot in class. I feel like number one and number two in the steps are about setting a target behavior which may be good because most people don't have a target behavior but a behavioral class.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
The graphing a baseline was something we talked about last week and we turned in our graphs for the water drinking exercise we did so this was something I had just recently learned about. I also knew about antecedents and the fact that they play a role in behavior modification because of previous class discussions.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
This relates to my life because I am going to be working with juvenile delinquents throughout my career in the future and this goal setting will be great for them on how to reduce or increase a behavior. Their behavior will probably need to be changed for many reasons because I am sure it will be bothersome to other people, illegal or if not already illegal than could lead to an illegal behavior. This also relates to my life because I am a goal setter and have to set goals to get anything done. However, I have never seen these steps and had steps to look at on how to accomplish my goal the best.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
It has made me a lot more interested in the behavioral aspect of psychology because I think it is interesting that we all have the ability to change anything about our lives just with the right target behaviors and reinforcement schedules. This is also typically what I thought the class would be like once I signed up for the class because this sounds like "behavior modification".
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
My target behavior will be to run on the treadmill for at least a half an hour, six times a week. This is a behavior because it is very specific and not just "exercise throughout the week".
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I can measure this behavior by how many times I do it throughout the week and also maybe my weight and how it is impacted by implementing the working out.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
It would not be very similar to the water graph because we are not measuring something like ounces but we are measuring the number of times I am actually doing something. The title for the graph would "Number of treadmill workouts throughout the week" and the x-axis would be the weeks and the y-axis would be the number of treadmill workouts done per that week.
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
other-directed behavior, punishment, reinforcer, emitting, self-directed behavior, target behavior, behavioral class, baseline, behavior modification.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
Why new year's resolutions fail by being too broad and not using reinforcement. I thought it was interesting because it explains a cultural trend of people failing at the same thing and gives good reasons why it does.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The first section since it was mostly a review of what we had done so far and did not introduce many new concepts or ideas.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Brings back the idea that reinforcement is more desireable than punishment to use and more effective from previous readings.
Brings back that specific target behaviors should be used in behavior modification from previous sections.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
-I have set goals and failed so using reinforcement and defining specific behaviors could very well help.
-When the yearly discussion about new year's resolutions comes up I can offer people advice and information that could be helpful to them being successful.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
Developing a baseline. It is one of those things that is a really good idea but I would not have thought of and I like learning things like that.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
Some of the instructional/procedural parts in graphing because I know how to make a graph and did not need that section personally.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Learned about graphing and tracking measures from research methods
Learned about antecedents in research methods
Defining goals and target behaviors is adding to the previous section.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
-I can use self directed behavior in my everyday life. If I am trying to modify my own behavior it is a good strategy.
-Tracking a baseline is a very good idea for tracking and modifying behavior so you know where you started and how your progress is going.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
I am now more aware of more efficient and effective ways of modifying more behavior. I now know specific goals are important and you want good target behaviors. I should also reinforce myself when trying to modify my own behavior whenever possible.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
-I want to run 2 miles 5 days a week
-A behavior is specific and can be tracked. A behavior class is a type of behavior that is broad and not specific.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Take a graph of how many times you ran over the week and mark it on a graph
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The data would likely increase to the goal point and then plateau. The
title would be number of days I ran 2 miles. Y axis would be number of days ran and the x axis would be the week number, for example week 1, week 2, etc.
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
reinforcement, target behavior, antecedent, goal, behavior, baseline, graph, self directed behavior, behavior modification, behavior class.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
a. What I found most interesting was the reason people might have trouble keeping their resolutions. The reason is because their resolutions tend to be too broad representing a behavioral class rather than a specific target behavior. I found this interesting because so many people make New Years’ Resolutions and end up breaking them in a short amount of time. It makes since that you have to figure out certain target behaviors in order to achieve changing that target behavior.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
a. What I found least interesting was the four reasons why we should change target behaviors. The four reasons are that they bother us, they bother other people, they might lead to trouble later on and they are illegal. The reason I didn’t find this interesting is because they seem like typical reasons that weren’t has interested.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
a. I actually haven’t learned about self- directed behavior in any of my classes. This is the first I have learned about the steps and why we want to change a target behavior.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
a. One thing that relates to my life is the whole aspect of a New Years Resolution because I have tried making New Years Resolutions before but it never worked because my target behavior was more of a behavioral class
The same thing happened every time Lent comes around. I try to commit to changing a target behavior until Easter but again my topic was too broad and didn’t end up lasting long.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
What I found the most interesting was keeping a behavioral diary and it’s benefits. When you keep a journal of what the behavior was, what happened before and what happened after. They say it is best to make notes in your diary as they occur when they are fresh in your mind. I find this most interesting because it seems like a very beneficial way to change your target behavior.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
a. What I didn’t find as interesting was what to keep in mind when making a goal which is precise, manageable, measurable, and fit within the pracitical scope of our daily lives. I didn’t find this interesting because I have learned about this in academic success classes.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
I learned about how to change a behavior in some academic success classes I have taken previously my freshmen year.
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
This relates to my life when I made a big change to live a healthier life. I kept a journal of what I ate and when I worked out. It helped me make a habit of my habits.
Another thing that relates to my life is setting a goal. I have set goals of keeping up a 3.0 GPA ever since I went to college.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
I have learned all about self- directed behavior and about how to change a target behavior and the steps how to do it specifically. This influenced my learning because we have learned all about target behaviors, but now we are actually learning about how to change them.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
The behavior I might want to change is eating less sweets. And when I mean sweets, I am talking about any type of candy or chocolate. My goal is to eat less than 2 pieces of candy per week. My direct goal is to remove all sweets from my possession and to not accept candy that is given to me. This is changing a behavior because I am being specific to about what type of sweets I want to eat less of.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will be tracking how many pieces of candy I have per day.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
the title of graph would be amount of candy eaten in X amount of weeks. The Y axis would be how many pieces of candy I eat. The X would be the day.
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
Terms: self- directed behavior, behavioral class, behavior, target behavior
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found it very interesting to read about self directed behavior. I liked having that section at the beginning that gave some details on what self directed behavior is and why we decide to change behaviors. Many people, myself included, don’t/didn’t realize how much power we can have when it comes to changing their behaviors, but if I implemented what I’ve learned so far in this class, I think I would be able to change a behavior or two that I didn’t think I’d ever be able to.
Another thing I found interesting was the discussion of the New Year’s resolutions. Everything about it is so true! I don’t understand why people wait till the New Year to decide to make a change; it can be done at anytime. It’s also so true that the types of goals people set don’t help them succeed. Reading this section and the discussion about self directed behavior and target behaviors just made me put it all together. It’s something that I did know, but having it all together like this was one of those light bulb moments. You can’t just say you want to change a behavior and leave it as, “I want to do….this year.” It’s so fascinating how we all make goals like that and then never understand why we don’t succeed with them. But it’s because we just don’t make them specific/detailed enough.
I also found interesting and enjoyed reading the breakdown of the different resolutions people set. It was informative to see what was wrong with the goal and what kinds of different specifics could be added to make it a better goal and more likely to be achieved.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I really liked reading this section and the information about changing our own behaviors. I am actually looking forward to picking a behavior and working on changing it, especially because there are some behaviors that I thought I would never be able to change.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
I had learned the importance of setting very specific goals. If you don’t, it’s more likely that you won’t be successful in that goal. Having that structure, time frame, and specificity is what makes it more achievable. We need to have those details to help us keep on track because when it’s just a big, vague goal, it seems so big and hard to work on. We tend to get lost in it because we just don’t know where to start, but breaking it down into chunks it what makes it manageable. This goes along with the importance of having a specific target behavior. If you don’t clearly define what behavior you want to implement, then it is less likely that you will do that.
I had also learned from a previous section the reasons why people decide to change a behavior. We learned the four reasons, which were re-examined in this section, although one and two are the ones that were more the focus of this section (they bother us or other people.) That relates to this section because it talks about changing behaviors and ways to begin that process.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I can relate the New Year’s resolution goal failure to my life. I am very guilty of setting goals in the past that sounded a lot like the examples given in the section. I would often reflect on the year and wonder why I didn’t achieve those goals, and I’ve since learned it’s because of the way I set those goals. I can’t just write down “get fit” and expect something to change. What does “get fit” even mean? I needed the specifics described to make that behavior change happen. I didn’t list a reinforcement, a specific target behavior, time frame, manageable goal, etc for making that change, which is why I was never successful in them.
Another thing I can relate to my life is deciding to change a behavior because it bothers me or other people. Most of the time, it is a behavior that bothers me, but I have wanted to change some because they bother other people. I have found though that changing a behavior to please another person isn’t always the best thing. Usually deciding to change a behavior for myself leads me to make more specific goals and they are more manageable and realistic.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found reading about the 6 different steps involved in the process of changing a behavior to be very interesting. Having the details after each step was very informative to read and I liked the way it broke down an example for us. Using the same example and just adding to it for each step was also helpful. Being able to read through the explanation of why you had to do a specific thing for each step was very detailed and flowed from one thing to the next, making it easy to keep my focus.
I really enjoyed reading the section about keeping a record. I had never thought about doing that when trying to change a behavior, and now it makes sense as to why we would do that. You have to get a baseline performance first, a very accurate and specific baseline not just one you estimated on and tried to remember doing. Once you have that it’s easier to begin to make the changes since you know where you started and you have something to compare your progress to.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found most parts of this section interesting. Reading about the graphs was a little less interesting than the other parts, but I still found it very necessary. It explained how to make a proper graph when it comes to self directed behavior, and that is important when trying to record data. If you don’t know how to accurately make the graph than it could mess up the information you are trying to present.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
One thing I had gathered/learned from previous sections was the importance of the antecedents. They are very powerful when it comes to behaviors because they are what elicit the behavior. You can change the environment to help you change your behavior. I’ve learned that if you don’t have an environment that promotes a certain type of behavior, then that behavior is less likely to happen. Like the example given, Kyle puts a copy of his journal on the bed so he has to move it at night, but he puts it on his bed because he wants to work on increasing his writing before bed. He is changing the environment to help him increase his behavior.
We have also talked about the importance of defining and specifying a target behavior. In this section the goals are a set of target behaviors, which is a little different, but that doesn’t change the importance of having a clear definition of them. The target behaviors need to be precise, manageable, measurable, and fit within the scope of our daily lives to help them be more achievable. If they don’t fit all those things, it may be difficult to accomplish and maintain those.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing from this section I can relate to my life was the example given about Dr. M using donuts as continuous reinforcement for getting A’s. Eventually the donuts weren’t satisfying anymore; however getting the A’s became reinforcement enough. That is something I can relate to. I would reinforce myself continuously for something I was trying to improve, like grades or a behavior change, but eventually I became satiated as well and that didn’t work as a reinforcer anymore. Like Dr. M though, getting the A’s, as such with the water drinking project, reaching the 64 oz of water a day became reinforcement enough for me.
Another thing I can relate to from this section is the importance of a diary. I know for me to be successful in something, I need to keep track of the details. The more details I write down the better. Being able to look at where I started and making the connection to where I want to be is very helpful; I need to be able to make that association because it allows me to realize how much work I have to put in the make that change. Writing down the details can also help you actually realize what is going on/happening with the behavior. Sometimes people don’t realize it until they actually think about it and record those details.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
These sections influenced my thoughts on New Year’s resolutions and ways to set goals or change behaviors. I knew it was important to have specifics, but I didn’t realize just how much you need to consider if you really want to be successful in changing a behavior or reaching a goal. It’s very fascinating to read about all the steps included and ways to keep track of progress along the way.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
A behavior that I want to change is bored/emotional/binge type eating during the day when I’m not hungry. A behavioral class would be eating, but I want to decrease the bored/emotional/binge eating behavior specifically and to decrease doing it when I’m not even hungry. That is my step 1 goal. Step 2 of defining/specifying the goal as a set of target behaviors- I made it a precise goal and defined what and when I want to change my behavior, it’s manageable because it’s not requiring me to do anything unrealistic, like not eat at all. It’s just to quit that eating behavior when I’m not actually hungry or after I’ve just eaten. It is quantifiable because I will be able to keep track of how many times a day I do the behavior and the thoughts and feelings going on at that time; I want to really understand why I’m doing because that’ll help me change it. And it fits within the practical scope of my daily life, it’s not incompatible with what I’m currently doing.
A few specific target behaviors: 1. Grab a piece of gum instead of going out to the kitchen when bored so as to avoid going through the cupboards for something to snack on. 2. Grab a mint or butterscotch disk; that still gives me some flavor and something enjoyable/flavorful and it’ll help me from eating something I’m not hungry for afterwards because the mix of tastes is not enjoyable.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will measure and keep track of the behavior by keeping track of what time of day I engage in it, how many times a day, and the thoughts/feelings going on during and after. I will do that for every day. Even if I have to use my phone because I don’t have my notebook with me, it’ll still be a way to keep track of it.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I think the data will look similar to the graph given in the example in this section. I will label the x-axis as days, and the y-axis as how many times a day I engage in the behavior. A good title for the graph would be Measure of Eating Behaviors.
11) Terms: association, continuous reinforcement, reinforce, reinforcement, target behavior, antecedents, elicit, baseline performance, reasons to change behavior, self directed behavior
After reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
-After just reading the first part of the chapter, I realized that I have already done one self-directed behavior change this semester. On semesters before, I was relying on all of my syllabus to help me remember what I needed to get done for each class. It was messy and unorganized because I never knew which things were due on each day and everything was separated. This semester, I searched for something to make my life easier and what I discovered was putting everything on an excel sheet works amazing. I put the due dates of everything on there and what needs to get done and then on the right side I write when I will be completing those tasks which works around my school and work schedule. It has worked amazing and I have even seen my motivation and grades increase this semester because of it. I also broke bad habits by waiting to put things off and procrastinating because I know exactly when I will be doing homework and studying and I plan some “me” time in my schedule so I don’t get burnt out! This also made me realize how important it is to do your reading and study effectively. The thing with self-directed behavior change is that people are not motivated to change their behaviors. They may use a reinforcement or a punishment but then they may go easy on themselves if they don’t reach their goals. I liked the point made about how when we pick our behaviors that we want to change, it needs to be a target behavior because that is the only way we can measure wether the goal was made or not and whether you need to be reinforced or punished. I feel like it would be easier to “quit” an aversive behavior if it’s a gradual behavior than quitting “cold turkey”
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
-You did not really explain behaviors that were incompatible with target behaviors. I was really confused on what to say on that section.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
-We learned about target behaviors in sections before. It is a really good thing to be aware of when you are wanting to change or modify a behavior.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
-When I wanted to modify a behavior, I never used a target behavior which is why they always failed
-New Year’s resolutions always fail, I have never heard of someone completing their New Year’s resolution
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
-It was interesting to learn how changing behaviors is super specific. If you want to change a long term behavior, you may have to be very passionate about changing that behavior because it may be really hard to get the results you want.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
-I had a really hard time finding a behavior that I wanted to change
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
-Target behaviors and goals are what help you modify behaviors more efficiently.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
-I realized that I do not drink enough milk.
-Goals that I have set are never followed with reinforcements or punishments so if I want to better my chances of changing a behavior, I need to start doing that.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
-Behavior Modification is SUPER specific. It can be really frustrating when you are just now learning on how to modify behaviors. I had an extinction burst while just thinking about what behavior I wanted to change. And realized I was making it a lot harder than what it needed to be.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior?
-The behavior is drinking milk (women are supposed to drink 3-4 glasses (8oz) of milk per day and I realized that I don’t do this
What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class?
-Behavior is something that can be measured, a behavior class would be where that behavior may lie in so maybe like a category of that behavior
Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
-Keeping track of how many 8oz of milk I drink per day. I would keep track of it by writing down how many glasses of milk I drink per day and my feelings towards that goal per day
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
-The title would be Maria’s Milk Drinking. The Y-axis would be the number of glasses I drank and then the x-axis would be the days I drank milk
11) Terminology: self-directed behavior, motivated, behaviors, goals, target behavior, reinforced, punished, aversive, behavior, incompatible, modify, behavior modification, extinction burst
1) I like how they explained comparison of self-directed behavior modification and other-directed behavior modification. When someone tries to use behavior modification on myself it just comes across as manipulative and insulting. I am much more likely to modify my behavior if I target my behaviors with the self-directed approach.
2) The section about New Year’s Resolutions lost my interests, because I never make a New Year’s Resolution.
3) This section is almost exactly the same as all previous sections, because it is using all the principles we’ve already learned and applying them to the self-directed approach.
4) Teachers often tried to change some of my behaviors in school by using their own forms of behavior modification. This just made my behavior worse, because they made me think they were manipulating me. I didn’t like the fact that they were trying this. They alienated me instead making want to behave better.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) I’m most interested in step #5, because it’s the step that determines the behavior intervention.
6) I don’t really like the idea of keeping a diary, because I’m not the kind of person to do a lot of writing. I understand it’s important to document stuff, but it’s really not my style.
7) It relates to section 4.1 in the aspect that it takes the ideal of self-directed behavior modification and turns it into steps.
8) I keep myself from drinking pop by keeping track of the amount of times I drink it. Just keeping track of each time I consume soda keeps me from drinking it.
9) It gave me insight into the pros and cons of behavior modification led by others and behavior modification led by ourselves, and the advantages of one over the other, and vice-versa.
10a) I want to stop spending so much money on alcohol when I am at the bar.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
The amount of money on my tab at the end of the night.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
Money Spent on Alcohol
The Y-axis could be money spent in one night
The X- axis could be different nights that I go out
Self-Directed, Others-directed, Behavior Modification, Manipulation, intervention.
1) I like how they explained comparison of self-directed behavior modification and other-directed behavior modification. When someone tries to use behavior modification on myself it just comes across as manipulative and insulting. I am much more likely to modify my behavior if I target my behaviors with the self-directed approach.
2) The section about New Year’s Resolutions lost my interests, because I never make a New Year’s Resolution.
3) This section is almost exactly the same as all previous sections, because it is using all the principles we’ve already learned and applying them to the self-directed approach.
4) Teachers often tried to change some of my behaviors in school by using their own forms of behavior modification. This just made my behavior worse, because they made me think they were manipulating me. I didn’t like the fact that they were trying this. They alienated me instead making want to behave better.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) I’m most interested in step #5, because it’s the step that determines the behavior intervention.
6) I don’t really like the idea of keeping a diary, because I’m not the kind of person to do a lot of writing. I understand it’s important to document stuff, but it’s really not my style.
7) It relates to section 4.1 in the aspect that it takes the ideal of self-directed behavior modification and turns it into steps.
8) I keep myself from drinking pop by keeping track of the amount of times I drink it. Just keeping track of each time I consume soda keeps me from drinking it.
9) It gave me insight into the pros and cons of behavior modification led by others and behavior modification led by ourselves, and the advantages of one over the other, and vice-versa.
10a) I want to stop spending so much money on alcohol when I am at the bar.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
The amount of money on my tab at the end of the night.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
Money Spent on Alcohol
The Y-axis could be money spent in one night
The X- axis could be different nights that I go out
Self-Directed, Others-directed, Behavior Modification, Manipulation, intervention.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
What I found interesting was the reasons we would want to change our behavior and the reasons as to why we may no keep our behavior modifications. This is interesting because everyone has done a new year’s resolution and failed to keep it. This could help in being more specific and keeping with the change till it becomes a natural behavior.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The overall section was a little difficult to keep focused on for me. Nothing drew my complete attention but the information given by the section is important.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This relates back to some of the earliest reading In which we covered the reasons as to why we would want to change a behavior.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I have previously had New Year’s resolution to be more fit or to stop drinking soda. As usual they didn’t last long and I believe that was due to being too broad with my resolution. I also think that this relates to the idea of not wanting to beak laws as a reason we have some specific behaviors, because they are illegal in our society.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
This section seems really important is the entire process of changing ones behavior. This is interesting to me because these are the steps that we will need to proceed through our own behavior modification project.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the idea of having to record behavior less interesting. I feel like this will be difficult for me to get in the habit of doing.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This relates directly to the previous reading because these are the steps that will help to elicit the correct behaviors that we want to see if we did a new year’s resolution of a behavioral change any time in the year.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
If real life I have heard that keeping a food journal is a good way to help you stay focused on a diet or a life change. This is similar to the step in which we record our behaviors in the context of ABC’s of behavior modification. Another thing is the idea of goals. I feel like I make little goals for myself every day whether it is to say hi to 10 people that day or to study for a set amount of time that day.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
This has flushed out the tools and process that can be used to help me change my own behavior during our behavior modification project making the project seem less daunting.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
My goal is to study for my organic chemistry class more. By studying I mean to do the homework problems assigned after class and reading the chapters related to the current section in our text book with no distractions from my phone or tv. The class is studying but the behavior is doing the assigned problems and reading the text.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior
I would measure the amount of time devoted to studying for organic chemistry. I could also record all the distractions that occur during my study time and apply a punisher for them.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title would be the time studying for organic chemistry. The x axis would be labeled with the days of the week. The y axis would be the time spent studying.
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
Terms/ behavior, modification, emit, elicit, punisher, goal
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
What i found mot interesting in this section was the part about The new years resolution. I thought this was interesting because it described why new years resolutions don't work. Everyone has probably created a new years resolution that they wanted to do, and probably failed. I now know why new years resolutions don't work. The book said they fail because the behavior they want to change or get rid of is a behavioral class and not a target behavior class. the book says that a target behavior would be easier to accomplish then having a behavior class. This also helps with future goal setting and this years new years resolution.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
What i found least interesting in this section was the part about target behaviors. We talked about target behavior in the very first couple weeks of class. We talked about what they were and how they were different then a behavioral class. We also talked about how target behaviors are easier to change rather then behavioral classes are. I just found it least interesting because i knew most of the information that was in the section was target behavior.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section relates to what i already learned on target behavior in this class actually. We learned on the first day that there are behavioral classes and there are target behaviors. Like i said earlier in the st target behaviors are easier to change than behavioral classes. We also learned how to find a target behavior rather than a behavioral and what the differences are.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Based on what i read from this section there are two things that relate to my life. The first things that relates to my life from this section is the part about the new years resolutions and why they don't work. A new years resolution that i have had that has failed to to workout more. Now from the book the reason this failed is because working out is a behavioral class and not a target behavior. You can workout in so many ways. So in order for me to accomplish my resolution i would have to make it more specific, and say what kind of workout and when i would workout and for how long. The second way this section relates to my life is with setting goals while using reinforcement. We did a experiment in this class where we had to drink a certain amount of water and when we drank water we would reinforce ourselves. This helped with achieving the goal and staying focused on it much more.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
What i found most interesting in this section was the part about the different steps needed for the process of changing a behavior. Learning about the steps will help me later in life on how to change a behavior. The step by step process was also broke down for us and explained very simply so that we could understand it easier. i found this to one of the most interesting things in the book actually that we read about so far.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
What i found least interesting in this section was the part about the instructional/ procedural stuff in the graphing. I found this least interesting because of the graphs wernt really simple to understand and i didn't understand them and what they had to do with the section. i also started to get bored with the graphs, i threw off the whole section.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
The sections relates to what i already knew about goal setting from my motivation and emotion class. The step by step process reminded me of that class because most of the steps are the same. You need to stay focused on your goal at hand. I also knew that you could use the goal step by step process to reach or change a behavior which it said in the motivation and emotion book.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
based on this section there are two things that relate to my life. The first thing that relates to my life is that the goals i have set for my self dont use reinforcements. I learned that i should have reinforcements for every goal that i create for myself. It makes accomplishing the goal easier and you stay focused more. The second thing that relates to my life from this section is the part about keeping track of the times you break from your goal or fail. For example i try not to drink pop and when i do i write it down. I really try to keep it down to one pop a week. And keeping track of it really helps.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
from reading these sections i have changed my mind on behavior modification in the ways that you have to be really specific in no matter what it is your doing. trying to change a behavior, or trying to get a behavior started. also with goal setting you need to be very specific.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior?
The behavior that i want to change is wear my headphones less and to socialize more with the people around me.
What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
A behavioral class is a behavior that can be done in more then one way. For example working out. You can workout in many ways. A behavior would be running a mile on a treadmill.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I might go about measuring the behavior by keeping track of how many times i leave the house for class where i don't have my headphones in. I could also keep track of how many extra people i talk to during the day when not wearing them.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title would be being more social without music. The label of the y axis would times i left the house without my headphones. The x axis would be how many extra people i talk to.
terms: behavioral modification, goals target behavior, reinforced,
Section 4.1
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found it interesting how the section went over the comparison of both self-directed behavior modification and other-directed behavior modification. Understanding these two types of behavior modification really helped to combine my knowledge from previous chapters and it was very interesting to learn about them because of how easily they can be displayed in our every day lives without even knowing.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The section on the four reasons why we should change target behavior was the least interesting to me. I know we have already talked about them. And I feel like the reasons are very plain and somewhat obvious. They are not very interesting to me.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
I have learned about things such as setting specific goals in order to have an easier time achieving them from my Intro to Psychology class. From previous sections, I have learned the reasons why people decide to change a behavior as well as target behaviors. I have also learned in previous sections that there are different behavioral classes and they are not the same as target behaviors.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing that relates to my life is how I will sometimes set a goal for myself, kind of like how they talked about the new year's resolution as a way to change a behavior. I had to make sure that what I was making a goal for wasn't an actual behavioral class, but a target behavior, such as not eating sweets. Instead of saying that I was going to eat healthier, I needed to specify by saying that I would not eat sweets. Another aspect that relates to my life from this section is the idea that we have specific behaviors for certain reasons, such as they are illegal and we do not want to break the law. I don't look at my phone at all when I drive because it is illegal and I could get in trouble.
Section 4.2
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the steps to changing a behavior very interesting. I also thought that it was very interesting in how hard it is to change a behavior and how hard you might have to try in order to change it, such as a long term behavior.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the section talking about graphing and the instructional and procedural part very uninteresting. I don't like a lot of stuff like that and I don't always have the patience to try and understand the graphs.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section relates to things I have learned in previous psychology classes with things such as motivators and goal setting techniques. It also relates to previous sections when talking about the steps that will elicit the target behavior that we are striving for.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing that relates to my life from this section is keeping track of the times that I break from my main goal, such as when I don't exercise for the day. I usually write it down and make sure to make up for the lost exercise by working harder the next day. Another thing that relates to my life is that I have started to reinforce myself is I have been following my goal. My reinforcement for working out every day for a week is a night to only hang out with friends and not do any homework.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
I have found through all these readings that behavior modification is a very hard subject to understand and apply. It has to be very specific in everything since it is so complex. I thought that behavior modification was fairly simple, but I have found out now that it is definitely not.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
I would like to change how much I procrastinate writing papers. The class would be studying/doing homework and the behavior would be writing the paper.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would schedule out when the assignment for the paper is given, when it is due, and when/how long I work on the paper. I would also try to record all of the distractions around me in order to figure out what would be needed to get rid of them, most likely with a punisher, such as reduced TV show watching time for how long the distraction lasts.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title for the graph would be Time Working on Paper. I would make the x-axis represent the day of the week and the y-axis would represent the amount of time spent writing.
11) self-directed behavior modification, other-directed behavior modification, four reasons to change target behavior, target behavior, behavioral class, long term behavior, motivators, elicit, reinforcement
Section 4.1
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I thought the section about New Years’ resolutions was interesting, because a lot of people I know make them. I also create them, but usually I falter at keeping to the behavior modification pattern. It made me think about how it is difficult for people to change when they have been stuck in a lifestyle for so long. It was interesting to read about why failures to resolution goals often fail.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I am not sure that I completely understand why punishment has an adverse effect on self-directed behavior and goals. I wish there were more of a basis to why. Also, I feel like it would be nearly impossible to statistically define this, because it would have to be a case by case basis. I actually do well with punishing myself, as dark as that may seem. Positive reinforcement does nothing for me coming from myself. If I cannot pay all of my bills, then I don’t get my nails done, or I cannot go out that weekend.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
We learned in this section how self-directed behavior differs from the regular behavioral modification methods. We rely on the self to manage the behavior and give the consequences in self-directed behavior, whereas with other-directed behavior we rely on others to give consequences. We also learned how goals fail often based on the type of reinforcement or punishment you are using. It may be useful for one to research others’ successful goals and how they accomplished them using self-directed behavior, in order to reach the same goal.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I hear a lot of people say that they can’t change the way they are. I don’t believe that; I believe that they are just using that as an excuse for why they can’t change—when really they just don’t want to. I also know that I do not do the best job reinforcing myself at times, when I could really do better. It might be that I need to find something that motivates me.
Another thing I can relate to is other-directed behavior. I am in a classroom every day and also have a job, so I know how it feels to be under others’ watchful eyes. You are expected to act a certain way in these places, as well as perform tasks as told to do them. It is sometimes difficult to be under this pressure all of the time, but it never creates a rebellion or adversity in me against it. I do love spending time in my room alone when I can, and this might be why.
Section 4.2
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I thought it was interesting that we have come to the conclusion that only six steps are needed to complete self-directed behavior modification. It was easy to relate, thinking of my own examples of things I could use the steps for. I liked that we are supposed to think of this kind of modification as increasing a wanted behavior rather than decreasing an unwanted one.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
My least favorite thing was the antecedent step, just because it is often difficult to come up with antecedents in real-life situations—because they can be variable. Other than that, I actually found this one interesting.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
We have already learned the terminology that can be applied here: like reinforcement and punishment. We have also learned the methods of some famous researchers in their experiments. So, we can now apply that knowledge to be useful to ourselves, in addition to being able to manipulate the behavior of those around us.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing I thought about changing was my inability to do things on time. I am continually late to class, barely on time to work, and unfortunately so good at procrastination. I wish I could change this behavior, and not be so last minute all the time. It is possible that I will use something along those lines as a subject for our final project.
Another thing I thought about using was cutting back on smoking. Realistically, I am not ready to quit completely, so maybe cutting back on my habit will help me get there eventually. This all comes into not caring enough to change, like we read about in the section, I believe.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
These sections helped bring to life the possibility and help for motivation in changing our own behaviors, rather than just those around us. There are many steps to changing our own behavior, and in order to be successful, we should rely more on reinforcement than punishment.
Terms: behavior modification, goals, punishment, adverse effect, self-directed behavior, positive reinforcement, other-directed behavior
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The part of the section that I found most interesting was the beginning part about self-directed behavior. I found this to be most interesting because the entire time we have talked about behavior modification, it has always been lab style and in classrooms with someone else reinforcing or punishing behaviors, which is other directed behavior. Now it brings into the second side of modification that involves the person being in control of the behavior and outcome that should be associated with it. It takes what we knew, and broke it off into a new idea that has all the same principles.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The thing I found least interesting in this section was the reintroduction of behavior classes. It was a key component when we first were introduced into behavior modification, but has not been brought up again since then. It was a nice little reminder of what we have learned and relevant to the section, but it is one of those things that does not really have utmost importance in my mind.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section expands upon the foundation of behavior modification because it takes everything we have learned thus far and puts an official style of discipline on it, being other directed behavior. It takes this style of behavior modification and uses all the things we have been taught, and now introduces the notion that we can do these ourselves in self-directed behavior.
The section also brings up the differences between behaviors and behavior classes again. It makes the distinction that the common lay person would confuse and gives concrete examples once more.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing that relates to me is self-directed behavior change, before the class started this semester I wanted to work out more and reinforced myself when I did do it. The reinforcements are not necessarily a set, if I work out I can eat this meal, but instead with a lot of free time in my weeks, I feel better about it if I take an hour to watch a T.V. show after working out than I would had I done nothing.
Another thing that relates to my life is that this section and our in class discussions keep mentioning how it is easier to reinforce than to punish a behavior, especially when it comes to one’s own activities. This relates to me, because with bad habits I have tried to change prior to this, and it was always if I do X I won’t get to do Y. Well, it’s easy to cheat and make exceptions, and because of this class it shows the importance of being very specific in what we want to achieve.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
One thing that I found interesting in this section was the simplicity of eliciting desired results when it comes to behaviors. The seven steps listed for self-directed behavior are quite simple to practice and put to use.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the lack of punishers or decreasing current behaviors to be least interesting. I understand it is easier to build a behavior than to tear one down, but at the same time, I feel that a majority of people generally want to rid themselves of habits. Although trying to change a behavior can be stated in a building a new behavior, instead of punishing a current one, it does not always seem to work that well.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This class builds upon not just the class in all the aforementioned weeks of the same questions, but also in organizations. Many student orgs use a design plan very similar to the structure of this section to achieve the goals they have in mind. It also shows more of the how to cause change, instead of these are the ways change is caused in behaviors.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One glaring thing that related to me was that Step 2 is essentially the exact thing as a S.M.A.R.T. Goal. A SMART goal is Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely. The setup in the second step says all of these in a different order with a few separate words. It is the exact same premise and is something that I have been doing since freshmen year in college.
Another thing that relates to my life, is how when describing goals, it requires a specificity to it in order to achieve the desired results. I started saying how I wanted to simply work out, after going to the WRC a few times, I altered that and changed it to specifically running and hitting certain times for the miles at the end of the day.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
As always, it is much more specific than thought, however, it is related in many organizations whether known or not to those. It is interesting to see how this is intermingled with about every aspect of the functioning world whether its stated.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
A behavior I would want to change is saying the “F” word less in daily occurrences. The difference between a behavior and a behavior class is a class is all encompassing, ie., working out, where a behavior is running 3 miles per gym visit. Behaviors are more easily monitored.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
In order to measure it, I will need to recruit my roommates into this to help listen for it in conversations, and to tally in a desired notebook every time it happens.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The data would be the exact opposite, as I am starting with something that happens a lot and am working to decrease it. The title may be something like “A Drop in “F” Bombs.” The Y-Axis would be number of times said. The X-Axis would be Monday-Sunday.
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
Self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, reinforced, reinforcement, reinforcers, behavior modification, behavior classes, behavior, punishment, punishers, punish, elicit, goals.
Please read sections 4.1 (Need for Self-Directed Behavior) and 4.2 (Self Directed behavior Steps)
After reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I thought it was interesting that there are different views on behavior modification on others. We accept this process in certain situations, but in other situations it is considered weird.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I thought this section was very interesting.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
I had already learned that you have to make smart goals. If your goals are unattainable then you will not be able to complete them and you will probably quit in the process.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
1. making goals applies to my life. I know I am guilty of making goals that are not specific or manageable.
2. I often use target behaviors to get my younger brother to understand what I want from him.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I thought the steps of self directed behavior modification were interesting because I had never learned that before. I thought it could also be helpful
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I thought the graphing step was less interesting, because if I were to do these steps for a personal goal I doubt I would graph it if it was not for class.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
I knew it was important to make goals that were clear and attainable but I had never learned about all of the steps involved.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
1. I think that I could use the self directed behavior modification steps in my own life.
2. I frequently use target behaviors.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
My idea of behavior modification changed because I did not know all of the steps that were involved in changing behaviors successfully.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
I want to change the amount of times I eat out. I would like my target behavior to be eating out only twice each month.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I could tally the amount of times I eat out. This could help me reduce the amount of times I eat out. If I see that I already have two then I know I cannot go out.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
Eating out would be the title of the graph. Hopefully the graph would only have two points on it for each month. The label for the y axis would be number of times I went out to eat. The x axis would be each month.
TERMS: behavior modification, target behavior, self directed,
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The thing I found most interesting in section 4.1 was what some of the reasons people cannot keep their New Years’ Resolutions. For years, I have bad New Years’ Resolutions and I cannot seem to keep them. I know a lot of my resolutions are broad and is part of the reasons I can’t stick with them.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I did not really think anything in this section was boring. This section is setting the stage to help each of us learn how to actually modify our behavior ourselves. I do believe that it is important to learn how to self-direct behaviors.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
I have never really learned about New Year Resolutions in previous classes, but I did know that people fall their New Years’ Resolutions frequently.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Just as the chapter talked about, people always push back the day the start something they are trying to change. In my case, I always start a diet on a Monday. I also relate to starting a New Years’ Resolution. I continuously seem to fail at my resolutions, but know because of this class I should be able to correctly identify my target behaviors and then correctly give punishment and reinforcement. Another thing I can relate to other-directed behaviors. I worked to Four Oaks, and I definitely needed to modify other people’s behaviors.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I felt the whole section was interesting. This made me actually think about the steps we took to change the children’s behaviors. I am big into dieting and getting healthier, and I continue to fail at my endeavors, but with actually knowing the steps it should make it easier to see at which part I fail at.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The section I felt least interesting is the instructions on how to make and label a graph. I have learned this numerous times throughout my schooling, so I feel I know how to do it. Although, I do understand that people sometimes still label graphs wrong, so we do need to go over it for a refresher.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
I had learned a little bit about reinforcing behaviors and keeping track of the behavior I was emitting due to our water graph exercise. I also have previously learned in this class to make sure the target behavior is not too broad or else you will not succeed at changing your behavior.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I have an app on my phone called Myfitnesspal. This app makes a graph each time you log your weight, so you know your baseline and it also tracks your calories and exercise. This is my way of keeping a diary because I always have my phone on me. I also use another app on my phone to help me pick out healthy foods. So, with the target behavior of eating healthy, I can alter what that means to me from this app. I could chose options like—low calories; sugar free, no corn syrup, etc.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
I did not know that there were so many steps for changing a behavior. I only originally thought there was one step: Set a goal and then you did whatever you have to achieve your goal. After, reading a little bit about achieving goals online I learned that people who keep a record of their goals are more likely to reach their goal, so from the six steps from the text I knew about two of them before this reading.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Be sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
The behavior I was to change is the amount of exercise I get. I would like to get at least an hour of cardio five days a week. The behavior would be exercise, while the target behavior would be getting at least an hour worth of exercise. A behavior is something broad. While a target behavior is something precise, manageable, measureable, and fit in our daily lives.
Some of the target behaviors I could do is go to the WRC and walk or run around the track or treadmill. Exercise on the elliptical, stair stepper or bike. I could even mix it up and do a different machine every fifteen minutes.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will make a table and put a different cardio machine in a box across the top, then the days of the week down the side. I would then mark it down each day I get my hour in. I do not need to mark the machine I would use. I would do this so then I can keep track of what I do most often and make sure I change machines every once in a while so I do not get bored, which could cause me to stop exercising.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
In the beginning the graph will vary and I probably will not be likely to reach my goals because in the beginning I am still getting used to doing something else while I should be exercising. Exercising will then become a habit and it will be more likely to happen. The title of the graph would be: Amanda’s Exercise Graph, The y axis would be hours exercised, and the X axis would be Days.
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
behavior, behavior, emit, baseline, self directed behaviors, other directed behaviors, punishment reinforcement
Reading Activity Week 10
4.1 And 4.2
After reading the first section 4.1, please respond to the following questions.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
One part of the section that I found interesting was when they were talking about New Year Resolutions. I think it is interesting that people do choose to make a difference at a certain time instead of the day they think of it. Then when they make those resolutions they are too vague and they usually fall through with their resolution. It is interesting to me because you would think that if someone truly wants to fix a behavior they would do it right away and come up with a way to keep the behavior being either decreased or increased. Another thing that I found interesting was the fact that you can make an undesirable behavior and turn it into a reinforcement that will lead to the same outcome but more desirable. I find it interesting because it uses a more positive outlook then a negative one, boosting others instead of putting them down.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The least interesting part to me in this chapter was the fact of making your behavior being more specific into a target behavior. This was the least interesting because all a person needs to do is to be more specific than the generalized behavior that is wanting to be increased or decreased. This seems like an easy task that people should be able to grasp and the repeat of the same thing over and over again seemed to become redundant. Also, it makes sense for someone to need to make a target behavior or the behavior will most likely not reoccur.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
One of the things that was mentioned in the previous chapter was DRO or differential reinforcement of other. Whereas now in this chapter they are going to discuss other differential reinforcement. This section also relates to things that I already knew about myself. I have done New Year Resolutions before and they start off well in the beginning, but after a few weeks I no longer am doing the desired behavior, which was discussed at the begging of the section. This section relates not only to what I have learned in other classes, but also the experiences I have had with myself. A majority of the chapter previous keep building as we read further into more chapters.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
This whole chapter seems to be easy to relate to anyone’s life. The two things that I can relate to my life are self-directed behavior and New Year’s Resolutions. I have tried to self-directed my own behavior in life. More specifically I wanted to focus on working on my language being more proper and was using punishment. Every time I used “bad” language I would put money in a jar. After a while I got tired of the punishment and quite the whole thing all together showing as another example that punishment does not help. For my New Year’s Resolution mine have always been so vague as to living a healthy lifestyle. I would do things that made me feel like I was living a healthy lifestyle, but there was no structure and I never gained anything from it. I needed to be more specific to see a difference.
After reading the second section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The area that I found to be the most interesting was that there are steps to self-directing your behavior. I thought this was the most interesting even though it is the whole chapter because there is an actual process to this. I never knew that you could make your self-direct behavior be more productive by following these steps. This should be presented to more people because this will make it easier for people to follow through with their behaviors that they are wanting to increase or decrease. I also think it is interesting to know if more people have looked into this and have tried it when they do them New Year’s Resolution.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The least interesting of this chapter was going through some of the steps especially the step of defining a goal and making sure that it is specific. The reason that I find this the least interesting is because I just read a whole chapter previously that focused on the goal and being specific with it to get the most out of the behavior change or implementation. It is important when wanting to define a behavior to fix but there was too much repetition.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
One part of this section that relates to the previous section 4.1 is when they are talking about setting a goal, step 1, and being specific in that goal, step 2. In the previous chapter they talk about how the more specific you are about the behavior a person is wanting to change the more effective the result is going to be of the behavior. This was restated in this chapter. Another thing that was related to the graph we did for the water drinking behavior test was graphing the results. In this chapter one of the steps is graph a baseline which talks about setting up the graph that was given to us for our other behavior in water consumption.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
The two things from this section that I can relate to my life are the area of behavior class and setting a goal. The area of behavior class is the way I would set most of my goals and that is probably one of the reasons those behaviors never continued. For example, when I was younger I was Catholic and every year we have lent, which is basically giving up one thing or sacrificing something you love. However, most people do not do that they pick something easier, but any ways I always chose something hard. One year I decided to give up sweets. That is a very broad behavior to change and as a kid. Let me just say that there were days that I would sneak candy without my parents noticing. It was a failure from the beginning due to the large scale. The other thing I can relate to my life is setting a goal. I have set many goals to change my behaviors. However, I did not know of these helpful steps and decided to just pick something and go with it. Needless to say they did not last long due to not rewarding myself, completing forgetting to do the behavior. Setting goals of changing behavior is difficult without these steps.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
These sections influenced my thinking of behavior modification that there is more than just figuring out a behavior that you want to be decreased or increased. The target behavior needs to be specific and well thought out to make an actual difference. Another thing that changed my perspective is the fact that there are actual steps to improving your behavior. I thought that originally you just improved your behavior by just using punishment and reinforcement. I have more respect knowing there are steps to actually provide structure.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
The steps in section 4.2 are…
1) Set a goal: My goal is to be a more positive person
2) Define the goals as a set of specific target goals:
a. Meditate for 30 minutes every morning at 7:00 am before class
3) Keep a record: I will use a diary that I will write in after my meditation
4) Graph a baseline: I will use the graph mentioned in question 10c
5) Determine the contingencies: My reinforce will be a healthy meal every two weeks
6) Determine the antecedents: I will remove myself form negative people
7) Implements and adjust the contingencies: I might need to reward myself more often, might need to adjust the time I meditate.
The behavior I am going to increase is being a more positive person. The difference between a behavior and a behavioral class is that a behavioral class is broad compared to a specific behavior wanting to be changed. Behavior is more distinguishable among a person.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I can measure my behavior by the hours that I am participating in it and then write it down in a journal that will be by the side of where I meditate.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The graph I will be making will be similar to a line graph. I will use minutes on the y axis and on the x axis will be the days of the week. The title of my graph will be “Minutes Mediated to Improve Positivity”.
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
Terms: target behavior, reinforcement, punishment, DRO, behavioral class, behavior, all the steps,
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I liked learned about self-directed behavior because I want to be able to apply the principles we have learned in this class and apply it to myself to change my undesirable behavior to more desirable behavior.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
It is always a little boring when the chapters repeat what we have already learned, but that is how we continue to retain and apply the information.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This chapter brings together what we learned before about positive and negative punishment and reinforcement and tells us how to use that and administer the consequences on ourselves to modify our own behavior.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
We can relate both self-directed and other-directed behavior to our lives. For self-directed, we can use it to modify our own behavior in a desirable way. For example, for my behavior project I am going to try to reduce the amount of Pepsi I drink. It is not healthy for me to drink as much Pepsi as I do, and it is also expensive. For other-directed behavior, that can come into use when raising children. I helped take care of my nephew until I left for college and plan on having children in the future. Behavior modification is, I have come to learn, a great way to raise children.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I liked how this chapter laid out how to do self-directed behavior step by step. It simplifies it so it is easier to understand and apply.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I didn’t like reading about the graph, because that kind of stuff is really boring to me.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This chapter takes what we have been learning so far and puts them into precise, easy to follow steps so that we know exactly what we will need to do for our self-directed behavior project.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
We can learn how to set a goal and take a behavioral class and find the target behavior we want to change. If we want to modify our behavior we have to have a specific behavior and goal in mind so that we can be precise in our next steps.
We can also learn about identifying the antecedents to a certain behavior. If we find out something is more likely to cause us to enact a certain behavior, we can adjust our environment to avoid that thing and therefore be less likely to portray that behavior.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
Seeing this written out in steps makes me more confident in being able to change my behavior, because it is simplified and less daunting than when all of the information is lumped in together.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
I am going to change how much Pepsi I drink because it is not healthy. A behavior class would be me saying, “I want to change my behavior to be more healthy.” It is not specific enough, I need a target behavior from that class.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I am going to keep track of how many Pepsis I drink per day every week. I will write it down in my notebook.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title could be something like “Pepsi Intake” and my Y axis would be the number of Pepsis I drank and the X axis would keep track of the days.
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
Self-directed behavior, principles, undesirable, desirable, behavior, positive, negative, reinforcement, punishment, consequences, modify, other-directed behavior, behavioral class, target behavior, antecedents
4.1
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
Although we have previously discussed this in class, I still find it interesting why we should change a behavior. As the book states, we should change a behavior because it bothers ourselves or someone else, or because it is illegal or it may lead to troubled behavior.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found this chapter very interesting. It was nice to be able to brush up on these important facts before starting this project.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
One thing that we have previously discussed in this class is why we should change the self directed behaviors we have. We also talked previously about how modifying behaviors needs to be clear and concise to really be able to reach our goals. With the preparation of our newest assignment we will be doing, I felt this was a very helpful reminder.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One of the first things that I can relate to life is that I previously would make a broad goal of “losing weight” or “spending more time with family.” But I now know that it needs to be more of a clear goal if it is something I really want to reach. Another thing that can relate back to my life is why we should change a behavior.
4.2
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
One of the first things that were discussed in this chapter was steps in self directing behavior. One thing I wasn’t previously aware of was that there are actually six steps in this process.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
There wasn’t anything was uninteresting to me. I found it helpful that much of this stuff was a review.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
One of the big things that were discussed in this section is that when you set a target behavior, make sure you are as specific as possible with it. By doing this you are able to target this specific behavior. This is one of the big things that we have talked about many different classes.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One of the things that were discussed in this section was the step of keeping a record to help you reach your overall modified behavior. I know that when trying to previously lose weight I kept a record and this helped me to reach my goal. The other thing that I can relate back to life is using a reinforcer for my behavior I was trying to modify. When I was trying to lose weight I used an extra cheat meal at the end of the week if I was able to reach that weeks goal.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
I think that these two sections have opened my eyes to how often behavior modification is around us, and we often don’t even realize we are using these techniques.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
The behavior I want to try to change is how many steps I walk in a day. An example of this in a behavior class could be “exercising more.” But by changing it to how many steps in a day I walk, it becomes a behavior.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
To measure the data, I have a fitbit that I would be able to help me to keep track of the day to day steps. The fitbit also logs yours steps online at the end of each day so I would be able to go back to previous days and look at how many steps I had walked.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The behavior would hopefully go in a positive correlation as the day to day steps increased. The x-axis could be labeled “steps per day” and the y-axis could be labeled for each day for as long as the behavior was logged. The overall title could be How many steps walked per day.
Terms used: target behavior, self directing behavior, reinforcer, positive correlation, and goals.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the section about New Year’s Resolutions really interesting. It makes sense now that these resolutions fail because they are too vague; they lack a target behavior. I am one of these lame people that make resolutions every year, and they are always very vague, like I want to work out more. Sometimes I will make a New Year’s Resolution to spend less money. But, like this section says, how much money is less money?
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the concept of target behaviors least interesting only because I feel like we have gone over this topic a lot. The bright side of this is that I heard once that things become boring once we know them well. So if I am finding the topic of target behaviors redundant and boring, I must know it well.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section continued on the topics that we have talked about in previous sections. Like I said above, we have talked about target behaviors several times. We have also talked about punishment and self-reinforcement in previous sections.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I guess the most obvious thing that relates to my life is self-directed behavior. I have tried, and failed, many times to modify my own behavior. Perhaps the problem was that I did not make my target behavior precise enough. I have often tried to get myself to eat healthier, drink more water or at least something healthier than Capri Sun, run more, etc.
The other, kind of mean, thing that I can relate to is other-directed behavior. I live with this guy that my fiancé knew from living in the dorms. This guy is basically a giant child, and refuses to clean up after himself. His idea of washing dishes is some soap on his hands. It’s gross. I have attempted to modify his behavior, through both punishment and reinforcement. When he realized that was what I was trying to, literally earlier this afternoon, he was not very happy with me.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the idea of keeping a behavior diary most interesting. This seems like a beneficial way to track behavior. By writing everything down before, during and after, we can see how behaviors effect our day to day life. I think that if I would have done this when I was trying to run more often, it may have worked. It sometimes makes it easier to see things written on paper.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found this whole section pretty interesting. The only part that I found slightly uninteresting was the section talking about making graphs. Maybe it is because I have just recently taken Research Methods and Psychological Statistics, so I have spent a lot of time looking at graphs and data. Other than that, this section was very interesting.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section talked quite a bit about target behaviors, as well as antecedents and consequences. This chapter just expanded on the previous section talking about self-directed behavior. The graphing section, like I already kind of said, is related to my research methods and psych stats classes, and we talked about graphing a little bit in the last class period.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing that relates to my life is the example about reinforcing for good grades. I did this, and still do this, because I need to get a really high GPA. However, I think that if I reinforced myself with glazed doughnuts, I would be very overweight. Instead, I reward myself with a binge night of Netflix. This may be normal for many others, but for me, it is really nice to have a relaxing night.
Another thing that relates to my life is the attempt to track how active I am, with a kind of fitness diary. If I actually wrote it down, then maybe it would be more effective. However, I wear a Fitbit and it syncs with an app on my phone, tracking how many steps I take and how many miles I walk.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
I did not realize how deep of a topic behavior modification was. Every week we read a little bit more, and every time we dive just a little bit deeper. There are several more steps to behavior modification, particularly self-directed behavior, than what I had originally thought.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
1. Set a goal: My goal is exercise more.
2. Define the goals as a set of specific target goals: Run for a minimum for thirty minutes at least five days a week.
3. Keep a record: I will use my Fitbit app, as well as a fitness diary, to track my running as well as my progress.
4. Graph a baseline: The details will be below (Question 10c)
5. Determine the contingencies: I will reinforce myself by taking two days off a week.
6. Determine the antecedents: I will leave my gym bag and tennis shoes by the front door in anticipation of going to the fitness center.
7. Implements and adjust the contingencies: I may need to set a specific time to go each day, so that I do not get unmotivated.
The behavior I want to change is to run at least thirty minutes for at least five days a week. The behavior is running. The behavior class is exercise. The behavior is more specific than the behavioral class.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Every time I run, I will write down how long I ran and how far I got. I keep track of this, as well as how many days that I run per week, or days that I forget to run. I will then graph this to see the pattern.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of the graph would Minutes Ran Per Day. The Y-Axis would be number of minutes that I ran. The X-Axis would be the days of the week. Hopefully the graph would plateau at thirty minutes because that is my goal for everyday.
Terms: target behaviors, punishment, self-reinforcement, self-directed behavior, reinforce, behavior, behavioral class, other-directed behaviors, behavior modification
After reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I thought it was interesting to read about the difference between self-directed and other-directed behavior. This was interesting to me because I have never heard the term other-directed behavior.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I wouldn’t say there was anything in this chapter that was less interesting the the rest of the information. Everything in the section was interesting to me. All of the information given to us in the section was meant to be helpful when setting goals for ourselves.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
This relates to what we have learned about in previous sections about reinforcement, punishment, and target behaviors. In this section it takes these terms and truly explains how they can be used in the real world.
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
The first thing i can relate to is having a very vague/broad New Year’s resolution, it seem like I set one every year, but have no plan on how I am going to obtain it. The second thing I can relate to is the example about “Quit Drink”, I have also limited myself to one soda per day, except it was Mountain Dew.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found this section to be interesting as a whole. It was interesting to read a step by step outline of how to set a goal that may actually work if a person puts in the effort. I really enjoyed learning about all of the do’s and dont’s of setting maintainable goals.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I didn’t find anything to be uninteresting. All of the information in this chapter was intriguing because of how applicable it was to my day to day life.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
This section relates to the section right before it. In this section we learn how to set specific, yet maintainable goal for ourselves.
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
The first thing that relates to my life is was when it talked about keeping a diary. I use a weight loss app that automatically creates a diary every time you log the food you have eaten or the exercises you have done. Another way I can relate to this chapter is also with my weight loss app. This app will make a graph of my progress week by week and tell what I can do to improve.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
It has influenced me by showing how there is a lot more to setting goals than just saying that you want to change. There is definitely a proper way to set goals, so that one can actually succeed.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
The behavior I want to change is getting more exercise. A behavior is an individual action/attitude that you can change. A behavior class is a group of behaviors that look the same but each individual action has a different purpose, or way of being done. A good example is waving.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will measure the behavior by keeping track of how many minutes I exercise each day of the week. I will keep track of this by using this by logging the information into my weight loss app on my phone.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I would put the data on a line graph. The title of my graph would be Exercise Graph. The Y-axis would be called Exercise Time (minutes) and the x-axis would be labeled Day of the Week.
Terms: self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, reinforcement, punishment, target behaviors, maintainable, behavior, behavioral class
1) I found interesting the whole section as it teaches you the steps to develop a self-directed behavior. I liked all the real examples that people usually have, like the New Year’s Eve resolutions. Also I liked the importance giving to specify the target behavior so we can be focused about the behavior we would like to increase or decrease.
2) There was nothing I found least interesting since I am very interested in getting better at using behavior modification to be a “better me”, so I found the section concise and helpful.
3) This section relates to the differential reinforcement of other (DRO) that we saw in previous chapters; this time instead of applying it to others we learn how to use differential reinforcement in ourselves. This technique consists of reinforcing incompatible behaviors, this means reinforcing the opposite behavior that we’d like to decrease.
4) I can relate to most of the examples mentioned in the section because every year I have new resolutions that I don’t really accomplish. Although I am trying my best to enjoy life, as I am living this experience meeting new people and I love it. I do so by not saying no to almost anything.
5) I found really interesting how most of the steps are not even concentrated on the actual behavior, but on the antecedents and consequences of the desired behavior as well the correct measurement throughout the whole process.
6) The least interesting thing about the section was the last part about implement and adjustment of the contingencies because it feels like some work was done for nothing.
7) I would relate this section to the first chapter because it also talked about the importance of the ABCs and how it can determine the successful of the behavior modification.
8) I would relate myself to every step of the self-directed behavior because from reading them I figured out why I failed in some of my goals in the past. I am not good at keeping track of the progress and providing myself a good consequence for the desired behavior I wanted to change.
9) It definitely changed my mind a lot because I didn’t realize the importance of each of the steps. I knew from previous sections that we had to choose a specific target behavior, but it is also important to keep record of the progress.
10a) My goal would be eating healthier by cutting fast food to just once a week. The difference between a behavior and behavioral class is that many behaviors can fit in a behavioral class while the behavior is a specific action. I believe the behavioral class for my goal would be “be healthier” because there is a lot of ways of doing so. The rest of the steps would be: writing down the healthy food I eat during the week and the day that I can eat fast food, graph a baseline of the first week’s data, the reinforcer will be feeling better physically (health is an important enough issue by itself), the antecedents are not being able to run for ten minutes straight.
10b) I will write in a notebook the healthy food I eat every day; I will also write what I do during the day that I can eat fast food. If I don’t carry around the notebook I can always write the food down in a piece of paper.
10c) The graph would look a lot alike the water graph, low at the beginning and higher at the end (that would be good). Healthy food would be the title of the graph. The label of the y-axis would be the amount of healthy food eaten in one day, and the x-axis would be the time, each day of the week.
Self-directed behavior, target behavior, behavior modification, increase, decrease, behavior modification, differential reinforcement, antecedent, consequence, measurement, ABCs, behavior modification, target behavior.
4.1 Questions
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The idea of self-directed behavior was very interesting for me to read about. I liked that the reading related it to New Years Eve resolutions; I had no idea there would be so many results on the internet when you searched that! I also thought it was interesting that many of my own behaviors I want to change were on the top ten list. It made me think a lot about why I have not started these changes already for myself. Like the saying goes, there's no time like the present!
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the small section over other-directed behavior the least interesting. Just because their was not that much to read about, but it did make me think about how I wish someone was there to control some of my behaviors. (Like how much I eat.)
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
This section relates to what we learned previously about self-reinforcement. When a person wants to change their habits with self-directed behavior they can use self-reinforcement. It also related to what we have previously learned about target behaviors it is more effective to identify a target behavior when wanting to modify something. This section also reviewed the reasons we should change our behaviors. This reading also talks about punishment and reinforcement. (increasing and decreasing behaviors)
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Something that really relates to my life is not identifying a target behavior when I want to change my habits, instead I tend to just identify a behavioral class for a behavior I wish to change. Another thing that related to my life is that I tend to push off my goals, and do not really end up completing them. I am one of those people that always says I will start next week.
4.2 Questions
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I thought this whole section was really interesting to read about because I have really wanted to start getting on a fitness schedule, and I think reading 4.2 helped me a lot in figuring out a plan to get that going.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
There was not a part in this reading I found uninteresting. I really enjoyed learning the six self-directed behavior steps.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
This section was an expansion of the last section we read. 4.1 introduced the idea of self-directed behavior, but this section actually explained the steps to take to complete your self-directed behavior goals. The reading also talks about using rewards and punishments to reinforce yourself.
8) When I think about behaviors I want to change in myself I am good at thinking of a goal for myself, and I am also good at defining specific target behaviors. However, I am not good at following through with the rest of the steps.
9) I definitely had the mindset before this class that it is really hard to change your own behaviors, and some might even be impossible. However, after doing these readings I found it is really simple if you just follow the steps!
10a) I want to work out three times a week for an hour. A behavior is the specific you want to change (I want to work out three times a week for an hour), and a behavioral class is I want to work out more.
1. Set goal: I want to work out more
2. Specify target behaviors: Go to the gym three times a week and work out for an hour.
3. Keep a record: Write down in a journal when I go to the gym, and how much time I spent there each week.
4. Graph a baseline - create the graph
5. Determine contingencies: I will use the reinforcer if I hit my target goal every week for working out I will reward myself with a scratch cupcake at the end of the week
6. Determine Antecedents: I will place a workout outfit on my floor before I go to bed to motivate me to go to the gym in the morning.
10b) I would write down in a notebook how many times I went to the gym in a week, how long I was there, and what exercise I did.
10c) I feel like my line for this graph would be a lot steeper than the one for water drinking because I think it will take more time for me to change my exercise habit than my water drinking. Title: Times Exercised in a Week Y-Axis: Number of Times Worked out in a Week X-Axis: Days of the Week
Terms: self-directed behavior, self-reinforcement, behavior, target behavior, behavioral class, other-directed behavior, reinforcement, punishment, rewards, antecedents, contingencies
After reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
It was interesting to see just how much goes into changing a behavior and the many steps that a person needs to take in order to be successful.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The least interesting part was the explanation of self-directed behavior and behavior directed by others because I thought it was pretty self explanatory.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
It went over some topics that we previously discussed this school year, and it also helped me think about the behavior change project.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
This section relates to the behavior change project that we will be doing and it got me thinking about what all I’m going to have to decide and plan out.
I’ve made New Year’s resolutions before and like many people I never actually followed through with them, I think like this section said, that the goals were too vague and not directed enough.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I didn’t realize how specific the goals needed to be in order to be successful, if they’re vague it often is too difficult to follow through.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The least interesting was reading about how to set up the graph, only because I already knew how to do it.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
From the first section I knew that I would have to plan my goal out better in order to be successful but I wasn’t aware of how many steps were included and how specific I needed to be.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
This section really helped me think about my behavior change project and start to plan it out.
Looking at the different steps made me realize why my personal goals were not always as successful as I wanted them. I didn’t plan them out as well as I should have and I never thought of using any antecedents.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
Yes, it takes a lot to modify a behavior on your own. Which I knew but it really takes a ton of personal effort and dedication in order to be successful on your own.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
1. Goal: Get in shape
2. Go to the gym 5 times a week for at least 30 minutes
3 days focused on legs and abdominal work outs
2 days focused on arm workouts and cardio
Reduce sugar and fast food intake
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will go a certain amount of days for a set minimum amount of time. I will keep track of the days I go and for how long I am doing the workouts.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The graph will look similar to my water drinking one. At first it will take me a bit to get into the swing of going to the gym that many times a week for that long but eventually I will get used to it and working out willingly longer than the time limit I set for myself. The y-axis will be the amount of time at the gym and the x-axis can be the days of the week.
1. In this section I found that other-directed and self-directed behavior was very interesting to read about. I thought these concepts were interesting because it is fairly easy to relate it to my life directly. Other-directed behavior is when other individual’s behavior is in control of the availability of reinforcers. This often makes others feel uncomfortable because it is not a good feeling to be the one out of control and unable to manipulate anything for yourself. Self-directed behavior is when we have the ability to choose the behavior we want to express. This gives us the opportunity to structure our own goals and this makes you feel in control and is a much more comfortable feeling than other-directed behavior.
2. It’s not that I found this uninteresting, I just have a bias against New Year’s resolutions. I have a prejudice against making resolutions because these can be made at any time during the year, but there is this whole idea around the fact I have to make a change in one year or I’m somewhat considered a failure. I understand that this section didn’t necessarily state that making resolutions is a good thing, but this is the only thing that I somewhat disliked about the reading. Everything else I enjoyed learning about because it’s new information to me and I actually really find this class interesting because I am able to apply it to my life.
3. I have already gone over the concept of behaviors can be directed by others or by ourselves in my other classes, but I was never given the term that describes it. We also have gone over target behavior in previous sections and applied it to different scenarios and had to describe what the target behavior should be for a certain example.
4. Target behavior can be applied to my life because I want my cat to do a certain behavior and I know what I want the outcome to be. For example, I want Simba to not jump on the kitchen counters, so I snap my fingers before setting him on the ground. The target behavior here is being able to snap my fingers and have Simba jump off the counters without me having to physically setting him on the ground. I can also relate self-direction to my life. I like to be in control and have a good grasp on what I want to accomplish, and when other-directed is involved I feel really anxious and not comfortable.
5. I thought that the self-direct behavior modification was interesting because we learned the six steps that are involved in this changing of behavior. This is a key concept to look at because everyone wants to change something about themselves, and doing it this way makes the most sense and it seems as though it is the most successful.
6. I actually did not find anything that was uninteresting to me in this section. All these concepts are fairly new to me and I can easily apply them to my own life. This section talked about how to change a behavior and that obviously relates to my life, and I can actually apply what I learned in this section and use it to help improve my life.
7. We have previously read about self-direct behavior, but not into as much depth as this section. I have also gone over the concept of when setting a goal, it is important to base it on making the desirable behavior more desirable rather than making an undesirable behavior less undesirable. We talked about it this concept in my clinical psychology class earlier in the semester.
8. Reinforcing is related to my life because every time I go to work out and complete it successfully (meaning I actually go when I said I was going to go and for the full time) I reward myself with a nice bubble bath. I literally love taking bubble baths so I feel as though this is a very good reinforcement. I learned the concept of contingencies awhile back and have applied it to my life ever sense. Back when we were recording how much water intake we drank during the week, I looked at the effectiveness of the reinforcers I was using and how/when they were delivered.
9. After reading these sections I have learned even more about how we all emit behavior modification, and some individuals even do the six steps of self-direct, and just being able to put the label on what my behavior is, is a good learning opportunity. I personally learn best when I have examples to go off of when learning an new term, so it’s nice to already have examples that I do every day.
10.a. The behavior I want to change is to stop biting my fingernails. 1) I would first set a goal. This would be to stop biting my fingernails. 2) Define/specify the goal as a set of target behavior. I would figure out the time of day I bite them the most and try to reinforce myself to stop. 3) Keep a record. I would write down in a journal everyday whether or not I successfully went the day without biting my nails. 4) Graph a baseline. The graph would be a line chart, where I would have a set amount of days I would record data, and the graph would interpret my results. 5) Determine contingencies. I would look at what would reinforce me to stop biting my nails. 6) Determine antecedents. This is the last step, I would look at what worked and what didn’t work with reinforcements and go from there.
10.b. I would measure this behavior by making a graph with my findings on it.
10.c. The graph would be a line graph with nail biting as its title. The x-axis would be number of days, and the y-axis would be amount of times a day I bit my nails.
Terms: other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, resolutions, target behavior, reinforcement, contingencies, antecedents.
1. It was interesting to read about New Year’s Resolutions and to understand why many of those resolutions do not work. I always knew that many resolutions don’t pan out because after a certain point of time people just stop and don’t continue their resolution. I learned that it is important to be specific when setting a resolution and that if people create a very narrow and specific target behavior their goal would be much more attainable.
2. I liked everything about this section because it seemed to resonate more with me than previous sections because of the material on New Year’s Resolutions as well as self-directed behavior and it was much more personal and relatable than some of the other behavior modification concepts.
3. One of the things that I will remember from this section is the difference between self-directed behavior and other directed behavior. In self-directed behavior we have control over our own behaviors and we can chose to change those behaviors that we dislike or behaviors that impact and disrupt our daily life. When it comes to other directed behavior it is changing another person’s behavior. Another important concept I will remember is that reinforcing desirable behaviors is much more successful and effective than punishing behaviors that are aversive. It makes sense because in previous sections it has discussed that punishment is not as effective as reinforcement is. The last thing I will remember from this reading section is the concept of differential reinforcement of other. This concept focuses on reinforcing another competing behavior rather than punishing the target behavior.
4. I liked this section because is all about the steps for self-directed behavior. It goes into lengthy detail about each step and how to successfully use self-directed behavior by first setting a goal, defining and specifying the goal by setting a target behavior, keeping a record, graphing a baseline, determining contingencies, determining antecedents, and implementing and adjusting the contingencies.
5. I could not find one single thing about this section that I disliked because it was the most enjoyable read by far. It listed out step by step how to successfully incorporate self-directed behavior and it provided completely clear and concise information for each step so that it was easy to follow the material.
6. One of things that I will remember from this section is to try to reinforce a behavior rather than trying to punish and undesirable behavior which is at times very hard to do because it seems like punishing the unwanted behavior is much easier to do, but it is less effective than reinforcing a behavior. I will remember to record the target behavior immediately after it occurs but to also record the antecedent in which the behavior occurred. Antecedents are a major factor in eliciting behaviors so knowing which environmental contexts my target behaviors are occurring will ensure that I continue to create an environment where the behavior with have a higher frequency of occurring. The last thing I will remember from this section is the importance of determining the contingencies that will be used during the behavioral intervention. What will be used as a reinforcer, how and when the behavior be reinforced, what criteria will be used to determine if the behavior should be reinforced or not and that choosing an appropriate and effective reinforcer is important as well as the time to use the reinforcer are crucial in changing the target behavior.
7. Step 1: Eat more vegetables
Step 2: Eat the recommended amount of servings of vegetables each day which is 3 cups of vegetables, no specific requirement for what type of vegetables.
Step 3: I will take notes on sticking notes during each meal and snack that I engage in.
Step 4: After one week I will graph how many cups of vegetables I had each day to set a baseline.
Step 5: I will reinforce myself at the end of the week if I meet 5 out of the 7 days of having at least 3 cups of vegetables for each day. I will reinforce myself with a large Oreo Blizzard at the end of the week if 5 out of 7 days are met having eaten 3 cups of vegetables on five days.
Step 6: When I analyze my notes I will be able to determine what the antecedents were for eating vegetables.
Step 7: After the first week of reinforcement I will look over the data for the week and determine what changes need to be made with either the reinforcement schedule, or reinforcer.
I will measure the behavior by using dry measure cup. Needing to eat at least 3 cups of vegetables a day as advised by the CDC. I will record the behavior on a sticky note pad I will carry around with me and record the antecedents that precede the target behavior.
Title: Number of Cups of Vegetables Consumed Per Week
Y-Axis: Number of Cups of Vegetables
X-Axis: Days of the Week
8. Terms: Target Behavior, Elicit, Reinforcement, Punishment, Self-Directed Behavior, Other Directed Behavior, Desirable, Aversive, Differential Reinforcement of Other, Contingency, Antecedent, Baseline
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I think that the most interesting part of this section was just learning things that really applied to real life. I liked learning about why people’s New Year’s resolutions don’t work. It all starts because these behaviors are just too broad and they are focused at a whole type of behavior class instead of a target behavior.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
This was a relatively short section and was mostly new information but the thing that I found least interesting was the other-directed behavior because it seemed extra short. However, I know that we have already been learning about other-directed behavior, we just hadn’t been calling it as such.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
The concept of self-directed behavior relates pretty strongly to self-reinforcement, which we had talked about a while back in this class. If you are using self-directed behavior, you are probably using some sort of self-reinforcement. We had also learned about how target behaviors have to be specific and precise or they won’t lead to results and you want be able to use reinforcement unless you have well defined target behaviors.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
The thing that mainly relates to my own life is setting specific target behaviors. I tend to set behavioral classes as my goal to change and this explains why nothing ever changes! Another thing that relates to my own life is the difference between going cold turkey or just limiting yourself to less of the thing I want such as pop. I feel like it would be easier to simply go cold turkey than limit myself, but I would be interested to see what the research says.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The part about determining antecedents was very interesting to me because I had never really thought about it like that. If you set out a book on your bed every day when you wake up you would have to move it to go to sleep at night and this would remind you too read a book. Therefore it would be like the antecedent of emitting a behavior. It shows how important it is to control the environment if you wish to change a target behavior.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I didn’t really enjoy the part about the graphing because graphs can sometimes be boring to me.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section greatly expanded on how to precisely change a behavior that is self-directed. It expanded on the concept of a target behavior even further and laid out specific steps to ensure that you will modify your behavior.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
After reading the first section, I thought that I knew how to change my behavior through target behaviors. However, this section taught me that there is much more than I originally thought and now I feel that I could truly change a behavior through a manageable and specific target behavior. This section also has explained to me that I won’t change my behaviors if I keep trying to change them in my current ways. There are specific ways to change behavior but it all starts with a well-defined target behavior that is realistic.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
This section has really taught me that it is much harder to modify a self-directed behavior than I previously thought. From the previous readings it made it seem easier to change a target behavior, but now I see that you have to follow a strict plan to modify your behavior.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
Exercise more for improving health.
Exercising in the WRC on the treadmill for thirty minutes 4 days a week.
Drink a 16 oz bottle of water after running on the treadmill
The behavioral class is improving health. The behavior is running more. All behaviors are types of different larger behavioral classes. In general, a behavior is an individual action that you can influence whereas a behavior class is a group of similar behaviors but have different actions associated with them.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will keep a record of the time that I go to the gym directly after finish at the gym.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The graph would look very similar to a the water graph I would hope.
X axis: Day of the Week
Y axis: Exercise Time
Graph Title: Exercise
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
Emitting, behavior, target behavior, behavior class, determine antecedents, other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, self-reinforcement, reinforcement
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
- I found the topic of new years resolutions to be interesting. I think this is because it is something we can all relate to and we have all tried to do. I also think its interesting to see why they fail, and what we should do to succeed.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
-I think I found the into to chapter 4 to be the least interesting only because it felt like a review of the first day of class. I vaguely remember going over the 4 reasons why we would change our behavior and so it seemed more like a review rather than new material
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
- this relates because its still behavior modification, the topic of this section is still focused on changing an unwanted behavior, we are just switching how we are changing it from methods such as classical conditioning to self-directed behavior.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
- other directed behavior is something that we are exposed to everyday in life. Whether it be work or school. This is because at work or school someone is dictating the reinforcements and consequences not us. Another thing that applies to our lives is self- directed behavior. This is shown in our lives when we want to change behaviors such as when we make a new years resolution.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
- what I found to be most interesting was the steps to changing a behavior through the self direct behavior model. I guess this was interesting because it is something to think about when changing our own behaviors.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
- however among those steps one I found to be not so interesting, this was the graph the baseline step. I found this to be uninteresting because while I understand you want to see your results I didn’t see why using a graph was necessary to have to do so.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
- This relates to what we learned in the last section. This relates to chapter 4.1 because that gave us an over view of the concept of self direst behavior and now this section goes into full detail of what it is.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
- one thing that relates is setting goals. We all have things that we want to accomplish and we all have set goals along the way to help achieve those goals. However now we have a better understanding of how to set those goals. I think keeping a record is also something we use in our daily lives because we all record stuff, weather it be how many steps we take or how much water we drank we all record things so we can see our improvements or see how much we need to improve.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
- Originally I thought B mod depended on these concepts from these big names that relied on operant conditioning however now I see that changing a behavior doesn’t have to be that technical.
10. a behavior that I would like to change is I would like to study more for my upcoming exams. A goal I would like to set is to start studying 5 days before my exam is scheduled. Fill out the study guide before I start studying. If I don’t start studying 5 days before my test I cant play video games or watch tv. I think the graph would be a lot more up and down because I would struggle a lot more with this task. I would title the graph studying vs procrastination. Y axis would be hours of studying and the x axis would be the days.
Terms: Classical conditioning, operant conditioning, self direct behavior, other direct behavior, goals, consequences
1) One thing that I found interesting in the first section was the discussion on how a lot of New Year's resolutions fail because they are too broad and don’t have a specific target behavior and some of them involve punishment instead of reinforcement.
2) Something I found least interesting in this section was the topic of differential reinforcement of other. The discussion was a little confusing and was a little contradictory. It talked about needing specific behaviors but then talked about how there’s more than one behaviors that would also work. I just didn’t understand this part completely.
3) This section relates to previous ones because it talks about wanting to change a behavior and using our own self-directed behaviors. The discussion adds onto what we’ve previously learned about modifying behaviors but just talking instead about changing self behaviors instead of the behaviors of others.
4) The first thing that relates to my life is the discussion of how New Year’s resolutions fail a lot. While there hasn’t been many times when I wanted to make a New Year’s resolution, I have tried it before and never has it worked for me. The second thing that relates to my life is my problem of having too broad of a behavior when I try to change something. I learned from this class that I always am talking about a behavior class instead of a specific target behavior. That is something that I need to work on.
5) Something I found interesting in this section were the steps listed out that help when someone wants to change their behaviors. It was very specific and helpful, and will be useful when I actually try and change a behavior of mine.
6) One thing that I found least interesting in this section was the part about how you should keep a diary about the behaviors you display and talk about the ABCs of behavior every time. While that sounds ideal, it also sounds like a lot of work and something that would turn me off from wanting to actually change my behaviors.
7) This section relates to previous chapters because the last section we read was about self-directed modifications, this chapter is now talking about how to implement and actually carry out the behavior modification plan.
8) The first thing that relates to my life is the setting of a goal. This I am very good at doing, and actually set, or want to make many goals happen in my life, but then I don’t usually end up following through with them. The second thing that relates to my life is having a baseline to base your progress on. I always say I want to do more or less of something, but then I don’t even know what more or less would be because I don’t know what my baseline is.
9) These sections have helped me not really in a way of understanding behavior modification in a new way, but just giving me a new idea of how to actually change the behaviors. With the steps and concepts of how to most effectively modify behaviors, it has given me a good idea on how to most usefully change my or others behaviors.
10a)
Step 1 (set a goal): get on a regular sleep schedule
Step 2 (define target behaviors): go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, no napping for any amount of time throughout the day, only sleep when it is time to go to bed
Step 3 (keep records): I will record what time I go to bed and wake up every day, and if I do end up napping, when and for how long I napped for
Step 4 (graph a baseline): After one week, I will use 3 different graphs to create my baseline. One for time woken up each day, time gone to bed each night, and minutes napped throughout the day
Step 5 (determine contingencies): If I stick to the schedule, within 1 hour leeway of going to bed and waking up, and take no naps that day, I will reward myself with getting to watch netflix the next day. If I do not stick to my schedule, I will not be allowed to watch any netflix shows the next day.
Step 6 (determine antecedents): After my week of baseline data, I will be able to determine antecedents but I am going to guess that some will be, whether I do homework in my bed or at my desk, whether I work that day, whether I work out that day, and whether I stuck to the schedule the day before.
Step 7 (implement and adjust): After getting the baseline, and then the next week trying to actually modify my behaviors, I will look back over the records and see what changes need to be made.
10b) It’s pretty self explanatory how I will measure the behaviors. When I go to bed, I will write down the time I actually crawl into bed. When I wake up, I will record the time I actually get out of bed. And if I nap, after I wake up, I record how long I slept for.
10c) The graph I make for my data collection will look similar to the water drinking graph, except for this one, I think I will have three different graphs to record all of my data on.
Titles for the graphs would be: Bedtime, Wake Time, and Naptime. The y-axis labels would be the time the clock said for the first two graphs, and the last one would be how many minutes napped. The x-axis labels would all be day of the week.
11) Terms: target behavior, punishment, reinforcement, differential reinforcement of other, behaviors, self-directed behavior, modify, behavior class, ABCs of behavior, baseline
Section 4.1
1)I really liked the whole section. It is nice to see how you can make your target behaviors more manageable by being specific about what you want to change from them not just say you want to change them but how exactly you want to change them. I especially liked self-directed behavior because I feel it makes you mentally stronger. It is easier to rely on someone else to change a behavior that rely on yourself to be strong enough to introduce the necessary changes in order to decrease the undesired behavior.
2) I really liked the whole section. It was not too long but specific, it was straightforward so I cannot say there was anything I did not like from this section.
3) This section included terms that we already have covered in class such as reinforcement, punishment and target behavior so I felt comfortable with the content because the section made connections between the old and the new terms, concepts which made it easier to understand the concept of the section.
4) Two things form this section that relate to my life are self-directed behavior and target behavior. I really struggle with the food because now I do not have my mother to cook for me and I am always busy running around so sometimes I end up buying food and I find myself buying things that I know are not good for me but I really like. I use self-directed behavior to moderately reduce the frequency of buying junk food when I end up buying food because I do not have time but it is hard sometimes. I do not like to run at all so when I have to run for the workouts I tended not to do my best but when all the juniors from the team had a meeting I realize that being one of the oldest ones from the team I have to be an example for the youngest ones so I worked on that target behavior and now most of the times when we run I do my best and seems like that target behavior has been solved.
Section 4.2
5) This section was really helpful. I find the six steps to self-directed behavior modification really useful. It is good to have goals and everyone has goals so I find this section should be something that everyone who is trying to reach a goal should look at because I found it really helpful and encouraging to reach my goals.
6) There was nothing I did not like from this section.
7) In general was new but there were some terms such as target behavior and reinforce and those terms have already been covered in past chapters in this class.
8) I feel that this whole section relates to my life because like I said in the last section I do not like to run but I realized that when I have to run for the workouts is not just for me but to set an example for my team so I feel that unconsciously I used all the steps for self-directed behavior modification to remove the target behavior. I do not think that this section can work if is not as a whole because when you have a target behavior there is not just a few steps of self-directed behavior modification that relate to that goal but all of them since we want to remove the undesired behavior. Besides this I kind of want to point out the importance that reinforcement has in my life when I have goals to reach, it helps me to keep up by involving desirable stimulus that make me focus on them when reaching a goal.
9) I would not say these readings have influence my original perception of behavior modification but they have definitely made me be more aware of my behaviors and be stronger on my goals so I am going to make sure I reach them because it is worthy.
10a) I want to reduce the frequency of eating junk food when eating on campus by bringing some food from home in a plastic container or by bringing healthy snacks or by buying healthy snacks or food on campus.
10b) Every time I eat on campus when I am about to eat food I am going to remind to myself what I have to buy by having a note on my notebook that is going to be my reminder. After I have bought the food I am going to write down if it is junk food or healthy food.
10c) The data for this graph will go up and down starting from Monday going up and so on until on Sunday it goes down because I have more time at home so I can cook healthy food. The title for the graph would be junk food intake. The label for the y- axis would be days of the week and the label for the x-axis would be amount of junk food intake.
11) Terms and terminology used: self-directed behavior modification, reinforcement, punishment, target behavior, frequency, behavior modification, desirable stimulus, reinforcer, undesired behavior, manageable.
What did you find interesting and why?
The section I found most interesting was the portion of the reading focusing on New Year’s resolutions. It was quite shocking how accurate the reading was about how people choose to wait until one specific time of year to decide to make positive changes in their lives. Why does it only have to be focused on one day? Does that one day make it any more significant? Speaking from personal experience, no, it really doesn’t. In fact I find myself least likely to keep New Year’s Resolutions simply because there is an unspoken acceptance of the fact that New Year’s Resolutions are “made to be broken”. This is the prime example that shows even if you set a goal, it does not mean that you will succeed if you already have the mentality for failure. Plus, we have a habit of setting ourselves up for failure when we don’t make our goals specific enough to accomplish. I thought it was very useful to know the importance of making goals specific enough and what different kinds of specificity are available when writing out goals. Adding more specifics to the original goal increases the chances of making that goal succeed. How this example was put together with the information pertaining to self directed behavior and target behavior was very well done and helped me understand the concepts much better.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I am interested in the portion that will involve us picking out an isolated behavior of our own and altering it for improvement. However, I am concerned whether or not the portion involving target behaviors will impact this future assignment. I was really quite confused during this portion and I could have used a bit more explanation as to which behaviors are incompatible with our desired target behaviors. How do you determine which behaviors are incompatible?
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
I dimly recall from a previous semester, when I took personal wellness they really stressed making specific goals when trying to change to a healthier lifestyle. They focused on the fact that if you aren’t very specific, there is less chance of you actually taking the steps to alter the behavior, and you will more than likely end up giving up as a result of being overwhelmed. Just as we focused on in this reading, the importance of creating structured goals that include a time frame enable us to actually achieve said goals. As a very detail oriented person myself, I find it easy for myself to write very specific goals so I know exactly what is expected of me. Otherwise, I will end up getting lost and overwhelmed because I don't know where to start.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
As I just mentioned I am a very detail oriented person and it is important for me to write out specific goals with a given time frame in order to actually achieve said goals. A very real, everyday practical application of this concept is when I am working on a new piece or solo for my private lessons. In the music world we like to use a concept called “chunking” where we break down a piece and take it chunk by chunk in order to work through it. Attempting to sit down and play the entire piece start to finish never makes me feel good and I often get discouraged. Figuring out what sections to work on, isolating portions of each section and working them through measure by measure makes me feel a lot more accomplished. Plus, scheduling time into my everyday routine for an hour of practicing allows me to build up to my goal and see gradual improvement every day as I achieve my “mini goals”.
Another way I can relate this reading to my life is through the whole failure to achieve New Year’s resolutions. Honestly, I am 100% guilty of attempting to create new goals each year and failing to attain them. This is because I have never made my goals specific enough to actually achieve and to see gradual improvement over a long period of time. In a way it is like the whole concept of “giving something up” during the season of Lent. Within the past few years I have gotten quite lazy and I end up not giving anything up for Lent due to previous failures (i.e chocolate, caffeine, Netflix, etc). I feel that this year in order to make a difference in my New Years and Lentin goals I will have to actually sit down, write out my goals, write out mini goals/a plan to help me achieve my overall goals, and tape those goals to my mirror. Otherwise I feel I will simply forget. Having a constant, friendly reminder couldn’t possibly hurt the situation.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I have to say that it was really interesting to find out that there are six steps you have to go through in order to change a behavior. The information provided pertaining to each step was very useful and I greatly appreciated the sample that was provided in order to assist with explaining the steps. This really helped me gain a better understanding of the concept and really allowed me to think through each step. Having an example that was simple and relatable was also very nice.
Also, the portion of the reading that talked about keeping a record in order to help modify the behavior was very useful. As a child, I used to keep a diary but it makes sense in this context to use a diary as a means of recording behaviors. I definitely feel that in the future I will use this method to alter some of my future student’s behaviors as well as my own.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
Personally, I found the portion about the graphs a little boring but it is a necessary evil in order to help alter behaviors. The other aspect of this reading that was a little bit confusing was trying to find a behavior of my own that I wanted to change. Fitting this behavior to the example was a bit difficult for me but I think I figured it out eventually.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
As mentioned in the reading we previously learned about antecedents and consequences. We discussed the power that the antecedent or the context in which the behavior takes places is really important since they are what usually set the tone, or elicit the behavior in question. Essentially, if you change your environment, that should lead to an overall change in the behavior. In the example of Kyle, he chose to place his journal on the top of his bed in order to provoke himself to write in it later. By placing it on the bed he is forced to acknowledge its presence and therefore make himself more likely to assume the behavior. These careful changes of his environment help promote the desired behavior and increase the chances he will succeed in making his goal.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Well going off the previous comments about the diary, I can relate that to my life as I now realize the important role a diary plays in altering a behavior. In my personal wellness class we were required to keep a diary of the meals we had eaten and the calories we had consumed. Currently I have an application on my phone that helps me to record the amount of water I drink daily in an effort to boost my water consumption. Like the diary on the bed, the application on my phone buzzes and sends me a message reminding me to drink more water. When I hear the buzz I instinctively check my phone and I am forced to open up the message in order to see what it says. If I do not check the message, it will keep reminding me every 5 minutes. Having this reminder is like placing the diary on the bed, I can’t escape the reminders, and I am forced to alter my environment by going and drinking water to make the application leave me alone.
Another way I can relate the provided example describing Dr. Maclin using the donuts as his reward/reinforcement for achieving A’s for his grades. In the previous weeks I was trying to use the motivation of buying and consuming oreos as motivation for achieving my water intake goal for class. This reinforcement was definitely not strong enough and unfortunately I became satiated too quickly with the reinforcement. I was not able to make the continuous behavior changes for one of my week’s because the reinforcement no longer had any effect on me, as were the donuts in the example.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
Tell you the truth, I never thought of the whole New Year’s resolutions or Lent in terms of behavior modification, but rather a societal/religious expectation that you were most likely to fail. I didn’t really stop to think how many factors play into actually altering the behavior and how to best attain your goals.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
A behavior I definitely need to change is the whole idea of “grazing” or mindlessly eating, especially right before I go to bed. I have found that by doing this, I am conditioning myself to be hungry right before I go to bed, which affects my appetite at dinner. Rather than being able to consume a full meal at dinner, my body says “I am full” when in reality I am not. Plus, having my roommates whose parents brought up tons of baked goods these past few weekends has not been very helpful. I see brownies on the counter and I think “well, may as well have this as a snack” and then I end up being too full for dinner, or getting an upset stomach right before bed due to the excessive eating.
So step 1) Stop excessive “grazing” on junk food throughout the day, especially right before dinner/bedtime.
Step 2) Defining/ specifying the goal as a set of target behaviors: I was very concise and precise when I made my goal. I clearly defined what I plan on changing, when I plan on changing it.
Step 3) Manageability: In terms of being manageable, I am able to do something within my physical means, such as quit the excess eating. I am not telling myself to starve, or to do something else that would be physically damaging to my body.
Step 4) Quantify: I will be able to keep track of my food intake using the choosemyplate.gov website in order to help remind me what I ate, when I ate, and how many calories I consumed. It also offers a little notes section so I could record my thoughts, feelings, etc.
Step 5) Practicality: Eating is completely normal and not at all outside of my daily routine. This should not conflict with anything else that I am doing aside from taking a little more time away from studying to focus on my health.
Target Behaviors: Drink water in order to feel more full. Buy gum and have it handy in order to chew as opposed to snacking. Make sure to eat a big dinner and not allow myself any snacks before bed. Go to bed at an earlier time so it is closer to dinner, that way I feel fuller longer. Suck on a tic tac as a variation of chewing gum. Have my rommates hide the brownies so I am less tempted to eat them.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
As I said before I will able to keep track of my food consumption and the times in which I eat using choosemyplate.gov. This way I can monitor my food intake and gauge the times in which I eat meals. By doing this every day I will be able to develope a better understanding of my behaviors. I will use my phone to do so because I typically won’t have a notebook and it will be more excessible.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
This should be rather easy to do as my behavior change is quite simple, as was the example provided in the reading. The x axis will be labeled as the days of the week and the y axis will be the either the amount of food that I consume, the number of times I consume food/record food consumption, or the time in which the food was consumed. Honestly, for my situation I feel that it would probably be best to have two graphs going. I will title them as Eating Behaviors: Calories Consumed and Eating Behaviors: Time of Consumptions.
11) Terms: target behavior, reinforcement, reinforce, reinforcement, antecedents, reasons to change behavior, elicit
1. The most interesting thing I found out in the section called self-directed behavior would be about the New Year’s resolutions. This is because it's interesting to find out why so many try to make a resolution and yet fail every year but still make a new or the same resolution each year.
2. The least interesting thing I read about in this section would be about self-directed behaviors. Its need to understand and know what this is, but to me it wasn't interesting because it is pretty much explained in the name itself, so for me there was no need in defining it.
3. Something that I have already know in this section would be why we change our behaviors. We talked about this last week in class. There are 4 ways we want to change a behavior. The first few would be you yourself is bothered by it or others are bothered by it. The last two are that the behavior might lead to trouble later on or it is illegal.
4. Two things that I can relate to my life from this section would be 2 things to reasons why a modifying a behavior could fail. First would be because that person is choosing a behavior that is a punishment not reinforcement. So the overall conditioning makes an adverse feeling and so you are not wanting to and you have to stop something indoor to succeed in the modification. The next one would be because people are using behavioral class's instead of a specific target behavior
5. The most interesting thing in this section for the steps of self-directed behaviors would be determine antecedent. An example of this would be in order to remember to do something in the morning, you set an alarm that says the behavior you need to do. So basically we use antecedents to achieve our goals.
6. The least interesting thing in this section would have to be setting a goal for me at least. It was the least interesting because it was hard and frustrating to me to find what kind of goal I want to pick and even after reading the section I was still frustrated with what to pick.
7. Something that have already known that was mentioned in this section was target behaviors. I learned in this class in past sections that your target behavior should be very clear and not being easily confused. For example if I want to get healthy, there are many ways to get healthy like exercise, eating veggies, or eating fruit.
8. Two things from this section that I could relate to my life would be a behavioral diary and understand what a behavioral class is. By using a behavioral diary in my life it will make it easier for me to record my data but the BD needs to be manageable and easy to access. Behavioral classes is a huge factor to understand that it has many meaning for that behavior.
9. The reading from this section it made me realize that we are actual to going to modify one of our own behaviors. I think this is really cool where most other classes and do these type of things.
10.
a. 1 read textbooks from my college classes that we are going over. The difference is that it's not just reading textbooks be that they are the specific textbooks that I am learning about in my classes.
b. I will measure each time I read a textbook each week and I will keep track by writing it down in the notes on my phone!
c. It will be a linear graph like the water graph. The title will be reading textbooks. The y-axis will be how many pages I read and the x-axis will be each day of the week.
11) Terms: self-directed behavior, New Year’s resolution, target behavior, adverse, punishment, reinforcement, behavioral class, Determine antecedent, why we change our behaviors, behavioral diary,
Section 4.1
1. What did you find interesting in this section? Why?
I found it interesting to think about New Year's Resolutions because they are things that everyone seems to set for themselves, but not that many of them actually achieve. I found it interesting to look at it from the perspective of behaviorism because it really helped me to understand why most people don't accomplish these resolutions. This section made it very clear to me as to why it is hard for people to achieve these resolutions when they're not specific and no behavioral intervention has been put into place.
2. What did you find least interesting in this section? Why?
I really didn't find anything in this section uninteresting. I felt it was a good section that used a lot of good examples and really helped me understand the importance of not only self-directed behavior, but also the importance of setting specific goals and implementing behavioral interventions.
3. How does this section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
This section wasn't new to me because I have taken this class once before so the information was all the same. I've also learned a lot about setting "smart goals" at my old job. I used to work at a drug/alcohol treatment facility and part of what we did with our residents was have them set weekly goals. They usually didn't like setting them because we forced them to be very specific about each of them to make sure they were realistic and attainable.
4. Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
As I mentioned above, I used to work for a drug and alcohol treatment facility and I worked with the inpatient residents. We had them set weekly goals and made them be specific as to how they would measure them and smaller steps that could go into play in order to achieve the bigger goal. I currently work for a company called EPI. I work with individuals with who have intellectual disabilities and brain injuries. The individuals I work with also set goals, and we help to make them specific so that they are more attainable and realistic. So, goal setting has been a big part of the work I do in this field.
Another way that this applies to my life is with the concept of self-directed behavior because I've had to set goals and implement behavioral interventions for myself. One example of when I've done this has been to cut down pop. I've tried a few times and failed after a short period of time of doing well. I didn't really have intentions of not drinking pop all together, but I did want to cut down on the amount of pop I drank. I actually sort of used the pop as the reinforcer itself. So I told myself that I couldn't have a can of pop until I had x amount of water. This worked really well for me for awhile, but I realized that water wasn't the greatest beverage to switch over to right away because it was so different than the pop. So, I tried this again using crystal lite packages in my water so there was at least flavor and this was much more effective.
Section 4.2
5. What did you find interesting in this section? Why?
I found it helpful and interesting to have the steps to accomplishing self directed behavioral interventions really broken down. I also think this section really did a good job of explaining the different steps and utilizing various examples to help make the steps more clear.
6. What did you find least interesting in this section? Why?
I didn't really find anything uninteresting in this section. I felt everything was laid out really well and explained thoroughly. I felt the information in this section was overall really helpful and useful.
7. How did this section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
I have taken this class before, as I stated above, so all this information was review to me. There was nothing really new for me.
8. Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I have had a lot of good experience through my recent jobs that have really helped me to develop a better understanding of setting goals. At my old job, we referred to these as "smart goals." We'd not only have the clients list out the goal they wanted to accomplish, but we also had them list out three steps they would use to help them accomplish them, how they would measure them, etc. This really helped them to focus more on specific goals and to make them more realistic and attainable. However, we didn't have them do baseline measurements because they were to set goals weekly, so ideally they had different goals every week. However, especially after reading this section, I can see how weekly goals may be difficult and unrealistic in terms of an appropriate timeline to accomplishing goals.
Another way this relates to my life has simply been through the behavioral intervention we did with water drinking in this class. This required me to create a baseline of information to see how much water I was drinking. This also required me to think about what I could use to reinforce/punish myself and figure out ultimately what was going to be more effective for me in increasing the amount of water I drink. It was also measurable in that there was a specific amount of water in ounces that was to be achieved, so that kept it much more realistic and focused on a certain amount. This behavioral intervention also really helped me realize that behavioral interventions are really specific to individuals because different things can serve as reinforcers/punishers for different people.
9. How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
These sections were ultimately review to me, so they didn't really change how I think about or understand behavior modification. However, these sections did help me to understand how individualistic behavior modification really is.
10a. A behavior I would really like to increase is the amount of time I spend doing something that is relaxing for me. I think the reason I choose this behavior is because I have found this semester so far to be the most stressful one I've had since being in college. I also started a new job at the same time classes started back up, and I feel like I work a lot. I don't feel like I spend enough time doing something completely for me that doesn't have to do with school or with work.
b. I think I might measure the behavior in hours and make my goal to spend an hour every single day doing something that is simply for me. The deal is that whatever I do has to be free of anything work or school related. This may be challenging, especially on the days that I work and have school, but I think it's necessary.
c. I would title the graph "Me Time." I would label the y-axis in hours, or minutes, and label the x-axis as the days of the week so I could document exactly how much time I did something for me every single day.
TERMS: Behavioral intervention, reinforce, punish, behavior modification, baseline, goals, behaviorism, self-directed behavior.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the whole section to be pretty interesting, because it is all so correct. So many people set goals that are so broad that they don't choose a specific target behavior. This can make it very difficult for them to reach their goals because there are so many ways around conquering their issue. In this case, it can be very beneficial to set a specific goal in order to be able to punish or reinforce if it happened or not.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
None of the section was really found uninteresting. Of course, punishment and reinforcement was mentioned again, but that is expected when it has great value to behavior modification. These both play a huge role in persuading us to change who we are for the better.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section relates to what I already knew mainly because it has a lot to do with target behaviors. We learned about this earlier on in class and how it is important to acknowledge a target behavior in order to enhance or decline it. This can help shape who we are in the future.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Due to reading this section, I can relate to the New Year's resolution section. This is because I have set one almost every year and it never seems to follow through for too long. Every year I set a goal to pray more, which would be very beneficial to my life, but due to this section I realize I must narrow my resolution down in order for it to actually happen. I also can relate to this section due to setting a reinforcement instead of a punishment. I have realized that setting a reinforcement benefits your goals much more than punishing. I learned this through weight lifting. Instead of punishing myself by not going to the gym, I would set something I could get in return if I did go to the gym. This made my chances of going a lot more likely and I noticed a lot more results after making this change.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found this section to be interesting because it gave the steps to changing a behavior. This can help me at any point in life because I will be able to break my task down, keep record as I advance, graph a baseline, and choose my contingencies. This will help to make me capable of conquering any certain wanted behavior.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the graphing part of this section to be the least interesting. This is due to the fact that I don't really enjoy creating graphs. I do understand that the graphing process may be very important to the outcome because you will be able to physically see the patterns of your behavior and that could potentially help how you perform.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
The only thing from this section that I already had somewhat of a clue about was the contingencies step. This is due to setting a reinforcement to the goal you are trying to master. We have talked about reinforcements a lot in this class as well as intro to psychology.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Based on this section I can relate to setting goals, yet I haven't always used reinforcements. This class has taught me that reinforcements can be very beneficial to the outcome of your goals. I can also relate to the graphing portion of this section due to a time in high school where we had to graph how our rockets launched and at the end we had to review the patterns and figure out the reasoning behind them.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
The first section really changed my mindset on behavior modification because I realized that I need to target my behaviors in order to specifically change what I want. If the goal is too broad then there are too many ways to avoid what you want to complete. The second section has really changed my perspective on behavior modification, because I never really thought of a whole step process behind changing a behavior. I always just believed that if you set your mind to it that it would happen. It has given me new ideas on how I can change myself as an individual.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
A behavior that I would like to change is being on my phone when there are people around me to converse with. A behavior class is something that can be done in more than one possible way .
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I could measure this task by counting the amount of opportunities and how many attempts I have. By doing this it would create a ratio, which then could be kept track of on a daily basis showing improvement or failure.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of this graph would be "Friends Over Texts". The Y-Axis would be the amount of times that I chose my phone over the people surrounding me. The X-Axis would be the amount of times I chose to communicate in person.
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
Target behavior, punish, reinforce, punishment, reinforcement, shape, contingencies, behavior modification
1.) This was a great read for this week. It shows that we are coming upon the point where we start our final project (something I have been looking forward to all semester). I was very interested to read about the New Year’s resolutions and how they need to be very specific with a definite time in order to be able to successfully change the behavior.
2.) This week was very interesting to me and I don’t think there was anything I didn’t enjoy. I will admit at this time in the semester, I am weary from reading and dread it on a nightly basis. I am looking forward to Christmas break very soon.
3.) This goes back to the basics of what we need to know to change a behavior. We need to know a specific target behavior, and the behavior that wants to be changed needs to meet the four criteria 1.) They bother us 2.) They bother other people 3.) They could lead to trouble 4.) they are illegal.
4.) I will reiterate that I am a parent of a small child. I am constantly using behavioral modifications or other directed behavior to form my child’s actions. I use self directed behaviors to lose weight. I am a lady; I do not like my pudge. I also you behavioral modifications to embrace my body and let go of my issues.
5.) I loved how this laid out exactly what we need to know to do our final project. I feel like the entire class is starting to click together. As I was reading, I was filling out exactly what I was planning for my research project. I am excited to get out my diary and start recording behaviors.
6.) The most uninteresting part of this was more unpleasant that uninteresting. I did not enjoy the fact that I had to make a graph last week. I literally wanted to cry because I had never made one before and it took me forever to make. I was unhappy and I had to Google how to make it, which just made me more frustrated. So, when I read that I had to graph my baseline and my progress, this brought back unhappy feelings.
7.) This section puts everything into perspective on how to do the research project. It ties everything we have learned about target behaviors, operant conditioning, classical conditioning, and everything else. It then gives us the exact tools on how to enact the project.
8.) This directly relates to me because I have to choose a behavior that I want to change, then document my behaviors, then enact different behavioral modifications to change them.
9.) This has definitely brightened my outlook on what I have been reading and making me think of the big picture. I am confident that I know what I am talking about know and that I can accomplish a change in a behavior.
10.) A behavior I want to change is to not sit on the couch watching Netflix until 11:00 PM at night. I want to do more Yoga. The difference between a behavior and a behavioral class is that a class is a general term we use to categorize the behavior. A behavior is very specific and falls into the class. To get my baseline I can document how many times a week I am awake watching TV until late at night. I can write this down in my planner that I always keep on my end table. If I were to graph it my baseline would be a high line for TV watching, with hopes that the line descends as time goes on and the behavior changes. The y axis would be hours of tv watching and the x axis would be amount of yoga.
11.) Target behavior, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, behavior, behavioral class, self directed behavior, other directed behavior.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found this section interesting because it is different than what we have been talking about most of this semester. We have been discussing how to change other people’s behaviors (other-directed) and only talked briefly about changing our own or using self-directed behaviors. It is interesting to note that we want to change our behaviors because it bothers us or bothers other people but not because they are illegal or that they may lead to trouble later on. Another interesting part of this section was that we usually do not change our own behaviors, like for New Year’s Eve we decide that is the time that we should try to change troublesome behaviors and it always seems like everyone makes these absurdly grand behavioral changes resolutions and they make them so unattainable they give up. I think it is pointless to even make resolutions because it seems silly to me that only one time a year I should try to change myself and also I think it is more intelligent to make small incremental changes than say “I am going to lose 50lbs” it would be more likely to say “I am going to lose 5lbs every 2 weeks”.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The part of this section that I found least interesting was not necessarily that it was not interesting but that it is irritating. When we describe target behaviors I seem to always think that I have went into enough detail to have made a target behavior that would not be questioned by anyone and that you could not think of the target behavior in any other context. However, when we do this in class I always feel like I do not describe the target behavior well enough.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
This section relates to what I already know because we discussed self-directed behaviors in class when we did the water behavioral change project. We went wanted to reinforce our behaviors to drink more water throughout the weeks. I tried to do this by reinforcing myself by getting to go out for margaritas on Thursday night if I had drank enough water by this time, however even though I did it was I stopped drinking enough water after the Thursday because I was already reinforced. Thinking of this next behavioral change project I will have to think of a better reinforcement.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing that I can relate to my life from this section is that of differential reinforcement. I feel like I naturally do this when I use self-directed behaviors to change an unwanted behavior. As we discussed we would rather not punish ourselves but rather reinforce ourselves. This means that we will reinforce ourselves for emitting other behaviors that reinforce our target behavior to decrease. Say we want to stop drinking so much pop than we would reinforce ourselves after drinking x amount of water. Another way that I can relate this to my life is that in general of self-directed behaviors I feel like I do these more than I think but I do not always stick to them and I think that this will be my challenge is actually being able to change my behavior and stick with it rather than going through a temporary change.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found this section interesting because define the steps in which we will use to make a self-directed behavioral change. I thought the part about reinforcers (step 5) was interesting because from Dr. Maclin’s example he became satiated when he was getting A’s and this was no longer a reinforcer and I think it is interesting how a reinforcer can become too common if we do not put them on the right schedule. I also thought that the antecedent was a very interesting step to take into consideration when thinking about our behavioral change project because we do not really notice how much of an impact some of these make in our behaviors.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The part that I found least interesting in this section was that it was completely just about the steps of the behavioral change project. I would have like to know a little more background information about the different aspects of self-directed behavior but this was helpful to understand the steps of course.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
This section relates to what we already know from the water behavioral change project. We went through most of these steps when we did the behavioral change project where we drank more water for a couple of weeks with using reinforcers and then we stopped using the reinforcers to see if we could keep up drinking the water.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing that I can relate to my life is I have made some pretty big changes in my life recently and this year I decided I wanted to be able to have the courage to do some of the things I have been putting off, like yesterday I finally got my first tattoo. I have a fear that if I keep putting off all of these things I will never do them in my life because hell I could die tomorrow. The second thing that I can relate to my life is under step 3 when it says to write things down right as they are happening and not rely on memory to try to guess what we did that day. This is something I do all the time and think I will remember so for this behavioral change project I picked something that I know I can handle to write the time down.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
Reading these sections has definitely helped me understand self-directed behaviors because that was what both of the sections were discussing. I think that it is a welcomed change in this class because we have basically only been discussing other-directed behavioral changes and I like that we can delve into ourselves for a change because I think sometimes we need to really look at ourselves and see that maybe it is not others who need to change their behaviors but that we ourselves need to.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
Step 1: Go to sleep earlier
Step 2: Go to sleep between the time of 12-1 every night
Step 3: I will keep record by entering the time I about fall asleep every night I will look at the clock before I fall asleep and write the time down in notes on my phone which is next to my bed. I think it is also important to note the day specifically like if I go out drinking on Friday and Saturday night then I know I will be up longer than if I am just at home relaxing.
Step 4: Title: Sleep. X-Axis: days of the week. Y-Axis: Time of the night
Step 5: A reinforcer that would occur is the fact that I would feel more rested every day and be livelier; this would be enough of a reinforcer because the feeling of not being exhausted every day is a great feeling.
Step 6: Antecedent: some of the antecedents that could elicit my behavioral change project could be things such as waking up earlier to fall asleep earlier, not taking naps, exercising more to make me tired, and possibly taking melatonin a vitamin to improve sleep.
Step 7: Adjust if need be.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will measure the behavior by recording what time I got to sleep and keeping track of the behavior by keeping the time in my notes in my phone because my phone is by me every night.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
I think that the data would look similar to the one from the water drinking project but in my case hopefully it is better than my results. The title for the graph would be Sleep; the x-axis would be days of the week and the y-axis would be time of the night like starting at 10p.m.-5 a.m.
Terminology: Other-directed behaviors, self-directed behavior, target behaviors, differential reinforcement, emit, reinforcers, satiated, antecedent, elicit
4.1
1 Self-directed behavior. What I like about self-directed behavior is that it implies that there is some motivation behind the behavior chosen. I would rather refer to it as intrinsically motivated behavior, and refer to other directed and extrinsically motivated. The reason I say this is because even when other-directed behavior stimulus is introduced it may influence us to a desired motivation to self-direct that behavior. Just because someone tells us to do something doesn’t mean that we have to do it. But we may even choose the behavior directed because we have motivation to do so, this would make it an intrinsically motivated behavioral choice that was influenced or (triggered) by an outside stimuli or another person.
2 The topic that I didn’t enjoy reading was others directed behavior. I like to believe that I should be in control of my life. I think the biggest issue I have is with the word ‘directed’. I know that I means to direct or persuade in a particular function, I believe that the use of the others in the scenario is influenced. Others influenced behavior would seem more accurate. We do things from the influence of others. Then we could classify peoples presence and a motivator for behavior instead of needing to say someone directed me to do something.
3 this relates to my class in sports psychology where we use the SMART goal method of Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results focused (which I like to think use reinforcing) and Time-bound it is the idea that if we follow these SMART guidelines that we will develop goals that are achievable.
4 I can relate to self-directed behavior that failed when I told myself that I would give up talking too much. First of all it was way generic and after a while I convinced myself that I was changing the essence of who I was. Secondly I like to think about self- directed behavior when I sit down with my coach and plan the year out where we go through all the factors at play and how we can alter them.
4.2
5 Determine antecedents. What I enjoyed about this section was that it was another dynamic that I had not yet anticipated after reading the first section. In sports psychology we talk about how to change behaviors every day, but we typically use people getting though things but use and application of motivation, what that does not cover is the placement of the thing in wish we want to motivate. We talk about how to tell clients (if you work with them) to set out clothes for working out. But we don’t take into account when to set them out, where to put them, or even which outfits (such as a cute one on Mondays because Mondays are the most challenging workout days, and a cute outfit makes you want to show it off) could be the best for different days.
6 I’ll be honest I enjoyed all of these because they all have importance with be, I can’t choose one I liked the least because in my mind they are a chain where you need each link to stay strong.
7 this relates to my class in sports psychology where we use the SMART goal method of Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results focused (which I like to think use reinforcing) and Time-bound it is the idea that if we follow these SMART guidelines that we will develop goals that are achievable. This relation is a little different because now I look into the functionality of why the names of the acronym are what they are.
8 We made goals last week in my sports psychology where we had to set specific goals and we went thought the same steps and the steps shown. In antecedents I can relate because my dad always told me to set my school clothes draped on my television set next to the clock it was until now that I started to think maybe my dad use antecedents to which having clothes on my tv doesn’t allow me to watch tv as well as I would have to put the clothes on before I watch tv in the morning.
9 Antecedents really opened my eyes to more behavior modification that I did not yet realize was there.
10
a. Behavior: Being on time to my first class. Every day. For 1 month.
a. S1. Goal: Arrive at events at 10 min before the event start to ensure a good seat
b. S2. Target behavior: Be on time for any event that I have planned
c. S3. Records: I downloaded an app that makes me put in a note for only a small time period. That period being 5 min before event start
d. S4. Graph
e. S5. Contingencies: time it takes to get ready, time it takes to travel to event, weather influences,
f. S6 antecedents: towel on door knob to endure shower first, clothes laid on computer desk. Phone alarm on cabinet out of reach form bed making me have to get up to turn alarm off
b. Record the time in which I make it to events
c. Graph
a. Title: arrival time
b. Y axis Time of arrival subtracted time of event
c. X axis Event
11 terminology: Self directed, other directed, goals,
4.1
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
- What I found interesting was the section discussing New Year’s resolutions and how people designate that holiday to change a specific behavior. Any of time of the year, people are lazy and don’t even want to think about changing themselves. Even what New Year’s comes around, people will start their change but eventually they’ll quit. They quit because they were too vague when thinking of the target behavior. I thought it was interested that having a very specific target behavior increases the likelihood of that person sticking to it.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
- What I thought was the least interesting were the sections describing self – directed and other – directed behavior because we had already explained this in another section. But I did like the repetition because of our upcoming behavioral change project.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
- I had already learned about self directed behaviors and understood that every target behavior has to be super concise and detailed so that anyone could see it the exact same. This is extremely important because if a target behavior is too vague, it’s difficult to reinforce or punish a behavior.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
- I related to the difficulties of changing a self-directed behavior. When we were doing the water drinking experiment over the past few weeks, I did really badly at reaching the target behavior. I don’t think I even reached the goal once because of my terrible habit. I know that if it was other-directed, I would’ve done better about it because someone else would be constantly reminding me to drink more water. And of course I related to the New Year’s resolution section but I have thought of some myself. During the year I would think of things I wanted to change but never went through with it. So when New Year’s came around, I was a little more motivated. One resolution was to start working out again. I was extremely vague every time so I was never strict on myself about whether I worked out or not because there weren’t any rules.
4.2
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
- I really liked this section because I have found it to be the most helpful one I’ve read so far. It gave me seven detailed steps I need to take when I deciding on a target behavior and emitting that behavior. This was very interesting because I had not thought of write a behavioral diary. Yes, I would record whenever I did the behavior but I never said what was going on before and after the behavior happened. I believe that if I started doing that, my behaviors would change quicker because I could predict the environment and either place or remove myself from that environment to increase my target behavior.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
- I didn’t find anything boring but I really did enjoy this section. It was super helpful for my behavioral change project and modifying behaviors in the future.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
- This section related to the other sections we have already read so far but it put more detail into how to change a behavior. It explicitly explains that we have to be very specific and precise when describing our target behavior so that reinforcing and punishing is easier.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
- Most of the time when I wanted to change a behavior, I’ll think of decreasing the behavior. This means I would have to punish myself and this didn’t excite me for the change. So I would have a pessimistic mindset for the behavioral procedure and end up quitting. If I could reverse the target behavior to something that still related to what I want to change and have it be something that could be reinforced, I would be a lot more likely to follow through with it. I also would think of behavioral classes and not just specific behaviors. This made my procedure very difficult and increased my likelihood of quitting.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
- It helped give me step by step instructions of how I can modify a behavior. The other sections explained difficult ways this could be done and the definitions of words that go along with behavioral change. But these sections spelled out what I need to do and gave details on how to do the steps. The steps make me feel more confident that I can change my target behavior and be strict about it.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
- The behavior I want to change is to start class projects and papers right away when they are assigned, doing a little bit everyday so that I don’t procrastinate and do it all the night before the due date. The little bit every day could be to read about my topic, make an outline, find research websites and articles, then begin typing my paper or project every day. I could do a few paragraphs a day. A behavior class of my target behavior would look like this: I want to start my school work earlier.
10b) how might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
- When the assignment is given, I would plan it out in my agenda saying specifically what I was going to do for that project. What I could record is how many times I worked on my assignments.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
- The title of my graph would be Measurement of Productivity. The y-axis would be the time spent being productive and the x-axis would be the days, Monday through Sunday.
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
- Target behavior, specific/vague, self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, reinforce, punish, emitting, behavioral diary, modify, behavior class
bnc
1)What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
Self-directed behavior and how it compares to New Years resolutions. It didn’t even click with me that New Years resolutions is something so many people try do every year and think the behavior will just follow but it doesn’t. I thought it was interesting that they never follow through due to the lack of specific target behaviors.
2)What did you find least interesting? Why?
Nothing wasn’t boring in this chapter. I enjoy reading about self-directed behaviors and I’m looking forward to setting my own goals and administering my own reinforcers.
3)How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section really talked about reinforcement and punishment. And how reinforcers will help these goals be met. Also discussed the target behavior and how these goals need to have a specific one in order to succeed. In this class and other classes these terms have also been learned.
4)Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Self-directed behavior and how I set goals because it bothers me and it also bothers others. Those two points really relate to me and why I want to change my behavior. When I pick at my split ends it not only bothers me that I damage my hair but it also bothers others because it makes it look as though I am not interested or not listening to what they are saying. Another thing that can relate to my life is the whole New Years resolutions and how they tend to always fail. In the past I have tried to change a behavior for my New Years resolution and it has not followed through simply due to the lack of reinforcers and it was too broad, I needed to make my target behavior more specific.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5)What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The part about keeping a record was pretty neat. I always write everything down! And never rely on my memory because of the chance of inaccurate. I’ve been thinking about what to change and need to keep in mind something that will be easy to record as soon as the behavior occurs.
6)What did you find least interesting? Why?
The graph a baseline was the least interesting because seeing the data isn’t something that really stands out to me. And its stuff as students have been learning over and over again.
7)How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
The previous section stated some of the topics that were discussed. Talking about how we need to set a specific goal and avoid the need for punishment. Then it went into the term target behavior. The ABCs were brought up again in this section, this was learned in previous courses as well as earlier in this course.
8)Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I feel as though as I nanny I always try to avoid the use of punishment and I also try to determine contingencies such as effective reinforcers, and how and when I should deliver them. These two things relate to my everyday life when in many ways but especially when I’m working with those three kiddos.
9)How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
This course is has influenced my knowledge of how big this field really is! After reading these sections, it is really evident that behavior modification is present everywhere. These two sections were really focused on our behavior change project and how we will you self-direct to change a specific target behavior.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
1.Set Goal- decrease picking split ends
2.Define the goals as a set of specific target behaviors- have healthy hair and not pick at my split ends and make it worse by damaging my hair
3.Keep a record- blog when I pick at my hair
4.Graph a baseline-at the end I’ll graph the beginning until the end results- this will have to wait to collect the data
5.Determine the contingencies- at this point I am not sure what I’m going to use as a reinforcer
6.Determine the antecedents- I could wear my hair at first in a way I don’t have to be tempted to pick. I don’t know how I’m going to make my environment change so I notice not to pick.
7.Implement and adjust the contingencies- this will have to wait and I may need to change or tweak the reinforcers and so on.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I think I’m going to set up random times during the day and see if that alarm goes off if I’m picking my hair or not.
Or I will record simply when it is I pick at my hair and what’s occurring at the moment when I do it. I will simply keep tally marks of when I pick at my hair and hopefully come to a conclusion of what is causing it at certain times.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
It would look similar to the one we did for the water drinking because eventually it will increase and then plateau because it will hopefully become natural and habit that I stop.
Title: Stopping the Damage
Y-axis: time
X-axis: days
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
Reinforcement. Punishment. Self-directed behavior. ABC’s. Target behavior. Contingencies.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why? I found the breaking down of New Year’s resolutions interesting because I, like many other people, have had failed ones on account of not specifying the target behavior, and after understanding how to make these behavior modifications, I believe that the possibility of these resolutions could be possible.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why? I found the part about other-directed behavior least interesting because we have previously been learning about it.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? I already knew that New Year’s Resolutions were usually unsuccessful, though I didn’t know the reason why. Also, we have learned about other-directed behavior in the previous chapters.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so? The part about vague New Year’s resolutions relates to my life because I have made many of them, such as getting organized, losing weight, and studying more. Unsurprisingly, I failed to stick to all of them. Also, defining target behavior relates to my life because I plan on using it more in the future to help change things about myself that I find undesirable.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why? I found the second step of self-directed behavior most interesting because I feel like the reason that my goals often fail is because I do not set them in reference to the four criteria. Many of my goals are unobtainable under the standards that I put them under, which is why they do not succeed. Using these criteria, I may be able to hit some of the goals that I have set but never previously met.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why? I found the step about graphing a baseline the least interesting because I understand things better when they are in words or numbers, not visual descriptions.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? We had talked about defining target behaviors and making them as specific as possible in previous chapters. Also, in most self help books or blogs, they recommend writing down everything when you are trying to reach a goal, as well.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so? Defining target behaviors, or a lack of, has been a part of my life because I try to set goals, but not being specific in these goals and defining the target behavior leads these goals to falling through. Also, keeping a record of what I do relates to my life because I have previously tried to do so with the things that I was trying to accomplish. Mostly, I used to count calories to try to lose weight.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so? The part about using punishment to modify self-directed behavior changed how I thought of punishment because I had thought of it as this scary harmful thing that should ONLY be used when there is no way to use reinforcement.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class. For my behavioral project, I would like to start running more, which would be my goal that I set. To specify my target behaviors, I would like to run 1 mile on Mondays, and each day increase by 1 mile, but have Saturday and Sunday for rest days. Behavior classes are broad terms that behaviors fit into, like, for mine, the behavioral class would be exercise, which could be running, yoga, weightlifting, etc.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior? I could download an app that maps and tracks where and how much you run.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis? If I stuck to my goal, the graph should be a slope, but drop down to 0 on Saturday and Sunday. The title would be Amount of Miles Ran in a Week. The y axis would be amount of miles ran and the x axis would be day that I ran them.
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
Target behavior, Behavior, Resolution, Other-directed Behavior, Modification, Punishment, Reinforcement, Self-directed Behavior, Undesirable, Graph, Baseline
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the section on New Year’s resolutions interesting. I have always wondered what was so special about a single day to make a change and stick to a new task. It makes sense that the reason a lot of them fail is because no one describes what they want to change in specific terms. “I want to be healthy” is not setting a goal. It is a general statement that is too abstract to build or add to.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
When target behavior was mentioned again. I feel that I have a decent grasp on this concept.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
In previous sections target behaviors were mentioned. This section emphasized the importance of specific target behaviors. If someone is not sure of the exact behavior they would like to change it can make it difficult to manipulate that behavior.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I have never made a New Year’s resolution that has continued throughout the year. Usually I make a general statement and try to uphold the resolution for the first couple weeks or so. I believe that I gave up so soon because I never established a baseline and I never recorded data. I feel that charting my progress would have made my resolutions more applicable.
I do not do well when it comes to self-directed behavior. I have to be extremely motivated to pursue an activity. At times it is difficult to remain motivated if a task is more challenging than expected. I always push through and finish the task at hand; it just may take more time than originally expected.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I had no clue that behavior modification could go so in-depth. I was glad to learn that self-directed behavior only includes seven steps. It is much easier to go about changing a behavior when it is laid out in steps. It is easier to remain focused and organized about what needs to be changed, recorded, etc. At times it is difficult for me to remain focused on a tedious task, so when there are steps it helps me to regain focus. I enjoyed reading the examples because they helped me better understand the material (especially the one about earning A’s and doughnuts as reinforcement). In one of the steps there is mention of a behavior diary. I had not thought to record antecedents, behaviors, and consequences for my own behavior before this class. Now I am beginning to believe that I need to improve my self-directed behavior.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I was least interested in the section where it was stated that revision/updating may be a part of the self-directed steps. I would rather have everything correct the first time so I would not have to adjust my baseline and the data that I had collected up to the point where an error was found.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
Target behaviors were mentioned again in this section as well as the previous one. This section also includes reinforcement and punishment principles which was mentioned in one of the first few chapters.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
When reinforcing or punishing the behavior is put in the spotlight I have to say that I find increasing a behavior much easier than decreasing a behavior. Stopping a habit is tricky and I still have not gotten over my procrastination tendencies.
Another thing that relates to my life is that I am not easily motivated and enjoy change. Behavior modification is very much consistent and unchanging—as it should be—but it will be difficult to change habits for this reason. I am resistant to repetition so increasing or decreasing a behavior would probably be a long process for me.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
I had no idea that self-directed behavior could be condensed into the seven major steps of: setting the goal, defining the target behavior, keeping records of the behavior, graphing the baseline, determining the contingencies, determining the antecedents, and implementing and/or adjusting the contingencies.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
I want to change my late night snacking habits. I would like to stop eating food past 9 pm at night.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I might set up the time section (x-axis) with the days of the week and then on the y-axis I might put number of snacks eaten at night. I would record how many I ate and then I would record what I ate in my behavioral journal. I should also right about my emotional, mental, and physical states so that I could possibly find a link between one of them and my snacking behavior.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
For the x-axis I would most likely have a time element, like Sunday through Monday and then on the y-axis I might put number of snacks eaten; I could possibly even mention if I felt an impulse to eat but did not end up grabbing a snack (I most likely will have to have two separate graphs).
Terms: target behavior, self-directed behavior, motivation, habits, consistency, reinforcement, punishment, baseline, target behaviors
1. The most interesting part of this section for me would be differential reinforcement of other. I found this interesting because it's an idea we have spoken of in class, but not really put a name to before now. I think its both interesting and logical to seek out alternate behaviors that we want to increase rather than punish behaviors we want to decrease. As has been stated throughout the text and class, punishment tends not to diminish, merely displace, so reinforcement is always a better option. And when dealing with self-directed behavior modification, you would obviously want to be seeking out something that isn't aversive, who wants to punish themselves?
2. The least interesting part to me was probably New Years Resolutions, I get that its an example of how broad goals, that are usually looking to decrease a habit don't work, but I just wasn't into it.
3. This is an expansion of what we've been talking about in class, it takes the ideas of reinforcement and punishment and brings it into a scenario where we are administering modification to ourselves. A lot of the same ideas can apply in the scenario, but more than ever before, we need to be specific about our target behaviors, and choose reinforcement over punishment.
4. The idea of New Years Resolutions certainly applies to my real life. I have definitely made one or two in my past that have never come to fruition. I think the real reason is that just like it was mentioned in the reading, the resolution I made was too broad, and led to me quickly giving up. Another way I can relate is the idea of DRO. I have certainly made the goal to eat less junk food before, but at times I didn't instead decide to reinforce for eating more healthy foods. With just this slight shift of perception, I could have been a lot more successful.
5.I found the actual steps that are important to self directed behavior modification to be very interesting. Most especially the idea of identifying antecedents. By changing the environment around ourselves we can help encourage our target behavior. I understand that we need a solid reinforcer as well, but I feel like antecedents can really be the puzzle piece that determines how effective the intervention is.
6. I didn't find anything overly boring.
7. This section takes the principles we have already learned, importance of antecedents and reinforcers, the need to be specific about target behaviors, and applies them to a situation where we are intervening upon ourselves. This section is basically a how to in applying a good portion of what we have studied in this class to ourselves.
8. One thing that relates to my life is this idea of antecedents. When needing to workout more, I tend to find that once I return to my home at the end of the day I am rather loathe to leave it. If I have my workout clothes already in my car, I can change the scenario, by being able to go directly to the gym, and not have to return to my dwelling. Another way this applies is the idea of specific target behaviors. Wanting to change something about yourself is very challenging if you don't get more specific than I want to look better, or be more fit. You need to define behaviors, such as go to the gym for at least thirty minutes of cardio, plus additional time using weights or doing abs.
9. This section has changed my views about behavioral mod. in that it has helped better show how to go about self directing modifications in my own behavior. It has provided easy to follow steps that make this process easier.
10.a I want to exercise more
Step 1: Exercise more
Step 2: Go to gym, include cardio session of minimum of thirty minutes, also add weight training as time allows. Do this minimum of twice a week.
Step 3: I will keep record by marking down the number of times a week I successfully go to the gym and fulfill target behaviors.
Step 4: Title: Visits to gym per week, X-axis: Week, Y-axis: # of gym visits
Step 5: A reinforcer that might work would be a beer after my workout. This should be doubly reinforcing because I have found in the past that a post workout beer is much more refreshing than a normal beer. In addition I'm hoping that the increase in energy that comes from more constant working out will also be a reinforcer.
Step 6: One antecedent I'm planning on changing is having my workout clothes in my car at all times. By having this stuff ready to go, I will lessen the likelihood of arriving at home and deciding that leaving isn't worth it.
As far as what my graph would look like, it would certainly start at zero, but I'm hoping for a general increase in the target behavior, most likely with a plateau once I start getting in a good rhythm.
target behavior, reinforcer, self directed intervention, RDO, antecedent, consequence, punishment, reinforcement.
1) I thought that learning about self-directed behavior in general was the most interesting part of this section. I have always been curious about ways to apply psychology to different aspects of my life, so learning about how to more effectively control my own unwanted behaviors is a good starting place.
2) Since the whole section was mainly about self-directed behavior and the process through which to implement this behavioral change, there wasn’t really any part that I didn’t find interesting. If I had to pick one part it might have been the paragraph about choosing target behaviors, just because I found the layout a little hard to understand, not because it wasn’t interesting or relevant to the section.
3) This section takes us from learning about the fundamental psychological concepts of behavior modification and the history of its practice, to how we can implement the practices in our own lives.
4) One thing that I can relate back to my life was the example of the New Year’s resolutions. These never seem to work for me or my friends so it was nice to know that there was a behavioral basis for why we haven’t been able to stick with them. Another maybe more obvious thing I could relate to was the specific defining of the target behavior of self-directed behavior and beginning our behavioral change project. I have been thinking about which behavior to choose and this section helped me to be able to narrow it down to my final choice.
5) I really liked this chapter because it was laid out in a clear, step-by -step format that was easy to read and understand. Not many text books are set up this way and I thought that it was conducive to learning the material and an interesting deviation from normal. I also thought that the steps involving the graphing of antecedents and consequences were helpful for beginning the behavioral change project.
6) The part of the section that I found the least interesting would probably be the part that talked about how to keep a diary of our activities related to our self-directed behavior. I didn’t find it as interesting as the rest of the section just because I felt that the material was pretty self-explanatory.
7) One of the things we learned about in class last week was the process of making a graph of behavioral changes and then implementing changes. I feel I was able to understand that part of the section more than if I hadn’t been in class.
8) Parts of the section that I could relate to my life were the paragraphs about antecedents. I determined before starting the behavior change project that my target behavior was a stress response so it was interesting to be able to look back and see that I was identifying antecedents already. Another thing I found relatable was the part on adjusting to contingencies, this was because I had tried to stop doing my target behavior in the past and instead of adapting to the contingencies I allowed them to effectively end the change in behavior I was trying to bring about. My plan now is to follow the 7 steps outlined in the chapter so that this does not happen in the behavioral-change project.
9) Since these sections were all about outlining steps to help curb behavior they were more or less a reinforcer of the more traditional image of behavior modification that I held before I took this class.
10) A. The behavior I chose to change was to stop pulling out of the hair from my head intentionally when feeling stress. This is not a behavioral class because it is a specific behavior and cannot be interpreted differently or generalized to mean something else.
b. I’m going to measure the behavior by how many times I catch myself actively pulling on my hair as if to pull it out, not when I run my hand through my hair or am fixing it, only as a reaction to stress. I plan to record this on notes in my phone or on a piece of paper while at work.
c. The graph would be titled Stress-response Hair Pulling Over Time, the number of times I tried to pull would be on the y axis and the days would be on the x axis.
11)Terms: self-directed behavior, target behavior, behavioral change, antecedents, consequences, contingencies
Section 4.1
1) The one thing I really liked from this section is the part about resolutions and how it is usually unfulfilled. I liked this part because it is now clear to me why all my resolutions from the time I started having “resolutions” till now have never been fruitful. This is because resolutions can be a tad too broad and does not focus on the “NOW”.
2) The one thing I liked least from this section is the part about converting an undesired behavior into a desired behavior. I didn't agree with this part because it states that converting an undesired behavior from one that would ordinarily require punishment into a behavior you can reinforce that will lead to the same outcome is east and typically much more desirable. In my opinion, in certain circumstances it is not that easy and punishment might work better.
3) The one thing that I have learned from previous chapters is behavior modification actually works. I learned that behavior modification actually works because it goes against the norm of people saying that our behavior can’t be changed because “we are who we are”.
4) Two things that I can relate to my life is the difference between other-directed behavior and self-directed behavior, and Quitting VS Reducing. As for the difference between other-directed behavior and self-directed behavior, it relates to my life because it can be related to certain undesired behaviors that I have. An example would be smoking. Finally, I can relate the part about Quitting VS Reducing to my life because I agree that the goal of reducing works better than the goal of quitting. An example would be my own struggle with smoking and how by having a goal of reducing the amount of cigarettes instead of quitting, I have reduced the amount I smoke on a daily basis.
Section 4.2
5) The one thing that I liked about this section is the 5th step of self directed behavior modification which is determining the contingency. I really liked this part because I believe that humans are driven by the reward that they get or are “promised” which is the reinforcement that is part of this step.
6) The one thing I liked least about this section is 3rd step of self-directed behavior which is keeping a record. I did not like this part because I know I am not a consistent person and it requires a lot of discipline to be consistent.
7) Something that I have learned from previous chapters is improper reinforce. The reason is because it gives me an example of a reinforcer that does not work which is when there is no change to the frequency of behavior.
8) Two things that I can relate to my life is setting a goal, and relying on memory is insufficient. As for setting a goal, I can relate it to my life because it is the first step to self-directed behavior and this step is important because without a goal, there would be no behavior to change. Secondly, I can relate that relying on memory is insufficient to my life by overestimating myself when it comes to writing notes in class. Some classes I don't take down notes because I feel that my memory is sufficient enough to get me a good grade when there is an exam but at times I regret not taking down notes because relying on just the memory from my lecture was not sufficient enough.
9) a behavior that I would like to change is decrease the amount I spend shopping online.
Step 1 (set goal): Spend less online shopping.
Step 2 (Define Target Behavior): Spend less than $400 a month online shopping on amazon.
Step 3 (Record): I would record the amount I spend on amazon every end of the week.
Step 4 (Graph a Baseline): I would graph a baseline on the data of how much money I spent on amazon. X-axis would be the amount of money spent on amazon and the y-axis would be weeks.
Step 5 (Contingencies): The reinforcer would be get to play Dota 2 (online computer game) each day I don’t spend on amazon
10) I will record my spending through amazon itself and note down how much I spend every end of the week.
11)Then I will plot the data on a graph with the title “Amount of Money Spent on Amazon”. I will label my x-axis as money spent and my y-axis as weeks.
12) undesired behavior, desired behavior, punishment, reinforce, other-directed behavior, self-directed behavior, goal, intervention, contingencies, target behavior.
1). I thought other directed behavior was interesting because it was something that is new to me. I also thought the relation to the New years resolutions was very interesting and it made some really good points. I think that relation really caught my attention and it really helped me understand the topic.
2). I thought going back to the target behavior information was the least interesting part because we have talked about that topic so many times in other chapters and other sections.
3). This section brought a lot of new information me but it did refer to what I knew about target behaviors and punishment and reinforcement. We have learned about those topics in other sections of this course and in other courses at UNI.
4). Self- directed behavior is something I could use in daily life when goal setting for my self in the future. I think I could also use other directed behavior in my life when I am at work with the children or with my family.
5). The most interesting part about this section was step one of self-direct behavior. I think knowing the goal and setting it is the most important part and that is why I think I found this so interesting.
6). I thought reading about graphing was the least interesting part just because it was boring about I don’t think it is that important for me and my goal setting but I could see how it would be very helpful for other to use it.
7). This section talks about target behaviors again and that is something that I have talked about in the past with other classes and other sections of this class, I have also learned about goal setting but I haven’t learned about it into this much detail.
8). I think I could use step 1 goal setting in my life in many ways with my future in work and with health and there are always new goals to work for and I know have a good method for goal setting. I also think I could use step 3 keep a record because I always do better when I can see what I am doing when I see the things I have done in the past. I think that will be very helpful outside of class.
9). This has made my opinion of behavior modification grow because a lot of the topics that were talked about in these two sections were new and I didn’t know anything about them. As we started this class I didn’t think I was going to know much about behavior modification and over the last few weeks I was beginning to think I was wrong because I knew a lot of the things that were discussed until this week.
10). A: Running every day, A behavior class would be for example working out a behavior would be running. A class is a broader topic and a behavior is the categories under the class.
B: I will measure the behavior by using my phone running app and smart watch. I will keep track of the behavior using the app as well. It records daily activities.
C: Running chart IF you consistently ran everyday the graph would only fluctuate with the length of the run. The x axis title would be Days of the week and the y axis would be miles ran.
11) Other directed behavior, target behavior, punishment, reinforcement, self directed behavior, behavior class, behavior, goal setting, graphing, record keeping
After reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
Something that I found interesting in this section was learning about self- directed behavior in detail and about setting your own goals.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
There was not really anything in this section that I disliked. I thought that all the information in this section is very useful especially since it will be helpful with changing my behavior.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Something that already learned about in previous sections was target behavior. By knowing about target behavior it helped when set up a new behavior project.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing that relates to my life is self-directed behavior. I am going to use self-directed behavior to help modify a few of my behaviors. Another thing that relates to my life is the SMART goal method because I am able to use this method when making and set up goals for myself.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
Something that I found interesting in this sections was how easy it was to understand the steps to take to modify your own behavior because it made it easy and clear how to modify your behavior and just how hard it is to change your behavior.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
There was not really anything in this section that I disliked. I thought that all the information in this section is very useful especially since it will be helpful with changing my behavior.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Something that I already knew about is when trying to achieve a goal writing down the thing that you are doing currently so that you can get rid of the undesired behavior.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing that I can relate to from this section is setting goals. I have set goals many goals for myself order the years that I would like to complete. Another thing that I can relate to from this section is behavior intervention this relate to my life because I have some undesired behavior that I need to modify for the better.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
These sections did not change my originally thought about behavior modification. However, it did influence me to modify some of my behaviors.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
1) Goal: Eat healthier
2) Target behaviors: eat healthier meals, snack less between meals, and drink more water
3) Keep records: write down each meals and snacks and also keep record of meals on my phone in a note pad or through an app.
4) Make a graph: the first week use as a baseline without a reinforcement and graph and then the next week graph the behavior with a reinforcement for the following few weeks to see if a difference occurs. Then continue the behavior without reinforcement and try not to return to the previous behavior.
5) Determine contingencies: after a week eating healthier and snacking less I will go out with friends or get a massage.
6) Determine antecedents: Start buying healthier foods, having more home cooked meals, and having healthy snacks available.
7) Implement and adjust contingencies: change the contingencies if needed.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would go about measuring the behavior just by keeping track each meal and the type of food that I eat. Also how many times that I snack each day.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
My graph would like similar to the water drinking graph that we have for class. The title of my graph would be Eating Healthier. Labels for the y axis and x axis are (amount that was ate) (number of times that something was ate).
11) Terms: Self-directed behavior reinforcement, target behavior, contingencies, antecedent, behavior,
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I thought it was interesting how in self-directed behavior, we rely on ourselves to manage the behavior and in most cases administer the consequences and reinforcements. I find this interesting because most people don't think they can change behaviors they have without help from others and it would be "too" difficult for them to change themselves. This has to do with where people don't feel they have enough self-control to administer the reinforcements to themselves and rely on others to do so, which is called other-directed behavior.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I didn't find anything disinteresting in this section. It was a brief section and I enjoyed reading it.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
Well, we learned in previous chapters about DRO, differential reinforcement of other, which is discussed in this section. It also expands on self-oriented behaviors and reinforcements and punishments.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Mentioned in the section is New Year's Resolutions and goal setting to start fixing a self-directed behavior. I relate to this because I am one of the many many people who set a New Year's Resolution, and the section makes a very valid point: why not set that goal right now?! Recently I started a healthier diet, which consists of mostly vegetables and fruits, water, and some meats, but no red meat. I had to set goals and I decided just out of the moment. I didn't say, I'll wait until monday, I started right then and there, and I knew there would have to be some behavioral changes which would be self-directed. I believe I set this goal as a reinforcement procedure because I actually like eating healthy foods and I am feeling better every day. I also give a reinforcer to myself, which is getting the choice to have a "cheat meal" on saturday night. Another way this section relates to my life is that when I was younger, my parents would punish my behavior of texting at the dinner table. As a punisher, they took my phone away. This is known as other-directed behavioral change because they were directing my behavior, instead of myself.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I thought it was interesting how the section stated that when setting a goal, try to refrain from decreasing an undesirable behavior to avoid the need for punishment and instead increase a desirable behavior for the reinforcement. You will more likely go through the steps mentioned if you are being reinforced.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
This section was very helpful with setting and reaching goals, so I wouldn't say I found anything that wasn't interesting.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
I kind of already had an idea that you needed to set specific goals and take specific steps to reach goals, especially with a self-directed behavioral change, but I didn't know exactly what steps to take.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Well, everyday I set a goal for myself, whether it be subconsciously or consciously, and this section relates to my goal setting. The steps mentioned helps me with my goals and how I can reach them, especially my most recent goal, eating a healthier diet. Another goal I have set is the goal to get this assignment done, and these steps help me specify exactly how, when, and where to get it finished.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
These sections helped with my understanding in that with reaching a self-directed behavioral goal you should take specific steps and make sure you are basing it off reinforcement procedure instead of a punishment procedure.
10a)
The behavior I want to change is reducing the amount of time spent on Facebook to only an hour per day. Right now, I am probably averaging about 3+ hours on Facebook.
I have already utilized step one in that I set my goal and it is specific which also goes with step two, defining your target behavior. For step three, I will keep records of how much time I spend on Facebook each time and average it for this week for my baseline. I will then start to graph my baseline behavior(step four) and start looking for contingencies and patterns(step five) to decide definitely my change in time on Facebook. Finding out the antecedents(step six) is also something I will also be keeping track of in my "behavioral diary". For step seven, I will then start making adjustments to my contingencies and antecedents to help reduce my behavior.
10b)
I will measure in amount of time I spend each time on Facebook and adding them up at the end of each 24 hour period starting at midnight and ending at midnight the next day. At the end of each 7 day week, I will average out the times of each day to determine my average time spent in one week.
10c)
I think the graph will start off like the water drinking graph. But I didn't do a very good job with keeping with my water drinking goal, whereas this one I want to be to get the results I want. The title will be "Reduction of Time Spent on Facebook" with the y-axis being "Time in Hours" and the x-axis as "Days of Week". I am choosing these two because I will be able to see a pattern.
11)
Terms: self-directed behavior, other-directed behavior, reinforcement procedure, punishment procedure,
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
One part of the section that I found interesting was when they were talking about New Year Resolutions. It is interesting that the resolutions aren't direct enough which is why people are less likely to be successful. I always tell myself I will set a resolution to exercise more or stay more positive, but I never do anything to make those things happen. If I wanted to, I could take the behavior and turn it into a reinforcement in order to lead to the same outcome in a desirable way. I should probably try that.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found target behaviors least interesting. I feel like we have gone over this a lot. It consists of being more specific about one thing rather than generalizing. It seems to be something so simple and easily understood.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section continued on the topics that we have talked about in previous sections, such as target behaviors, punishment and different types of reinforcement.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
This whole chapter seems to be easy to relate to anyone’s life. The two things that I can relate to my life are self-directed behavior and New Year’s Resolutions. I continue to punish myself when I try to change a behavior and don't. I'm going about it the wrong way. I never create a target behavior that is direct enough. I can also think of times when I've attempted to modify someone else's behavior, as related to other-directed behavior, such as stopping my mom from smoking (I know, large scale). As far as New Year's Resolutions, I just failed to make my resolution simple and precise.
After reading the second section 4.2, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I definitely enjoy the idea of a behavior diary. We did something similar to this in my high school psych class for a short period of time. By writing everything down before, during and after, we can see how behaviors effect our day to day life and this seems like a great way to monitor ourselves. I feel like it's also much more motivating to see the changes day by day.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found this whole section pretty interesting. The only part that I found uninteresting was the section talking about making graphs. I hate graphs. I know, good thing I'm a psych major, right?
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section talked quite a bit about target behaviors, as well as antecedents and consequences. This chapter just expanded on the previous section talking about self-directed behavior. The graphing stems throughout about any psych class.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing that relates to my life is the example about reinforcing for good grades. I did this, and still do this, because I need to get a really high GPA. I reward myself with movies and Netflix, and I allow myself to relax. The other thing I can relate to my life is setting a goal. I have set many goals to change my behaviors. However, I did not know of these helpful steps and decided to just pick something and go with it. They never lasted very long due to not rewarding myself and forgetting to do the behavior.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
These sections influenced my thinking of behavior modification that there is more than just figuring out a behavior that you want to be decreased or increased. The target behavior needs to be specific and well thought out to make an actual difference. Another thing that changed my perspective is the fact that there are actual steps to improving your behavior. I thought that originally you just improved your behavior by just using punishment and reinforcement. I like seeing that there is a structure to it.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
1. Set a goal: My goal is to get outside more to see how it improves my mood.
2. Define the goals as a set of specific target goals: Go on a walk every other day and sit on my porch swing as a coping skill.
3. Keep a record: I will use a notebook and write how I feel beforehand and afterward, timed and dated.
4. Graph a baseline: The details will be below (Question 10c)
5. Determine the contingencies: I will reinforce myself by eating ice cream because I love ice cream
6. Determine the antecedents: I will leave my headphones and tennis shoes by the front door in anticipation of going outside.
7. Implements and adjust the contingencies: I may need to set a specific time to go each day, so that I do not get unmotivated. However, usually I do it when I get upset. So I need to predict that I will need to drop everything and go outside for about 20 minutes a day.
The behavior I want to change is to spend time outside for at least 20 minutes a day. The behavior is walking and porch swinging. The behavior class is outside time. The behavior is more specific than the behavioral class.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
Every time I go out, I will write about my emotions beforehand and my emotions afterward and whether being outside was a positive experience.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
The title of the graph would be Minutes Outside Per Day. The Y-Axis would be number of minutes that I spent outside. The X-Axis would be the days of the week. I will put a break in the Y-axis in order to add a notch for whether it was a positive experience and hopefully it will be consistent.
Terms: target behaviors, punishment, self-reinforcement, self-directed behavior, reinforce, behavior, behavioral class, other-directed behaviors, behavior modification
1. I initially thought that the explanation between self-directed behavior and other-directed behavior a bit interesting because I never thought about the names for the two categories. While reading it, I thought to myself how much easier it would be to have other-directed behavior when it comes to changing a behavior. I enjoyed the humor when the New Year’s Resolution google search was discussed as well. I also enjoyed the breakdown of “What does it specifically mean to spend more time with family/friends” because I think when people make goals for themselves, they don’t get specific enough and they never really know if what they did was “enough” and often they set goals a little out of reach.
2. I found very little in this section uninteresting because it gave me a much clearer view on why when I (and others) try to change a behavior…it is often unsuccessful. Often enough when I say I want to “lose weight” I only mean 5-7 pounds or at least tone up but I never specify. If anything I would only consider the first two paragraphs mildly boring but I am just being picky.
3. I have somewhat learned about this in other classes like Psych of Personality and some social psych classes but otherwise I don’t think I have ever learned such a specific model of how to identify with a behavior you would like to change, how to do it and how to stick to it.
4. An example of Other-directed behavior in my life could relate to my old job as a cashier at Target. They were very pushy for us to get people to sign up for Redcards (which was so hard after the security breach). They would offer all sorts of crazy things to us if we signed people up including free Starbucks, being able to throw a pie in our bosses face, taking an extra 15 minute break…etc. The part about Resolutions also relate t my life because I have tried them in the past. I think mine last year was to “go to the gym” so I paid 60$ for a membership and I never (literally only 2 times in 2 months) went. I wasn’t using any type of reinforcement and I wasn’t specific when thinking of a target behavior or goal.
5. First off, I laughed when reading “Lets suppose for a moment that we want to write more. Don’t ask me why you would want to…” because I thought that was really funny. I am glad it worked out for Kyle as well. I thought the 3 examples of ways you could write more to be interesting and well thought out as well. I feel many times people are so vague with their goals that they have nothing to keep track of. Being specific about how much you write and where youll be writing will help. I also really like the idea of finding a baseline. When I go to change a behavior I normally rough estimate something…but if I am over estimating it may be too easy to think I am cutting back when I’m not, and if I am cutting myself short then it may be too hard to decrease all at once because instead of cutting back by what I think is only 10% I am realistically starting out 50% lower than how much I actually do that behavior.
6. I didn’t think anything was boring. I do feel that with this part of the book, the section right before it seemed somewhat unneeded since this part went into so much more detail about the same idea. I did appreciate the specific behavior for the examples, though.
7. This was all talked about in the section right before this one so my knowledge of the steps you take and the reasons behind them related to what I learned previously. We have also talked about these in class when we were talking about drinking more water.
8. One that relates to my life is the “Finding a baseline”. The behavior I am choosing to change is how much money I spend a week in stuff I “don’t need” like clothes, shoes, makeup…etc. Initially I just thought I would tell myself “No you don’t need this” when wanting something, but that still may not make any difference. If I see how much I averagely spend a week right now, I can tell myself “Nope, you already spent the limit you set for this week”. The other part would be the ending where it says not to give up. Sometimes life does get in the way…like we can’t always work out everyday for an hour when we are on vacation or what not. So I would like to keep that in mind as well.
9. I guess my idea of B-mod is still the same besides the fact that there were a lot of steps I didn’t take into consideration at first. I often watch shows where people for to a therapist to get help to stop a behavior and I always wondered why it would take so long to change it but there are more steps to take then just trying, rewarding, and succeeding.
10. A: The behavior I am planning to change is to spend less money each week (consistently) until I hit around an 85% decrease on unnessicary shopping. First I will be keeping a record of how much I spend on average a week on shopping for things like clothes and shoes when I don’t need it. The first week I will decrease my limit by 10%, then by 20% and so on until I reach a goal of consistenly spending much less. This doesn’t mean I will try to “hit the goal” exactly, but with the money I save, I will give myself the option at the end of the month to buy something I may have had to sadly turn down multiple times that month. That way I know it is really what I want as well
B: I will keep a journal of how much I spend and on what, and I will graph it by the weekly amount spent Monday-Sunday by weeks.
C: I am hoping the graph will have a continuous downward slope. The title would be “Amount of unneeded spending” and the axis’s would be “Week (1-10)” and “Amount spent”
11. Other directed behavior, target behavior, punishment, reinforcement, self directed behavior, behavior class, behavior, goal setting, graphing, record keeping
1085 words
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
1. Target Behavior: Smoking only 0-2 cigarettes per day.
2. Helpful Behaviors: Keeping track of numbers, Only keeping 2 cigarettes with me, Trying to take my mind off of them, Chewing gum or eating candy instead
3. Keeping a Record: I would keep a record in my phone, that way I can always have it with me.
4. Graph: See below (10c)
5. Contingencies: 1) I like to run when I feel like having a cigarette mid-day. It takes my mind off of it, and allows my blood to pump. Then when I get done, I never feel like having one. 2) Eat come chocolate or gum. (Both reinforcers)
6. Antecedents: I smoke mostly in the car, so possibly keeping them out of reach.
7. Implement and Adjust.
Difference: A behavioral class for my target behavior would be “Smoking;” smoking is a general term which could involve a number of substances and amounts, whereas my target behavior is more specific in amount and substance.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I would measure by counting the number of cigarettes I have per day.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
Title: Cigarettes Per Day
Y-axis: Number of Cigarettes
X-axis: Day
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found four reasons we should change a behavior very interesting, and quite humorous. The reasons of course being:
1) They bother us
2) They bother other people
3) They might lead to trouble later on
4) They are illegal
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the section on New Year’s resolutions least interesting. I think this is because this section basically explained the concepts of SMART goal making - specific, measurable, attainable, results-focused, and time bound. This is a concept we have covered in many different classes, seminars, and various other sources. Therefore, this section was a little less interesting because it basically explained how most people fail at New Year’s Resolutions because they are way too broad and generally lack much specificity and ambition.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
The section on New Year’s held concepts that I had learned in other classes. Also, self-directed behaviors have been introduced in other classes I have had such as Clinical Psychology and Introduction to Psychology.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I can relate self-directed behaviors to my life because there are many behaviors that I have attempted to change because they bother me or they bother those around me in ways I do not want to. I also can related other-directed behaviors to my life because I have had many moments where elders or people in authority have corrected me on behaviors that are not appropriate, such as yelling indoors or running through the hallways as a child, etc.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the entire process of goal making fairly interesting, especially the diary section. I had heard of keeping a diary for other goals such as tracking calories, so it makes perfect sense that we would use this for behavior modification.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The least interesting section for me would probably be the graphing section as I do not like math or using graphs in general. However, it makes perfect sense within the goal making system.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
I had heard of some of the concepts within the goal-making, but the specifics were fairly new.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Obviously every section within the goal-making process could be applied to my life. Something new that I could focus on would be adding the various contingencies and adjusting them as i go along.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
Goal-making and behavior modification go pretty much hand in hand, which makes perfect sense, but I had never really thought about it from that perspective.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
I would really like to stop biting the very tips of my nails so they are squared whenever I get nervous. A difference between a behavioral class and a behavior is that a behavioral class is a general action that could be a behavior, but is not very specific. A behavior is a specific behavior that could only be described in one matter.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I could measure my nails and be specific about times I could measure them and measure them before and after cutting.
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
self-directed behaviors
others-directed behaviors
alternative behaviors
target behaviors
elicit
emit
punish
reinforce
extinguish
consequence
Please read sections 4.1 (Need for Self-Directed Behavior) and 4.2 (Self Directed behavior Steps)
After reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I thought it was interesting that there are different views on behavior modification on others. We accept this process of modifying behaviors in certain situations, but in other situations it is considered weird.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I thought this section was very interesting; there was nothing in particular that I thought was least interesting.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
I had already learned that you have to make smart goals. If your goals are unattainable then you will not be able to complete them and you will probably quit in the process.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
1. making goals applies to my life. I know I am guilty of making goals that are not specific or manageable.
2. I often use target behaviors to get my younger brother to understand what I want from him.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I thought the steps of self directed behavior modification were interesting because I had never learned that before. I thought it could also be helpful in the future on my own children, but also now when I need my brother to follow directions. I think I could also use the abc’s of behavior modification in order to try to attain my goals as well.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I thought the graphing step was less interesting, because if I were to do these steps for a personal goal I doubt I would graph it if it was not for class.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
I knew it was important to make goals that were clear and attainable but I had never learned about all of the steps involved in how to go about doing that.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
1. I think that I could use the self directed behavior modification steps in my own life.
2. I frequently use target behaviors.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
My idea of the process of behavior modification changed because I did not know all of the steps that were involved in changing behaviors successfully.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
I want to change the amount of times I eat out. I would like my target behavior to be eating out only twice each month. The abcs of behavior modification before my behavior project would be: antecedent – wanting to eat out. Behavior – eating out the consequence is that I will not have as much money. This is why I established my behavior project as only eating out twice a month, instead my abcs will look like: Antecedent: wanting to eat out Behavior: allowing myself to eat out if I have not already exceeded my limit. The consequence will be that I will have more money to spend on important things. As a result I will not be punishing myself, but I can use negative reinforcement because I am not allowing myself to eat out as frequently.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I could tally the amount of times I eat out. This could help me reduce the amount of times I eat out. If I see that I already have two then I know I cannot go out. I think that I should also introduce a reinforcer, like allowing myself a small starbucks drink eventually if I stick to my rules.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
Eating out would be the title of the graph. Hopefully the graph would only have two points on it for each month, because I would only have two instances of emitting this behavior. The label for the y axis would be number of times I went out to eat. The x axis would be each month.
TERMS: behavior modification, target behavior, self directed, emitting, abcs, antecedent, consequence, negative reinforcement, punishment, reinforcer
After reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the section on differential reinforcement of other to be the most interesting because this is the first time I have understood the concept. (We are now in week 13 so it was a long time coming.) - To be talked about more in 4.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the section discussing how most New Years resolutions are behavior categories instead of specific target behavior to be least interesting because we have discussed this many times throughout this class and I am starting to get irritated with the repetitiveness.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This sections relates to what I have learned in many of my classes concerning the need for autonomy. This is when a person has a need to control or feel in control of their own decision. If a person is attempting to modify one of your behaviors it might infringe on your autonomy because they are attempting to take away your choice to do that behavior.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
The first thing that relates to my life is differential reinforcement of other. This relates to my life because I did not understand it until today but not I understand I was doing it correctly without even knowing it in my behavioral modification project. I was reinforcing when I emitting the behavior of eating at home (not including ordering in) but I was wording it as reinforcing the absence of the behavior of eating out. The second thing that relates to my life is New Years resolutions. Every year when we come back to school for the spring semester the WRC is packed full of student who decided they wanted to get fit for New Years but you can see the number quickly dwindle after a few weeks and know that the majority of those people did not achieve their goal.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
What I found most interesting in this section was the when discussing the behavior modification project is talked about changing the target behavior or the contingencies. I found this most interesting because with the guidelines we have for the project I do not see much for discussion or results, successes/failure, and the process of it all if we are changing behaviors.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the section on how to graph to the be the least interesting because I have taken two research methods classes, psychology statistic, and done research under the former department head so I have background in how to choose the correct graph, what goes on each axis, and how to correctly APA format the graph.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section relates to many previous sections we have looked at in this class because we are once again hitting on the topic that to set up a successful behavior modification we need to set a specific target behavior that is easily measured.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
The first thing that relates to my life is choosing a goal that fits into my life. There have been many times in the past where I have said I want to read more but realistically I did not have time to read more and if I made time for it I was often not doing something else I was supposed to be doing. The second thing that relates to my life is wanting to write more (I know this is a behavioral class). My freshman year of college I was barely hitting the minimum number of pages for assignments but now as a senior I am often at that point easily and have started to struggle when assignments have a word or page limit.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
This reading has not affected my original thoughts on behavior modification but it has built on the ideas and concepts I have learned so far in this semester. I am now able to realistically apply some of what we have learned.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior?
The behavior is eating dinner at my apartment. (Not including ordering in)
What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class?
The behavioral class would be eating, while my target behavior is specific in that is tells what time and what I am doing/not doing
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will be measuring weather I eat at my apartment for dinner or not. This will be yes or no.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)?
This data will look extremely similar to my dish washing graph, having no I did not eat dinner at home be a 0 and yes I ate dinner at home be a 1
What would be a title for the graph? Dinner Habits
What would be a good label for the y-axis? 0, 1
What might be a good label for the x-axis?Days of the week
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
-differential reinforcement of other, reinforcing, behavior modification project, emitting, behavior, goal, behavioral class, target behavior, autonomy, modify
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The most interesting part of the section to me was when it discussed to be specific with the behavior you want to modify. Being specific with a behavior is something I struggle with. In the section they give the example of playing Xbox before they go out on Friday nights but early enough so that their brother doesn't stay up past his bed time which I thought helped me understand just how specific you mean the behavior to be.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The part I found the least interesting in the section was the focus put on self-directed behavior. It may be because it was in some of the sections after, but it seemed like something I had read and looked at before.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section relates to what I already knew because of New Years Resolutions. New Years Resolutions are something I do every year, but the chapter brought up and interesting point about it. Why wait until the first of every year instead of acting on what I want to change or emit.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Two things that relate to my life from this section are New Years Resolutions and quitting cold turkey compared to gradual reduction. As I said earlier, I usually make a new years resolution so the section made me think more about how and when I should try to change a behavior. Cold-turkey and gradual reduction relate to my life because both of them are things I do to change my behavior. I have attempted to stop drinking pop using both cold-turkey and the gradual reduction method. I found that gradual reduction worked better for me at the time.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The most interesting part of the section to me was graphing a baseline. Graphing your behavior for the water drinking part of the class made me get a way better feel for how I was doing compared to the other days.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The part in the section I found least interesting was the steps for a self directed behavior. There were a few steps that could have been combined that wouldn't change much.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section related to what I already knew because I knew you had to implement and adjust to contingencies to fit your behavior better once some time passes.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
In the section it is mentioned that you should try to record your behaviors because going by memory causes inaccuracies. This is especially true for me because I am a person who likes to do an assignment or task all at once. When it comes to record things, I get a little lost. Another way it relates to my life is because I have to get goals that apply to my life. I read the chapter as finding a goal that works for your life and then working towards reaching it with a set of instructions which is something I need to work on.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
This chapter made me think more about how in depth you have to get if you actually want to achieve a goal. I realized why it is so hard for me to get a new years resolution to stick.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
The behavior I have been using that I would like to change is getting myself to go exercise more in the WRC weight room.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will measure this and keep track of it by seeing how many times I go to the gym a week and mark those days down on my calendar.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
title- Exercise per week
y- yes and no
x- days of the week
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
behavior, modify, emit, cold-turkey, gradual reduction, goals
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The most interesting part of the section to me was when it discussed to be specific with the behavior you want to modify. Being specific with a behavior is something I struggle with. In the section they give the example of playing Xbox before they go out on Friday nights but early enough so that their brother doesn't stay up past his bed time which I thought helped me understand just how specific you mean the behavior to be.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The part I found the least interesting in the section was the focus put on self-directed behavior. It may be because it was in some of the sections after, but it seemed like something I had read and looked at before.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section relates to what I already knew because of New Years Resolutions. New Years Resolutions are something I do every year, but the chapter brought up and interesting point about it. Why wait until the first of every year instead of acting on what I want to change or emit.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Two things that relate to my life from this section are New Years Resolutions and quitting cold turkey compared to gradual reduction. As I said earlier, I usually make a new years resolution so the section made me think more about how and when I should try to change a behavior. Cold-turkey and gradual reduction relate to my life because both of them are things I do to change my behavior. I have attempted to stop drinking pop using both cold-turkey and the gradual reduction method. I found that gradual reduction worked better for me at the time.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The most interesting part of the section to me was graphing a baseline. Graphing your behavior for the water drinking part of the class made me get a way better feel for how I was doing compared to the other days.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The part in the section I found least interesting was the steps for a self directed behavior. There were a few steps that could have been combined that wouldn't change much.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from previous chapters or from other classes, etc.
This section related to what I already knew because I knew you had to implement and adjust to contingencies to fit your behavior better once some time passes.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
In the section it is mentioned that you should try to record your behaviors because going by memory causes inaccuracies. This is especially true for me because I am a person who likes to do an assignment or task all at once. When it comes to record things, I get a little lost. Another way it relates to my life is because I have to get goals that apply to my life. I read the chapter as finding a goal that works for your life and then working towards reaching it with a set of instructions which is something I need to work on.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
This chapter made me think more about how in depth you have to get if you actually want to achieve a goal. I realized why it is so hard for me to get a new years resolution to stick.
10a) Behavioral Project (New Project). Think of a behavior you might want to change and list out the steps based on section 4.2. What is that behavior? What is the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class? Make sure the behavior you are trying to change is a behavior and not a behavioral class.
The behavior I have been using that I would like to change is getting myself to go exercise more in the WRC weight room.
10b) How might you go about measuring the behavior and then keeping track of the behavior?
I will measure this and keep track of it by seeing how many times I go to the gym a week and mark those days down on my calendar.
10c) How might the data look like on a graph (similar to the one we did for the water drinking)? What would be a title for the graph? What would be a good label for the y-axis? What might be a good label for the x-axis?
title- Exercise per week
y- yes and no
x- days of the week
11) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post and put them at the bottom of your post.
behavior, modify, emit, cold-turkey, gradual reduction, goals