Reading Activity Week #11 (Due Monday)

Section 4.3
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
My favorite part from this section was the information on having a support base, because in order to maintain challenging goals, it may be valuable to have others believe in you as well. This could be someone who has achieved the same accomplishment, or it could be a group of likeminded individuals who want to be part of a joint goal. Also, with this, if one or a couple do not continue the goal, there will still be others there to support your progress. I liked this part the best, because I believe that it is important to believe in yourself during goals, but it can be just as valuable to have others provide encouragement and remind you of their confidence in your ability to succeed, especially in moments of doubt.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
This section of the book seemed to mostly ask questions rather than provide information, and although we were still learning new content, I did not feel like being asked questions the whole time was a professional way to present the information. There was also no new terminology, which makes it difficult to continue to learn and expand on previous knowledge.

3 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 sub goals, and creating these allows larger goals to be broken down into parts. With sub goals an individual can be reinforced more often than they would with a large goal, and this is more likely to result in maintenance of the goal. For example, attending grad school may be a long-term goal, but the person must first finish high school, college, and possibly an internship or has other experience before he or she attends graduate school. Therefore, it is wise to consider timeframe and acknowledge that some goals take longer to achieve than others.
b. In order to fully commit to a goal a person needs to have the ability to complete it and needs to be able to fit into their daily life. This is important for a person to consider as they are establishing goals and target behaviors, because they may be unable to attain their goal if these factors are not in place.
c. From this section, I will also retain information on maintenance. If there is a change in the environment or the antecedent, it can lead to a change in behavior if the individual is not prepared beforehand. Thus, it may result in a different response. This is something I will remember, because a person is more likely to succeed in achieving their goals when they have a good maintenance program in place and are able to determine challenges he or she may endure.

Section 4.4
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked the refresher on behavioral classes and determining whether an organism is emitting behaviors are that functionally similar or topographically similar. This is a concept that has been difficult for me to understand throughout the semester, but the more exposure I have with it, the more I am able to retain.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Lately, we have talked about measuring behavior quite a bit, so I feel that it is something I am already familiar with. Thus, I was a little bored reading about it again, but that means this material is something I have already learned.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. All behaviors have a function, and behaviors that have the same function may be referred to as behavioral classes. With this, a person may be emitting different behaviors, but they are functionally related. I will remember this because there are different behaviors that can be emitted to receive the same consequence.
b. In order to change a behavior, an individual should establish a baseline for the current existing behavior. This is the record of amount of the behavior that he or she is currently emitting. After the baseline has been established, the person can begin a behavioral intervention. This should be measured, so the individual can recognize if they are increasing or decreasing the frequency of their behavior. Measuring behavior is important in behavior modification for the purpose of seeing whether a reinforcer or differential reinforcement of other (DRO) is working. This can determine if the change is contingent upon the reinforcement or DRO that is being provided.
c. In order to set future goals, it is beneficial for a person to record the behavior, which can be done through a behavioral diary. This is true even when the person fails to emit the behavior. He or she can acknowledge the ABCs and alter the environment for more chances of success. This is important because it can be helpful for progress during behavioral interventions.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
As I begin my behavioral intervention, I will use shopping as a reinforcer, because it is something I find to be desirable. When I go shopping I will allow myself to spend up to a certain amount (and I also have a free item I can claim that will expire soon, so if I do not meet the goal it may also result in punishment, as I would not get the free item, which would be aversive). I will use a variable ratio schedule of reinforcement, rather than continuous reinforcement, because I will allow myself to randomly go purchase items, and it will help elicit the response of working out if I decide to make a spontaneous shopping trip. This way my behavior is more likely to continue after reinforcement has occurred, and up until the next reinforcement occurs, rather than having a specific set number of times that I will be reinforced. This will ensure that I am consistently meeting my goal and emitting the behavior of working out throughout the week.

Terms: sub goals, reinforce, maintenance, target behavior, antecedent, behavior, response, behavioral class, organism, emit, function of behavior, topography of behavior, consequence, baseline, behavioral intervention, frequency, reinforcer, differential reinforcement of other (DRO), contingent, reinforcement, behavioral diary, ABCs, desirable, punishment, aversive, variable ratio schedule of reinforcement, continuous reinforcement, elicit

After reading section 4.3, please respond to the following questions.
1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked how this section was an easy read, since the topic was setting goals that are more likely to succeed. I liked that each section set an idea of how to maintain a goal and then had boxes to help fill out to make our goals successful and fit the criteria, realistic, understanding the timeframe, achievable goals, sub-goals, manageable, maintained, and account the disruptive features that may accompany a goal.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
While this section was an easy read and contained some good information, I felt like the majority of it was common sense.
3) 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 your goals are realistic. If your goals are unrealistic they are more likely to be unachievable. This is important to remember because when deciding if a goal is realistic one can account for all the factors that may cause they goal to be realistic or not. The second thing I will remember is disruptions that may occur when deciding to have a goal and learning to maintain them. Disruptions may stop or cause a disturbance in the goal achieving process, for example if my goal is to run outside every day then weather (rainy weather for example) would be a disruption. By maintaining my goal, running, I can account for disturbances in the weather so that I can still find a way to run. This is important to remember so that everyone can account for the unpredictable antecedents that may occur when trying to achieve a goal. The third thing I will remember is the timeframe for some goals, where some goals may take longer than others. This time difference may differ from cleaning the house one afternoon to losing weight. This is important to remember because it ties in with realistic goals, the more one accounts that a goal will take longer the more it will be a realistic goal.
After reading section 5.1, please respond to the following questions.
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The one thing I really liked about this section was that it introduced reasons as to why we alter our behaviors and how to measure its importance and its significance to why we participate in that certain behavior. I really liked the boxes in this section because they made one realize and think as to why I participate in my behavior or its function, some topographies, how I will measure my behavioral change, and why or the context as to why I participate in this behavior, for example, my binge eating/snacking.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn’t anything I didn’t dislike about this section; it was super helpful as to the functions and measuring styles. I did find it a bit repetitive though from previous sections.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing I will remember is the function of a certain behavior and to replace it with a healthier and different behavior that can take its place. For example, my chosen behavior is binge eating/snacking and the function to that would be to satisfy a hunger/craving and relieve boredom. This is important to remember because to understand how to modify a behavior you must understand its functions to you. The second thing I will remember is the topography of a behavior and that the context does indeed matter. This is important to remember because to emit a behavior one must understand what leads to the certain behavior, for example, my chosen behavior, binge eating/snacking, to context or topography would be buying junk food or buying unhealthy food to keep in my dorm room. The third thing I will remember is the importance of keeping a measurement of the behavior. The more you write down or keep a journal of the behavior the more you are likely to modify it. For example, with my behavior, a type of measurement or measuring technique I would use would be a food diary either on paper or with an App. This is important to remember because if you only rely on memory rather than an actual journal or diary then you can understand the antecedents better and therefore have better modifying techniques.
7) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
The reinforcer I plan on using is for every pound I lose I tuck a dollar away, when I reach my goal I get to buy a nice dress or jeans or shirt. This is a good reinforcer because when I lose pounds I will lose weight and therefore new clothes will be an excellent reward. The type of reinforcement style I will use is the Variable Interval schedule because over a period or passage of time and for every X amount of pounds I lose I get my reinforcement. I chose this schedule because it makes the most sense to meet and for my timeframe and therefore seems the most appropriate.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
disruptions, timeframe, reinforcement, reinforcer, variable interval schedule, topography, behavior, antecedent, context, emit, modifying, measurement, functions, realistic, achievable, manageable, maintained

After reading section 4.3, 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 enjoyed most about this section is how it broke the information down into specific points each with there own full description. It was very nice to understand all aspects behind setting a goal rather than just being given information in a long drawn-out piece of reading.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I did not necessarily dislike anything from this section because it was all fairly interesting to read. However, much of the information I found in this section was fairly straightforward and almost common sense. It would have been nice for the introduction of new vocab words.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that in order to have a legitimate goal is to set a timeframe because some goals will take longer than others to accomplish and it is important to understand this so you do not get discouraged. Another thing I will remember from this section is knowing your ability to achieve a goal. Some goals are impossible due to monetary and physical capabilities. The last thing I will remember is how important it is for the maintenance of goals because without maintaining your desired behavior when the environment changes there will be no way to achieve your goals.
After reading section 5.1, 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 liked most about this section was how topics such as behavioral classes and topography were revisited because it has been awhile since they were discussed. As we get to the end of the semester it is easy to forget things we covered early on and being ale to revisit these topics was nice.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I would not say I disliked anything from this section but the fact that measuring behavior was revisited seemed to be a bit unnecessary to me because it is one of the topics we have just been talking about.

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 the concept of topography and how it illustrates a person’s ability to emit a variety of different behaviors to achieve reinforcement. Another thing I will remember is how specific the functions of behavior are and how completely different behaviors may have the same result, such as trying to flag down a bartender. Finally I will remember is also about functions of behavior and that all behaviors do have a function whether they seem pertinent or not. The example from the text was about eating junk food, which does not seem to serve many functions other than enjoyment when in fact there are a multitude of functions.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
What I will use for a reinforcer for this behavior will be adding a minute of sleep for every pull-up I am able to do past twenty. This is a good reinforcer because I enjoy sleep and adding more pull-ups to allow myself to sleep in for a little bit longer is a good incentive. This type of reinforcement schedule is a fixed ratio because in order to be rewarded I will need to hit a specific number of pull-ups and then for every one pull-up I do after will add to my reinforcement. I chose this schedule because it is a very short ratio in which I will be able to see results quickly each time.

8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Timeframe, ability, maintenance, desired behavior, reinforcement schedule, reinforce, fixed ratio, behavioral classes, topography, measuring behavior, emit, and functions of behavior

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 thought that the goal be achievable. This is something that everyone always forgets about when setting a goal whether be a certain weight or even just not eating a certain food anymore that you actually really like. If its not realistic it is not going to happen.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I felt when reading this article it was mostly all common sense to be but it was a helpful reminder on when setting goals there are lots of things to take into consideration to make sure that you succeed in your goal.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember to make a realistic goal rather then non realistic one. I will also remember when making a goal there has to be a timeframe that is actually achievable whether it be months or years to actually complete the goal. Lastly I will remember that you have to have the ability to do the goal or there is no way you can achieve it.
After reading section 5.1 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 how it reviewed for us behaviors, functions,topography of a behavior and context of the behavior matters. Without knowing these things when describing a behavior it would be useless.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing I disliked was how there wasn't a chapter summary at the end of this chapter to make sure I got all the main points out of the section.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that all behaviors have a function now matter now small or big there is always a reason and a way to measure the behavior. I will also remember that the context of the behavior matters. In some contexts different desirable behaviors are needed depending on the context. The last thing I will remember is to recored the behavior right away or else you wont remember to do it later on in the day.
7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I think I would use a continuos style for my reinforcer. I would do this by every time I make a healthier lifestyle change I give my self an amount of time to watch Netflix on the weekend.
8) desirable behavior, context, timeframe, ability, topography, emit,target behavior

After reading section 4.3, 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 this section utilized many examples as well as gave us the chance to test our understanding. I think that having the exercise boxes helps to reinforce my reading to check my understanding.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was really nothing I disliked. It was a very easy read, and broke down how to have a good goal.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. I will remember the movie example from Lilies of the Field. I liked this example because it shows how when others can see a goal being realistic they are more likely to reinforce your behavior as well as be a support base.
b. I will remember the saying “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” I will remember this because it shows that having sub goals are important. By breaking a goal down it allows you to reinforce the steps towards to big goal. I think that having this saying will help me to emit the behavior change that I want, knowing that I can reinforce the small sub goals that I have.
c. I will remember that a goal needs maintenance. Keeping up with the change and the changes in antecedents will be important for planning maintenance. Knowing that the changes in the antecedents are the biggest downfall will help me to remember how to keep up my own behavioral change.
After reading section 5.1, 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 allowed us to have exercises that focused on the behavioral change that we wanted. It helped to keep me focus in this section.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I felt like this section repeated a lot of terms, like topography, measuring behaviors, and functions of behaviors. I know that it is good to revisit the terms but it was slightly boring.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. I am going to remember that all behaviors have a function and that we need to conduct a functional analysis of behavior to understand why we emit the behaviors we do. I will remember this because I know that I emit behaviors of eating junk food because I do not have time to eat outside of my car between school and work.
b. I will remember the topography of behavior and that context matters within the topography. I will remember this because the example of opening a door with a handle has a different topography then a door without a handle. The functions are the same, but the topography is different.
c. I will also remember measuring behavior. I will remember this because the examples that driving has many functions and that we have to define the function that we are measuring. Defining the function helps with the behavioral intervention because it gives us something to measure.
7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
I want to exercise more. My measuring will be completed by showing if I exercised three times a week. Each exercise will be measured by if I completed cardio (jogging or biking), ab work out (crunches, situps, etc), strength training (arm work outs, pull ups, leg lifts, etc).
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I am going to do a constant reinforcement after every workout by getting a starbucks drink. If I complete all of my work outs I will allow myself to buy a book at the end of the week. This will be a good reinforcer because starbucks is a treat and that way I can reinforce myself right away when I work out, and then after an entire week I can get a book due to loving to read. My schedule will be a fixed interval and then a fixed ratio. I chose this because I know I will need a reward after I emit the behavior (only if I complete the entire work out for the day) and then one for completing all of it for the day.
8) Reinforce, goal, behavior, sub goal, emit, behavioral change, maintenance, antecedents, topography, measuring behaviors, function of behaviors, functional analysis of behaviors, behavioral intervention, fixed interval, fixed ratio

1. What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I liked about section 4.3 was the variety of examples given. It made the section more interesting to read when it didn’t follow just one example the entire time. I also think that it is helpful to have multiple examples instead of just one.

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 didn’t like. This section was laid out in a clear and concise way. There was no useless information. There were also many examples to make things easy to understand.

3. What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that goals need to be realistic. It is pointless to set a goal that cannot be achieved. I will also remember that the timeframe for which the goal is to be completed is important. Bigger goals take longer and therefore require more time than small goals. Another thing that I will remember is that some goals require maintenance. An example of this would be if a person wants to quit smoking or lose weight they need to keep doing things in order to complete their goal. Sometimes this involves making changes to the environment. An example would be the person who wanted to lose weight might have to start eating healthier in order to keep the weight off.

4. 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 boxes. They related to the material really well. They also helped me apply the material in the section to the real world.

5. What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The thing that I liked the least was how almost the entire section was review. I already learned this information so I did not need to learn it again. Also because this section was review I did not learn anything new.

6. What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that a baseline is how often we emit the behavior when we are not being reinforced. It is useful in seeing if our behavioral intervention worked. I will remember this because it is review. Another thing that I will remember is that behavioral classes are behaviors that are similar but have the same function. I will remember this because it is review. The third thing that I will remember from this section is that the topography of behavior is how it looks on the surface. I will remember this because it is review.

7a. Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
The behavior that I am going to change is riding the bike or lifting weights for at least 3 times a week for at least 30 min. at a time.

7b. Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I will use going to Scratch cupcakes as a reinforcer. This will be reinforcing because I enjoy going there and I don’t go there very often which would make this special. I will use a fixed ratio schedule so that I reinforce myself once for every 3 times I emit the behavior.

Terms used: realistic, timeframe, maintenance, baseline, emit, reinforced, behavioral intervention, behavioral classes, topography of behavior, fixed ratio schedule.

1. I liked the section on maintenance of a goal. It is important to realize that many goals, such as quitting smoking, are lifelong progresses. Just because you stopped smoking for a week does not mean you will never smoke again. People can stop for fifty years and then smoking just once can cause them to become addicted again. Dieting and exercising are also activities that need to be maintained.

2.I really liked this whole chapter, but I would say writing down where I could find 20 minutes to accomplish a goal would be my least favorite. Being a college student, my schedule varies a lot based on class times, when I work, and the amount of homework or projects I have to do. I think it would be easier to find 20 minutes that could be consistent when I graduate and work set hours. I have done this in the past before, when I started working out. The gym I go to has specific times when they have class and I have to find a time in my schedule where I can attend 2 or 3 of those classes a week. Some weeks this is more challenging than others.

3. I will remember that goals become more attainable when they are broken down into sub categories. I will remember this because it is often talked about in class with behavior classes versus specific behaviors. I think that people often think of the class of behaviors instead of each specific behavior required to accomplish the task. I will also remember that some goals are disruptive. If you want to get into an Ivy League college, you may need to stop hanging out with your friends that put off doing homework and party and instead find friends who are as focused and driven as you are. I will remember this because I have personally accomplished goals that have been disruptive in my life. A third thing I will remember is that you need to have the ability to achieve the goal. I would love to be a lawyer, for exapmle, and while I have the intelligence to do so, I do not have the discipline. I cannot study for long enough and read as many texts and chapters as someone who is prepping for law school needs to. I also wanted to be an astronaut when I was a child, but I get very sea sick and would not be able to travel in a spaceship.

4. I enjoyed the saving money example. It shows the need for behavioral interventions and baselines. You need to know where you are at before you change your behavior in order to understand how well you are doing. It is also important to be specific and account for all possible outcomes.

5. I dislike the gray box that had us come up with a measurement for our new year's resolutions. I couldn't remember what my resolutions were in the previous week, so I had to make up new ones.

6. I will remember that many behaviors have the same function. This is a behavior class and is what people commonly think of when creating a goal. I will remember this because it is something we talk about frequently in class. I will also remember every behavior has a specific function. This makes sense on an intuitive and evolutionary level. If a behavior served no purpose it would become extinct, because there would be no reinforcer or punisher. I will also remember that a behavior needs to be easily measurable and specific. Behaviors can be different but serve the same function and it is important to know ahead of times which behaviors you will count and which ones you will not.

7. I will use shopping as a reinforcer. Each time I go a week without napping I will reinforce myself by allowing myself to buy an item that I would not normally purchase.

8.terms:
reinforcer, punisher, maintenance, attainable, sub categories, disruptive, ability, behavioral interventions, baselines, measurement, function, behavior class, specific

4.3
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? I liked that they talked about breaking your goal into sub-goals and working on those to achieve your larger goal because i feel like if you pick a smaller target behavior and work your way up you are more likely to achieve it than if you just look at the big picture

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? There wasn't something i disliked in this section. I thought everything was clear and concise, but I felt some of it was explained in detail when it was common sense to begin with.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
- I will remember that time frame and surroundings/environment is key to achieving the goal
- I will remember that breaking your goal down into sub categories can make the goal more attainable. It is like when we said that having a specific target behavior will emit better results than a broad one
- I will remember that having a good support base will also help you because your friends or whoever is around you can cheer you on

After reading section 4.4, 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 section reminded us of function and topography of the behavior because it helped refresh my memory of what they were and then helped me with the rest of the section

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? I wish that this section would have had summarizing points at the end because it always helps me check to make sure I understood the main points and I couldn't do that in this section

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
- I will remember what topography and function of behavior are because we have covered them before and reviewed them again this section
- I will remember that making sure you know what you are measuring is essential to being reinforced or punished
- I will remember that recording your baseline is also important because it allows you to have a before and after picture of the behavior you are changing

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule? I will use getting starbucks as a reinforcer to not drinking pop because it will help me still get my caffeine in and be a treat that I don't get all the time. I will use interval reinforcement most likely.

8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
reinforcer, reinforcement, emit, target behavior, topography, function, punishment, baseline,sub categories, goal setting

After reading section 4.3, 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 liked about this section was how the goal setting guidelines were broken down into easy to understand examples. I felt that I was able to get the basic meaning of each guideline and was able to think about how the goals that I have been thinking about either fit or do not fit within the guidelines.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was nothing that I really disliked in this section. It was concise enough to be read through easily but still give enough information to help with understanding. I thought the exercise boxes were a good way to check how well I understood the concepts, and if I wasn’t quite sure about something I was able to review fairly quickly.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) I will remember that goals must be realistic. This means that a goal can be high, such as wanting to be a professional athlete, but must also be attainable through the means available to you. Someone who wants to be an athlete will likely not be able to accomplish this if they have certain health problems, like hemophilia for example. Another reason that goals should be realistic is that we are more likely to be motivated to work toward a goal that we see as being attainable. If the person who wants to play sports professionally is healthy, athletic, and has excelled at lower level sports, it is much more likely that their goal will be supported by others and they will continue to work toward that goal.

b) I will remember that goals sometimes need to be broken down into sub goals. This is a way of making a plan for achieving a larger goal by working up to it with smaller steps along the way. I have a friend who wanted to start jogging with me last summer. He had never gone jogging regularly, but his goal was to be able to jog for two miles. I basically said “Sure, follow me” and we went in without a real plan. He lost motivation and quit shortly after. If I had known then what I have learned in this class so far, I might have been able to help him achieve his goal better. Instead of making him run two miles with me and telling him that he’ll get used to it, we could have started by walking a ¼ mile each day for a week, then by jogging that distance the next week, increasing the jogging distance by a little bit each week until the distance goal had been met. I also would have asked him what would have been a good reinforcer for each sub goal and what might have been a good reinforcer for the overall goal. However, working towards this goal in this way would require that the timeframe for achieving your goal is realistic. It is unlikely that this goal could be accomplished in a month, but it is likely that you could achieve it over three months.

c) I will also remember that goals require maintenance for someone to continue to elicit the target behaviors of the sub goals. If the antecedent to the target behavior changes, then it is possible that emission of the behavior may decrease. For example, if someone has a goal of drinking less soda, and they emit a target behavior of drinking water with each meal, an antecedent such as going out to eat with a friend who orders a soda for them might be a problem if they do not have a plan for dealing with it. If they are only decreasing the soda drinking behavior, not extinguishing it, they could simply think of this as the soda they are allowing themselves and continue emitting the water drinking behavior with their dinner. Also, they could still order water with their meal, so that they will not drink all of the soda.

After reading section 4.4, please respond to the following questions.

4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I actually liked the exercise boxes in this section, too. I liked them because they helped me understand how to look for functions and topographies in behavior. It also helped me understand how to think about how I would measure a behavior that I want to change by being as specific as possible when defining the behavior.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn’t like how the sections on functions of behavior and topography of behavior seemed too similar. At first reading it seemed like they were described as the same thing (varying behavior to serve a function), when in earlier readings we learned that functional behavioral classes are different behaviors with the same purpose, while topographical behavior classes are behaviors that look similar but can have a different purpose. It took me a few times re-reading the section to realize that topographical behavioral class and topography of behavior are not the same thing. It would have eliminated some confusion if that clarification had been made within 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 certain topographies of behaviors will be emitted based on the history of the organism. An example of this can be shown through emission of a driving behavior. The topography of driving can include driving fast, driving cautiously, driving while texting, or driving alertly. If a driver has received several speeding tickets as punishment, or if they are in an accident while texting, they are more likely to emit the behavior of driving slowly or alertly than if they received no punishment for emitting this behavior. Also, if the driver emitted the safe driving behavior and was negatively reinforced by a reduction of insurance costs they are likely to continue emitting the safe driving behavior.

b) I will remember that the topography of behaviors that are emitted must serve the function of increasing or decreasing the target behavior, meaning that they must be effective. For example, if your goal is to decrease your behavior of eating candy, you might at first try keeping the candy in a cupboard instead of in a bowl on the table. If this does not keep you from eating the candy, then the topography of putting the candy in the cupboard does not serve the function of decreasing the candy eating behavior. In this case you would have to find another topography, such as not buying candy at all, to serve the function of the behavior.

c) Finally, I will remember that a behavior must be measureable, meaning that it must be defined specifically enough that it is easy to tell when it occurs or does not occur. This is important in the behavior modification process because a baseline must be established before intervention occurs, and both the baseline and intervention need to be accurate in terms of frequency of the target behavior or behaviors.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
I have chosen to change my goal from what I wrote last week. I originally planned to work toward a goal of getting more sleep by increasing a target behavior of going to bed earlier. I no longer think that this is a realistic goal since I work late hours on the weekend. The antecedent of having to work late would interfere with me emitting the behavior of going to bed early. Instead, I will set a new goal of reducing a target behavior of drinking caffeinated beverages after 6:00pm.

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I will use fruit juice as a reinforcer. I think this is a good reinforcer because I can use differential reinforcement of other behavior. I drink caffeinated beverages because I am thirsty and the beverages I like happen to have caffeine. Drinking fruit juice will serve the function of satisfying thirst just as well as a caffeinated beverage. I will use a continuous reinforcement schedule because, knowing myself, I will want caffeine every night and will need to reinforce the juice drinking behavior. I can avoid satiation by choosing from different kinds of juice.

Terms: goal setting guidelines, motivation, sub goals, reinforcer, timeframe, goal maintenance, elicit, target behavior, antecedent, emit, extinguish, function of behavior, topography of behavior, functional behavioral class, topographical behavioral class, history of the organism, punishment, negative reinforcement, serve the function, baseline, intervention, differential reinforcement of other behavior, continuous reinforcement schedule, satiation

Section 4.3

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how each portion of successfully setting a goal was clearly stated and explained, as well as the fact that there were examples that helped make certain concepts easier.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I didn't like the example about disruptive behaviors, such as quitting smoking, because I myself am a smoker and it makes me realize just how hard it would be for me to quit smoking because most of my friends are smokers, as well as my fiancé.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?

a) Maintenance: I'll remember this concept because it's probably one of the hardest ones to keep up. There are a million excuses for forgetting to do a routine that's part a behavioral intervention, so having a maintenance plan can save a person in a lot of ways. Many people forget to set up maintenance plans and instead say "I'll start again tomorrow." But that's just another excuse to put it off for one more day, or just give up.

b) Manageable: I'll remember this concept because this is a fault that a lot of people look over--sometimes they believe that they can squeeze in an hour or so of such-and-such behavior, or quit a behavior and do not realize the obstacles that they will encounter along the way.

c) Timeframe: I remember as a third-grader, telling myself that one day I would get my Master's degree/PhD. I didn't realize at the time just how much time and effort I would need to put into getting these kinds of degrees. By now, I'm a junior in college and I'm exhausted from the amount of academic work that I've already put into my education. I worry about the amount of work, time, and money that it'll take to achieve a graduate degree, and the obstacles I'll face if I put it off for a few years and then go back to school.

Section 5.1

4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked that we revisited things like topography, behavioral classes, etc. because they were definitely not as concrete in my mind as I initially thought they were.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I did not like having to explain what behavior I wanted to emit, and then address the topographies of that behavior, what contexts they would occur in, etc. It's not that it was a bad learning tool (because it was actually a great one), it's that it made me realize that I'm still a little foggy on some of these concepts and I need to work harder to make sure that I totally understand them.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?

a) Topography of Behavior: topographies of behaviors involve the varied approaches in which a person takes to emit the same behavior--an example would be that people sip from straws differently: some bend the straw, some chew on them, etc. The behavior can functionally be the same (drinking by use of a straw) but may be executed differently (topography). There is also the concept of the history of the organism that dictates whether or not a behavior is likely to topographically one way or another, based on how the organism performed the behavior in the past--they are more likely to repeat the first or most successful execution of a behavior and continue to exhibit that execution in the future.

b) Functions of Behavior: I will be more likely to remember this because we revisited it. It deals with behavioral classes, and the concept that these behavioral classes involve different behaviors that serve similar functions, even though they may not be topographically similar.

c) Measuring Behavior: I'll remember this because it will be useful in my behavioral intervention. I'll need to decide which behaviors to monitor and decide if they should be recorded equally and as the same behavior since they will all serve the function of reducing my behavior of driving to school. I then need to accurately record my baseline behavior by keeping a behavioral diary.

Behavior Change Project

Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention. What will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?

I'm thinking that I'll use fixed ratio reinforcement. This is because I will want to be reinforced after every behavior, at least initially, so that I continue to emit the behavior appropriately. It could also be considered continuous reinforcement because every time I walk, ride my bike, or ride the bus to school, I will arrive at school, so I will be reinforced for my behavior in this way as well.

The reinforcer I intend to use is yummy coffee creamer. I always have coffee in the morning, but I often buy the cheap (and not so tasty) kind, since I drink coffee so often. Instead, I think that I will buy some exotic coffee creamer, and only use it on the days that I am going to walk/ride my bike/ride the bus to school. If I get lazy and drive, then I will not use the exotic coffee creamer. This will encourage me to use an alternative form of transportation instead of driving myself because I love coffee and I really want to use that Girl Scout Thin Mint coffee creamer I've seen on TV. :)

Terms: disruptive behaviors, maintenance, behavioral intervention, maintenance plan, manageable, timeframe, topography, behavioral classes, contexts, functions of behavior, topographies of behavior, history of the organism, emit, serve the function, measuring behavior, baseline, behavioral diary, fixed ratio reinforcement, continuous reinforcement, reinforcer/reinforced.

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
In this section, I enjoyed the discussion on goal setting. It talked about setting realistic goals, but it also stated that even if you think something is impossible doesn’t mean it cannot happen.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I could not really find anything in this section that I disliked. I felt this section was well-written and there was not any information that was unnecessary.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) I will remember many goals will require maintenance. I have learned this on a personal level while trying to keep many different goals that I have set for myself.
b) I will also remember that when a goal is large, you should break it down into many different smaller goals. This will make it seem as though the goal is not so unattainable.
c) Lastly, I will remember that goals should be maneagble. Do not pick a goal that cannot be completed in your daily life.
After reading section 4.4, 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 liked that it discussed the reasons to why we want to change our behaviors. Many people have different reasons for setting goals for themselves and it was interesting to look over that.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I noticed this section did not summarize the section at the end like many other sections did.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) I will remember that a baseline is often how our behaviors are when we are not reinforced to be doing anything different.
b) I will remember what topography and function of behavior are. This is a subject that has been covered a few times this year.
c) Lastly, I will remember that certain topographies of behaviors will be emitted based on the history of the organism.
7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I have chosen naps as my reinforcer. When I make it through the week with working out the days that I assigned myself to, I will allow myself to have a day to relax and take a nap or simply sleep in for a day. I love naps, and I feel that naps are part of the reason that I do not get the exercise I need.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms:Reinforcer, reinforce, topography, function of behavior, goals maintenance, Baseline, reward

1.The thing I liked best about section 4.3 was just the overall talk about setting realistic and achievable goals. I liked this best because it was something that you can relate to in life. I hate learning about things that I don’t see how I could ever apply that to life, but this you definitely can.

2.Something I didn’t like so much about section 4.3 was it just seemed like common sense. I just feel like goal-setting and setting realistic goals is something we’ve learned about since grade school and it also seemed like a chapter that wasn’t very necessary. I feel like I didn’t learn anything extraordinarily new.

3.Three things I’ll remember from this section: There are just some things you can’t do. Goals have to be realistic to be achieved. I’ll remember this because children are always told, “you can do whatever you set your mind to” and even though that may be true, this theory disagrees. Some people aren’t born to be ballet dancers or skydivers, so your goal must be realistic. Second, I’ll remember a support system is really important. Achieving goals without a support system would be difficult. I’ll remember this because it’s just nice to know that even if you can achieve your goal by yourself, having a support system makes everything easier. Lastly, I’ll remember that some goals can be disruptive. I’ll remember this because it’s important to know that not everything in the world is possible. A good example of a disruptive goal is getting a job but being forced to move. It’s pretty disruptive to leave your home, family, friends, etc.

4.The thing I liked most about section 5.1 was the revisited sections. This may seem like a broken record to some people, but these things were nice to go over again because it’s easy to forget things we learned about a while ago.

5.There wasn’t much I disliked about this section, but I guess I didn’t really like that there was no chapter summary. I like to read those at the end up the chapter just to sum up everything else I just read so I guess I disliked that that wasn’t there.

6.Three things I’ll remember: Without measuring your behavior/goal, there is no point really! This is easy to remember because without knowing how far you’ve come, you may think you aren’t getting anywhere at all. For example if your goal was to lose weight, but you never weighed yourself and couldn’t tell that you were shedding pounds, it’s easy to think that you aren’t succeeding and give up. Next, I’ll remember that every single behavior has a function. I’ll remember this because the book gave us 5 logical functions for eating junk food and that’s something to remember! Lastly, I’ll remember that the context of a situation matters. I’ll remember this because of the well-explained door example.

7.Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention, I’ll be using dessert as a reinforcer. This is a good reinforcer for me because I have a huge sweet tooth, but usually try to stray away from the dessert table in the cafeteria. If I work out the amount I’m supposed to each week, at the end of the week I will be able to reward myself with any dessert I want! The type of reinforcement schedule I’ll use will probably be fixed interval. I picked this one because if I do what I’m supposed to, I’ll get a reward once a week.

Terms: fixed interval, behavior, function, reinforcer

After reading section 4.3, 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 I liked most about this chapter was the fact that each section was specifically broken down so it was very easy to understand and you knew exactly what the purpose of the section was. I think the fact it was broken down into how specific each part was is correlated well with the idea that our goals also have to be broken down into sub goals and be very specific.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? I can’t say there is anything I did not understand of did not like about this chapter. I think it was very helpful in getting me the information I needed to understand and execute my future goals well.

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 chapter are that we need to break our goals into smaller sub goals. The time frame we give ourselves for goals is important because some goals take longer than others and some will be more difficult to achieve. Lastly, we need to focus on starting a behavior so we can use reinforcement.

After reading section 5.1, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? The examples that were used really helped me come up with my own examples for this chapter. I also really liked that within the boxes all the examples were very relevant to things we can relate to recently.

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. The examples are still a love hate relationship because they take up time and make me think, but are very useful in helping me understand the chapter.

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 chapter are that in we have to be very specific about defining our target behavior if we are serious in changing the behavior. Topographical behavior is how a behavior looks. Lastly, take the context of the situation into account when deciding the topography of your behavior.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
My goal is to keep better relationships with my friends.

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I will use going home on the weekend as a reinforcer. This is a good reinforcer because if I make time for my friends during the week then I can reward myself on the weekend by spending time with my family. I will use a fixed schedule, because I will only allow myself to leave for the weekend if I make time for friends during the week.

Terms: Reinforcer, fixed schedule, topographical, behavior, reinforcement

1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
This section was very practical. It gave tips that can be very easily applied to everyday life and to my own goals. It was also written in everyday language that made it very easy to understand. In addition to being very practical and easy to understand, it was salient in that it made me rethink why some of my goals may or may not be achievable or ways to improve the chance of success. I also really liked the formatting of this section of reading because it split it up into smaller sections that were easier to tackle, so my behavior of reading was reinforced each time I finished a small section and got that much closer to the end.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I disliked the idea of disruption in terms of a goal. For example I want to be in the FBI, which would most likely involve me moving a bigger city, such as Chicago or Washington D.C., because there are just not that many jobs for the FBI in small town Cedar Falls. However, this level of disruption is not going to be a factor is lessening my motivation to aim for being in the FBI. I believe that many people might experience extinction in behaviors related to their goals if their goal involves disruption, but others may be motivated further by this level of sacrifice that disruption provides.
3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
(1) I will remember that goals need to be realistic, in both the goal itself and in the timetable that it is going to be accomplished by. I will remember this because I have had to think and rethink my life goals many times because I realized that the goals that I had when I was 6 of being an astronaut were not as realistic as the goals that I have now. I have also realized that part of a goal being realistic is having an appropriate timetable because some goals definitely take longer to accomplish than others. For example trying to finish a Ph.D. in 2 years is probably not realistic, but taking a few years longer may be more realistic.
(2) I will remember that goals need to be reinforced by a strong support base. In terms of my own goals, I have found that some members of my family are more supportive of my ability to accomplish them than others, and I have learned to utilize the reinforcement that I get from some people to compensate for the extinction burst that others have tried to elicit from me.
(3) I will remember that many larger goals need to be broken into sub goals. This is one fault that I have in my own life. I often look at the larger picture that I have a 13-15 page paper due, when in fact it can be broken into many smaller sub goals or sections that are much more manageable, and can be accomplished without the paper-writing behavior being extinguished.
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked that this section revisited topographically and functionally similar behaviors and behavioral classes because this is a section that I did not fully understand the first time and each time I revisit these topics I understand them a little better. I also like the way that this section tackled functionally and topographically behavioral classes because it explained it in a way that made sense to me and was salient. The examples used to explain this concept were also very helpful.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I disliked the implication that measuring behavior is easy because in most instances in everyday life measuring the frequency of behavior is not as simple as it seems. We are humans, and that means that we get busy and are fallible recorders of our own behavior. The textbook implied that if we simple define a target behavior clearly enough then recording the frequency at which it occurs is easy, and it is not.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
(1) I will remember that we need to be specific in defining the target behaviors that we want to reinforce or punish, and we need to figure out the function of the behavior because that will often point in the right direction as to how to measure the behavior.
(2) The topography of the behavior matters as well as the context. Many behaviors many be topographically similar yet serve the same function; often the topography of the behavior depends on the context the behavior is being emitted in.
(3) If a behavior was hypothesized to serve the same function as a behavior that you want to decrease the frequency of, but it does not in fact serve the same function, stop that behavior because it is an ineffective substitute for the original behavior.
7a) Please start collecting baseline data on the behavior that you chose for your behavioral change project: biting my fingernails
7b) What will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I will use a manicure as a reinforcer. This is a good reinforcer because it is something that is enjoyable for me to get, so it is very salient. It is easy to obtain, and it is relaxing for me, which will serve the same function as biting my nails because I bite my nails more when I am more stressed. I will use a fixed interval schedule of reinforcement of one week. Each week that I go without biting my nails I will reinforce myself by going to get a manicure. I chose this schedule of reinforcement because it will be an easy way to reinforce myself, and it is a long enough timeframe to have some reinforcing value without being too long that I get unmotivated in between reinforcement.

Terms used in this post: extinction, salient, reinforced, reinforcement, extinction burst, elicit, extinguished, topographically and functionally similar behaviors, behavioral classes, target behavior, reinforce, punish, function of behavior, emitted, reinforcer, serve the function, fixed interval schedule of reinforcement, reinforcing value

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I just like the whole idea of goal setting. Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of the future into reality. The process of setting goals helps you choose where you want to go in life. By knowing exactly what you want to achieve, you know where you have to concentrate your efforts. Doing so also helps you spot the distractions that can lead you astray.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Most of us have heard the goal setting speech and how to do it properly. This was basically the same thing, but it provided different examples so it kept it interesting.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-Goals should be realistic – some things we just can’t do. This point is obvious, and understood by most, I hope, so easily remembered.
-Goals should be manageable to the extent they can fit into your daily life. And they should not be disruptive. If you have to go out of your way to change a behavior or accomplish a goal, you will be less motivated, and less likely to achieve it.
-Achieving goals often depends on the people that support you. Basically stay away from people that are aversive.
After reading section 5.1, please respond to the following questions.

4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
When attempting to reduce problem behavior, like most of us that are participating in class behavior mod, we first put the target behavior into measurable terms or a give it a behavioral definition. Targeting behaviors involves selecting specific behaviors, describing them precisely, and then using these descriptions to formulate hypotheses, predictions and referral questions that need to be answered in order to plan an intervention, how to decrease or eliminate the behavior. Collecting the data will help us pin point what our antecedent is, and when best to reinforce a new behavior or punish the current one.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
This whole section is revisiting previously discussed terms and processes. It is described in detail and used differently with each example, but it is still review.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-Many behaviors occur under a variety of contexts. When you record the behavior, also record the context in which it occurred. This applies perfectly to our current behavior modification experiment.
-Baselines are important, same as above, and relevant to experiment. It will help us determine whether or not our adjustments and reinforcements are taking hold.
-Pinpoint and be specific about what behavior you want to change or observe. By being specific it follows that you will be able to measure the behavior and set appropriate goals.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I will use activities that I enjoy as a reinforcer. If I decrease my behavior I will allow myself to take part in one of these activities. This is a good reinforcer for me personally because allowing myself to do something I would enjoy after decreasing a undesirable behavior will encourage me to continue decreasing that behavior. I will use a fixed interval reinforcement schedule. I think this type of reinforcement schedule will work best for me because I will have to decrease my behavior a certain number of times before I get reinforced. If I were to reinforce myself after every time I abstained from the behavior the reinforce may not work as well and it would be unrealistic to watch tv or hang out with friends on a daily basis given my work/school schedule.

8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Reinforcement, reinforce, reinforcer, goals, target behavior, antecedent, behavior, response, behavioral class, function of behavior, topography, baseline, frequency, desirable, punishment, aversive, fixed interval, context, disruptive

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?

I liked learning the sections of how to set a goal, it was explained very clearly.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?

I disliked how it restated them all again at the end, it was slightly tedious and there is enough to read through as it is.

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 would be that there are just some things you can’t do. Goals have to be realistic to be achieved. Some people are meant to do certain things and others may never be able to accomplish certain things. Second, I’ll remember a support system is really important in achieving our goals. I will also remember that time is very important in setting goals, and you must be realistic with your time goals.

After reading section 4.4, 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 examples in this section actually helped clarify some things for me. it helped me find functions and topographies in behaviors.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?

I felt like this section has a lot of review in it and it made it difficult to pay attention while reading all of it.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?

I will remember that all of our behaviors actually have a function. I know that we can find the function and group different behaviors with the same function into behavioral classes. I will also remember that behaviors must all be "measureable". I think that I will remember this because it is important you have to be able to tell the difference and establish the target behavior. With that being said, lastly, I will remember that in order to actually change a specific behavior you would need to establish a baseline for the current existing behavior.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

The behavior I would like to change is eating unhealthy foods at any time. I work out a lot, and I feel like it ruins my workouts and I am always disappointed in myself. Eating healthy makes me feel better all together.

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?

I will chose to reinforce myself with good results from healthy eating. This would be a hopefully continuous reinforcement. With feeling healthy and looking better.

8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.

Functional behavior, topographical behavior, baseline, reinforcement, support base.

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked how this section was introduced. I feel like it gave me a boost of motivation to pursue my goal of eating healthy and exercising. I feel like the more specific I make my goal the more successful it will be.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I liked everything in this section, I feel like the goal setting guidelines were well explained and the examples given were realistic and relatable. I really enjoyed reading this section.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that we need to make our goals realistic because if they are not realistic they have a very low chance of becoming successful. We need to be able to see ourselves achieving our goal in a realistic way. I will also remember that having a support group will help us reach our goal. Having friends and/or family supporting us and encouraging us will motivate us to keep going, even when times get rough. Lastly, I will remember that the timeframe needs to be realistic too. We can’t expect to lose 20 pounds in one week or to get a flat belly by the weekend. It’s important to keep in mind that some goals may take more time and patience.
After reading section 4.4, 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 had a review of the behavioral classes and the functions of behaviors. I feel like it has helped me to make my target behavior more specific and to know what will constitute successes and failures.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I liked everything in this section. I feel like all was explained well and there were plenty of examples given to help me out with my own target behavior.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that we need to measure our behaviors. This is very important to do because it will help us identify the progress or downfalls of our goal. It is also nice to have something to compare to and to improve from the previous week. Another thing I will remember is that almost all behaviors have a function. This is important in identifying specific behaviors to change or to increase in our goal. Lastly, I will remember the topography of behaviors. This is helpful because the behavior we do to eat healthy, such as not eating chips, makes feel healthy then we will continue to do that behavior because its in our goal of being healthy.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)?Why did you choose this schedule?
As a reinforcer I will use retail therapy and as a reinforcement schedule I will use fixed ratio. I chose fixed ratio because I want something that will stay constant and consistent.

8) Terminology: goal setting guidelines, realistic, timeframe, goals, behavioral classes, functions, target behavior, specific, topography, reinforcer, reinforcement schedule, fixed ratio

After reading section 4.3, 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 this section really laid out the rules of making a goal successful. Too many good goals fail because they are set up in a way that discourages success. I if apply these rules to my goals, I know they will be more likely to happen.
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. The section was an easy quick read that achieved its goals of helping set up goals for success. Most of the reason I took this class was to learn something that I would be able to use in real life and I feel like we are now getting ot that point in the class.
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 is that goals have to be realistic if a person really wants to achieve them. A goal that does not fit into reality won’t work. The second thing I will remember that a large goal needs to be broken down into sub goals and/or a long timeframe. By breaking down too large goals, they become manageable. The third thing I will remember is that maintenance is a key part of goal setting. Maintenance is the “day by day” part of the goal. Maintenance pitfalls allows for some mistakes without come resetting (failing) the goal. These are important concepts to know in goal setting.
After reading section 4.4, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
This section was boring to me, but I figure that means that I understand the material.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I disliked that I found this section to be boring because it repeated material. While I am glad I know it, learning is much more interesting when the material becomes tougher to avoid plateau.
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 is all behaviors have a function, whether it be: saving (time/money), self-gratification or punishment based on whether we place a pleasant or aversive valence on the function. The second thing I will remember is that topography is important. Defining what the behavior looks like exactly is very important in achieving goals. The third thing I will remember is that the history of the organism tells us whether the behavior is positive, negative or both. These are all very important concepts in goal setting.
7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
My reinforcer will be only eating healthy deserts (which I place a pleasant valence on) once a week if I eat two salads a day. I will use a fixed reinforcement schedule at first, and then mix it up with a variable interval reinforcement schedule. This system of positive reinforcement will reinforce the good behavior of eating a salad with an occasional treat until I no longer want sweets all the time (assuming this is a habit I can break, which may or may not be an example of extinction).
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Goal, large goal, sub goals, timeframe, maintenance, manageable, maintenance pitfalls, function, aversive valence, topography, the history of the organism, positive, negative, reinforcer, pleasant valence , fixed reinforcement schedule , variable interval reinforcement schedule, positive reinforcement , reinforce, extinction.

After reading section 4.3, please respond to the following questions.

1) One thing I really liked about this section was that it started with a story because it gave me an idea about what the section was about and integrated the different parts of goal setting into it. It was nice to start with something different other than jumping into the section with facts and vocab. I liked how stories were kind of placed throughout the section and certain parts had their own story to help us remember.

2) One thing I disliked about this section was the fact that I had learned a lot of this before so it was kind of a review for me. I also felt like the boxes kept repeating themselves and although that is sometimes a good thing I thought this section was easier so all the repeating wasn’t necessary.

3) Three things I will remember are to keep in mind a time frame for my goals because some goals take longer than others and goals that will take longer are more difficult to achieve, break large goals into smaller sub goals because it is easier to focus on certain parts at a time in order to achieve the large goal and the smaller goals, once achieved, can be celebrated, and it’s important to have a support base because if you don’t your goals are harder to achieve and you can have joint goals with someone who has the same kind of goal as you.

After reading section 4.4, please respond to the following questions.

4) One thing I really liked about this section was how previous sections like behavioral classes and topography of behavior were revisited because when we learned it the first time I kept getting topography confused and I couldn’t remember it so learning it again in a different context helps me distinguish it more.

5) There wasn’t much that I disliked about this section because it was good to review the topics that were covered. Sometimes it gets old having to review things but this one I thought was necessary. One thing I wish there would have been was a summary because I always go through that and make sure I understand all the points it covers.

6) Three things that I will remember are that all behaviors have a function and it is important to know what function that behavior has. I’ll remember that because knowing and understanding the function of the behavior will help if I ever want to modify a certain behavior. Another thing I will remember is the importance of defining a target behavior because a lot of the times I say I want to do something but I am not specific enough with a target behavior so it makes modifying that behavior a lot harder. The third thing I will remember is to record when I do a behavior and what specifically I did because this will help me find out what antecedents prompt the behavior.

7a) I want to start running outside more now that it is getting warmer out.

7b) I will use a smoothie as my reinforce because I normally drink them whenever I want but if I limit them to only after I work out I will crave them more which will help my motivation to work out. It is also a good reinforcer because it is good for me so it is helping my overall goes of running and getting into shape. The schedule of reinforment I will use will be continuous reinforcement because every time I work out I will receive a smoothie and not every once in a while. I chose this because every time I emit the behavior I am rewarded and I think the consequence of receiving it often will get me motivated to keep going.

8) Terms: goal setting, sub goals, time frame, behavioral classes, topography of behavior, support base, joint goals, behavior, modify, function, target behavior, antecedents, reinforce, schedule of reinforcement, emit, consequence

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
My favorite part of this section was the part about having a support base. Which means in order to maintain a goal, it’s pretty necessary to have others supporting and believing in you. Which could be someone that’s completing the goal with you, or just family or friends. I liked this part because I’ve always thought support groups work well. And if you start giving up on your goal, then those in your support group can pick you back up.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The one thing I didn’t like about this section was there wasn’t a lot of new information in it. There were a lot of questions to think about, but there wasn’t a whole lot of new information I picked up on.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. One thing I learned was to make sure your goals are realistic. If they aren’t that realistic, the chances of you following through are slim, or unachievable. If they are realistic, it’ll be easier for you to make the steps to achieving your goal.
b. Another thing I will remember is disruptions may stop or cause a disturbance in the goal process. If my goal was to eat healthier, but my roommate is constantly buying junk food, that may set me back. It’s important to consider these disruptions when deciding a goal.
c. The last thing I will remember is the timeframe for goals. Some goals are easier to achieve compared to others. It’s important to remember this because if someone’s goal is shorter, and they celebrate their’s before you, it may discourage you. So it’s important to keep this factor in mind.
After reading section 4.4, 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 it went over reasons why we change our behaviors and how measuring is important. And how measuring is significant to why we change our behaviors. This helped me get a better understanding in some of my behavior modification processes. Or how to really think about reinforcement and punishment when it comes to my aversive emitted behaviors.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
What I disliked is it was just a bit repetitive. Otherwise I didn’t really find a lot I didn’t like.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a. The first thing I will remember is the function of a certain behavior and to replace it with a healthier or better behavior that can replace it. This is important to remember because if you want to change a behavior, you have to understand what it does for you in the first place.
b. I will also remember in order to change a behavior an individual should establish a baseline for the current target behavior. The person can then begin a behavioral intervention, which should be measured so the individual can see the increasing or decreasing frequency of behavior. This indicates seeing whether a reinforcer or differential reinforcement of other is working. Then you can look at contingencies.
c. The last thing I will remember is setting future goals, it’s important to record all of the behaviors. This can be done by using a behavioral diary. Looking at the ABC’s and the antecedent is necessary when doing this.
7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
The reinforcement I plan to use is for every pound I lose I will reward myself with a chocolate bar. Which may seem backwards to the main goal, but keeping myself away from chocolate will make me want the chocolate more and work towards it. The type of reinforcement I will be using is the variable interval schedule because over a period of time the amount of pounds I lose I’ll get the reinforcement. This works best for me and will work with my timeframe.
Terms: Behavior modification, disruptions, timeframe, emit, reinforcement, aversive, punishment, variable interval schedule, behavior, antecedent, ABC’s, modifying, measurement, function, realistic, achievable, target behavior, baseline, frequency of behavior, differential reinforcement of other, contingent, behavioral diary.

After reading section 4.3, please respond to the following questions.

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?

Real life connections help me remember the important subject topics of the section. Reading about Lilies of the Field and drawing a real world connection between the class work and the “real world” makes the topic of “Be realistic.” much more pertinent and representative. Even though the townspeople frustratingly came out to help build the church when it was almost finished, it was very illustrative of the first of the goal setting guidelines (realistic-ness).

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?

In a progressive world, it’s difficult to read something that outwardly discourages people from pursuing their dreams; realistic or not. Dreams keep people alive. They encourage people to be more than they are….think bigger….be more. I disliked reading about how you couldn’t be an astronaut if you were too old or too disabled…

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?

a. The outline of the goal setting guidelines was very well-rounded and fleshed out. Again, I appreciated all the real-world examples, “How would you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” I also enjoyed reading about cigarette smoking, because my boyfriend just quit and I’m so proud to see that he did it in an appropriate way, inadvertently following many of the guidelines.

b. The maintenance guideline examples were very relevant; holidays and daylight savings are incredibly difficult times to set goals…which is why I’m always amused around new year’s resolution time. The conditions are right for a very short period of time. For about thirty days, everyone is very supportive and gung-ho to continue their goals and stick with their resolutions…however, the hype dies down and soon people quit them, thus emphasizing poor maintenance.

c. Ability is a good point, however, once again, it’s very discouraging. I understand the value of realism, but why not encourage someone? I was incredibly amused by the exercise equipment example. I’ve read many stories where people discuss the uses of their equipment…as anything but their intended purpose; clothes holder, pants shrinker….etc. Although, just because someone gave up and quit using/never used the equipment doesn’t mean that they didn’t have the ability.
After reading section 5.1, please respond to the following questions.

4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
Reading about functions of behavior with the premise of alcohol is always a good way to get college students to pay attention. It also makes the section topic(s) more applicable. A large percentage of the college population, and probably this class, regularly attend bars and, whether they are consciously aware of it or not, they are exhibiting behavioral classes and hoping their behaviors serve their desired functions.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?

Again, something was focusing on measuring behavior. Although we haven’t went incredibly in depth yet, it’s slightly aggravating that instead of learning about something new and different concerning behavior modification, this entire section essentially dissects target behavior.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?

a. I liked reading about the function of junk food. It almost entirely mirrors the conversation my boyfriend and I just had about smoking. We determined why he smoked…what it meant to him, how it made him feel, what could replace it, what else helped manage the urge, how to distract him from needing it, and what type of support would be required.

b. Using the door-handle example was a good representation of context. Oftentimes it is easy to read about concepts in the sections and believe you have a working knowledge. However, you merely have a well-refined definition and no real-world example to accompany it. Having examples that are easily executed in everyday life make remembering easier.

c. Laura being a waitress, using her change to buy her car….very gendered example. I’m not sure this was the best example to use as a baseline behavioral intervention for a saving money example.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?

Instead of watching TV for a distraction, I’m going to use running. I know this will be a good and effective behavior change because I have been a runner for many years and used this as a stress reliever/distraction in the past. However, it has been so cold that I haven’t been up to running so TV has been convenient. Now that the weather is warmer, I’ll want to be outside which will serve a dual purpose of being healthier, being a distraction, and getting me in the warm weather! The reinforcer I’m going to use will be chewing gum. I really enjoy gum and if I execute my running schedule, I’ll continue to buy gum. However, if I don’t run every day, I won’t get gum every day. I’m using continuous reinforcement because that will be more effective for me. I like instant gratification better because it helps me stay focused.

8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.

Realistic, goal-setting guidelines, maintenance guidelines, conditions, goals, ability, functions of behavior, behavioral classes, desired functions, measuring behavior, behavior modification, target behavior, replace, context, baseline behavioral intervention, reinforcer, continuous reinforcement

1.a.b.) I like how straightforward and easy this section was. I just stated how to set a goal and there was some great examples!
2.) There was nothing I disliked about this section. It was really easy and I found it interesting because I could relate it to my own life.
3.a.b.c.) One thing that I will remember is that my goals have to be realistic. I will remember this because I am a realist and that is what I already do. I will also remember that my goals have to have a time frame. I will remember this because it is something I need to work on. I always have goals of things I want to do, but they sometimes never get done because I never set a time limit to when they need to be completed by. Lastly, I will remember that we need to ask ourselves is our goal disruptive. I will remember this because this is something I do not do and need to work on. I take on some big responsibilities and challenges without thinking about them first and then realizing later that I may have bitten off more than I can chew.
4.a.b.) I really liked that fact that this chapter gave a really nice refresher of things we learned at the very beginning of class. I had forgotten some of it already.
5.) I did not like how there was not very many examples in this section. I learn best when I can relate things to my own life.
6.a.b.c.) I will remember that all of our behaviors actually have a function! I will remember this because I often find myself asking myself why am I doing this. I will also remember that behaviors must all be measurable. I will remember this because I like to see my progress and see if I actually reach my goal. Lastly , I will remember that the baseline is the start of your goal. Where you set the start line to increase or decrease your target behavior.
7.a.) I want to be stronger by exercising more and eating healthier.
7.b.) I will used fixed ratio and I will reward myself with chocolate.
8.) Fixed ratio, increase, decrease, target behavior, realistic, time frame, measurable

Please read sections 4.3 (Importance of Goals) and 5.1 (Measuring Behavior).
Please fill out the boxes in the readings you may be quizzed on them in class.
After reading section 4.3, please respond to the following questions.
1) I liked the goal part where it talked about breaking down goals to help make them more achievable. I think this is important, because it seems like many people struggle with achieving their goals. By taking tinier steps to a goal at a time, it would feel so overwhelming.
2) I thought everything in this section was valuable. I don’t think there was anything that I least liked about it.
3) One thing I know I will remember from this section to make sure goals you are setting are realistic. As humans we can only do so much at once, and we should not get ourselves down over a goal that we chose which is near to impossible in the amount of time we chose to get it done in. Another thing I will remember from this section is if you choose a goal that isn’t very realistic it is going to be hard to gain support for that goal. A third section that I will remember was the section on disruptive goals. I will remember this, because it is where people need to change things in their environment not just in themselves to make their goal happen. I have seen people do great things with disruptive goals just by getting out of the environment they were in.
After reading section 4.4, please respond to the following questions.
4) I liked the section on topography, because it is a very important component when it comes to behavior and behavior modification. I think that this section explained it very well and better helped me understand.
5) I wouldn’t say that I disliked anything in this section, I guess the only thing is that there have been a lot of reminders of saying which you would like to change or you think need to be changed.
6) We have to make sure that our target behavior we are trying to achieve is measureable, so we know if we actually succeeded in our goal. You also have to be very specific when setting goal so you know what parts you need to change and figure out exactly what you can do to change that behavior. I will also remember that all of our behaviors are a function.
7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I could use computer or tv time as a reinforce after all of my homework is done. Yes, because I will still get to use the computer, but it will ensure that my homework is done before. Continuous reinforcement, because it will help me get into a routine.
8) goals, realistic, unrealistic, disruptive goals, topography, target behavior, function,

4.3
1) 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 really just that it went more into detail about goal setting. I feel that the hardest part of self-reinforcement is setting your original goal because if you do not set a goal that follows the majority of these guidelines, then it will more than likely ultimately end in failure.

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 probably the number of fill in boxes. I just felt that a lot of these were really repetitive and not necessary. They just seemed to bore me, especially since I do not see the point to doing them since we never review them anyways.

3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing that I will remember from reading this section is that every goal you set needs to be realistic. I feel that this is the most important step in goal making. Deciding one morning that you are going to be a famous opera singer could be completely unrealistic if you do not know how to carry a tune. Secondly, I learned that sub goals can be very helpful when you are trying to achieve a goal that is on the larger side. Just saying that you want to get your PhD is a pretty big goal, but once you break it down into smaller, more achievable goals it makes getting your PhD seem much more maintainable and easier. Lastly, I will remember that it is important to have a support base when making a goal. Having people you love around you supporting your goal and encouraging you will make that goal much more achievable then having to go about reaching it all on your own.

5.1
4) 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 that it explained to you how to measure behavior. I feel that we have done a lot of reading about how to change a behavior, but we have yet to learn about how we measure the behavior you are changing so I found this section extremely beneficial. I also enjoyed that this section did review some information that we had learned closer to the beginning of the semester so it was a nice refresher on some topics.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Since I really enjoyed reading this section as a result of being unaware about most of it, I really did not dislike anything in this section. I felt that the whole section was beneficial and entertaining to read about.

6) 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 all behaviors have a function. I feel that this is an extremely important piece of information to remember because in order to measure a behavior, you need to make sure you have a specific behavior and not a behavior class. Making sure that you specifically know which function the behavior you are trying to change is, the easier it will be to measure. Secondly, I will remember what the topography of a behavior is. The first time we learned about this topic I got a little lost and confused. Reading over it again really helped me get in my head exactly what the topography of a behavior is and why it is important. Lastly, I will remember that in regards to the topography of a behavior, context matters. For example, when you approach a door there is a different behavior for opening a sliding door versus having to turn a handle. In these situations, context matters when labeling the behavior.

7) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
When I begin my behavioral intervention, I am going to use the reinforcement of ice cream. This is a good reinforce to me because ice cream is by far my favorite food. I think knowing that every time I go to the WRC or go for a run outside, I will be encouraged with the idea that I will get ice cream when I am done. It gives me something to look forward to, and will also give me a chance to eat ice cream without feeling bad about myself. I would probably use continuous reinforcement, especially at first. I chose this schedule because I feel that I will need the motivation of having that reinforcement every time I practice the behavior. Over time, I may start to really just enjoy going for runs and what not, so by that time my reinforcer may just be feeling good, but for the time being I am definitely going to need to continuously reward myself for my good behavior.

Terminology: Self-reinforcement, sub goals, support base, behavior class, topography, behavioral intervention, reinforcement, reinforcement schedule, continuous reinforcement

4.3 and 5.1
1) One thing that I really liked about this section is that it was short and recapped some information that we learned in early chapters. This helped refresh my memory on how to emit a target behavior to achieve our goals.
2) One thing I liked the least about this section but wasn’t that big a deal was that we had to emit the behavior of filling in the boxes.
3) One thing I will remember about this section is that all behaviors have a function. All behaviors do something and have a purpose or else we wouldn’t do them. The second thing I will remember from this section is that a variety of physical movements can be emitted in order to produce a target behavior. The last thing I will remember in this section is that content matters. The context or situation you are in matters when topography of the target behavior. I will remember this because we have to have a reason to elicit and emit a behavior.
4) One thing I really liked about this section is that it recapped all the steps in making a goal and being able to achieve and maintain the goal. Another thing I liked is that the examples in each step of the goal. They made the steps easy to understand and follow.
5) One thing I disliked about this section is that it was a lot of review.
6) There are many things I will remember from this section but one thing I will remember is that if we don’t specify exactly what we want, we have no reason to complain about what we get or where we find ourselves. I think this is important because if we want to change a target behavior or sub goals we need to figure out why we want to have those goals and the purpose behind those behaviors. Another thing I will remember is that sub goals can be very important in achieving a larger target goal. Another thing I will remember is that having a support group for a long term goal is important and finding way to deal with disruptions in goals. Life happens and we need to learn ways to deal with disruptions that come between our goals. This is one of the biggest problems with me and goals. I get something that disrupts my goal or routine and then I just give-up and fall into old behaviors.
7a) One way I will record the behavior of walking/running on my treadmill five days a week is by recording in a notebook. This should be easy because my treadmill records how far I have went. The most important thing to me on this goal is that I walk on it five days a week.
7b) One way I will reinforce myself is by putting a dollar in a jar for every mile I run. If I miss a day and don’t workout at least 5 days a week I have to take out two dollars for every day I miss working out. I think this is a form of scheduled reinforcement. I have not decided how long I will do this until I spend the money and how I am going to use it. I might use it to buy new clothes or something. Not sure yet.
Terms: emit, target behaviors, goals, elicit, goal, maintain, sub goals, support group, disruptions, reinforcement, and scheduled reinforcemen

1)i liked the idea of breaking things down and doing a little at a time so that you don't over whelm yourself.

2) not one thing really

3) breaking things down in to the sub goals. make a goal that you can reach, and have a good support base
4) i like that every behavior has a function and my function might be different than yours even if it is the same behavior.
5) the lack of new stuff
6)in each of the the classes of behavior there are many differnt behaviors. you need to understand the outcome of the behavior to see how the reinforcer will work or not. also topography is some thing else that caught my eye.
7)I think my reinforcer will be smoking. it is something that i do and want to do but also want to stop but i will save that for another day. it will be continous, because everytime that i take my pills on time i will reward myself

After reading section 4.3, please respond to the following questions.

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?

In this section, I really enjoyed the steps that were described in order to accomplish goals because I have learned about them before in a previous class, and tried it out. After trying this out for myself I realize these steps actually DO work in helping accomplish goals and keeping track of how to get to where you wanna be. These steps include being realistic, timeframe, breaking bigger goals up into smaller ones, making sure that are achievable as well as manageable and that you have the ability to do them, and focusing on maintaining them.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?

I honestly cannot think of anything I disliked in particular about this section except that it was 11 pages long so took awhile to read, but other than that I cannot think of anything.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?

Three top things I will remember from this section are first of all that goals must be realistic and specific. I will remember this because I have learned about it previously in a class and well as used this technique myself and found out how much better it works. Another thing I will remember from this section is that achieving goals also depends on the people that support you. I will remember this because I had not thought of it before and now I realize how true it actually is because I care a lot about support when trying to reach a goal and the amount of support I get can actually create a huge difference. Lastly, I will remember to focus on staring a behavior. I will remember this because I think this would help a lot when trying to achieve on goal. Based on what we learned in class, if we use reinforcement to increase a particular behavior, it would help us better attain our goals.

After reading section 4.4, 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 about this section is it made me realize how much I have learned so far while taking this class. Before taking this class I would have never thought behavior could actually be measured and how anyone would go about that. After reading this section, I realized it is so simple to measure behavior and we can use those measurements for future references on changes those particular behaviors if we would like to.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?

I disliked the fact that we have to do 10 of those writing examples because it took up time but honestly it helped me better understand the concepts as well so I would say it was worth it in the end.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?

I will remember for sure that all behaviors have a function. I will remember this because it is important when deciding what types of functions our behaviors have in order to fix them or change them and the text even clearly states that we should remember it therefore I am going to put in effort to remember this. I will also remember that context matters. I will remember this because it is important to be able to tell the kind of situation when considering topography of behavior. I will also remember the saving money example that was used to show examples of behavioral intervention and baselines. I will remember this because it is something I would like to do and am considering making a goal for myself. I spend way too much money and would really love to start saving it instead. Lastly, I will remember to carry a small notebook or write messages in my phone in order to record the behavior as soon as it occurs. I will remember this because I feel as if it is very important to keep track of my behavior as best as possible.

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?

I know for a fact I will be using a positive reinforcer because I feel as if that is more effective for myself. The type of reinforcer I am considering using is rewarding myself by shopping every other weekend after saving up a certain amount of money and taking a small percentage of that to use towards shopping. This is a great reinforcer because shopping is something that I absolutely love to do and I know will help reinforce me to save money if I am able to shop later. I would be using a fixed interval schedule because I am going to be rewarding myself after a specific amount of time has passed which is my case is going to be every two weeks after saving up money. I choose this schedule because I feel as if it would be the most useful and accurate way to save money as well as control my spending behavior at the same time.

Terms: goals, time frame, ability, maintenance, realistic goals, behavior, reinforcement, topography, behavioral intervention, baseline, positive reinforcer, fixed interval schedule

4.3
1 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 that the steps that were described in order to reach a goal were very easy to follow. I like how each step of the goal was short and simple to understand.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I can’t really say I disliked anything in particular; the only issue was that it took a while 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 is when setting a goal you need to be realistic. Relying on others is a big thing for goal setting. If your goal is not realistic, then others will not help with it.
-One thing I will remember is that one way to achieve larger goals is to break them down into series sub goals. By focusing on sub goals we can get more buy in from our friends and family and we can reinforcer the smaller successes as the happen.
-One thing I will remember is that we have to be realistic of the timeframe of our goals. Larger goals generally take a lot longer than smaller goals, larger goals can be divided into smaller sub goals.

5.1

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 was that it was easy to comprehend. i really enjoyed the layout of the section.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing I disliked in this section was the amount of examples we needed to provide during the reading. I think it was a bit too much!

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 a variety of physical movements can be emitted in order to produce a certain behavior. For example: opening a door and the different ways you can open it.
-One thing I will remember is that the topography of behavior and the various behavioral classes often dictate how we will measure our behavior.
-One thing I will remember is that you have to conduct functional analysis to see why we want to emit a specific behavior.

7a) Last Monday you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior.
One way I will collect my date of working out three times a week for an hour each time is by keeping track in a notebook.

7b) What will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
For my reinforcer I will be using positive reinforcement. I will reward myself by going shopping every two weeks. I will put aside a certain portion of my paycheck and use it to shop! This is a really good reinforcer for me because I absolutely love to go shopping. I will be using a fixed interval schedule of reinforcement because after a certain amount of time (2 weeks) I will reward myself by shopping. I chose this schedule of reinforcement because it seems like it would really work. Two weeks seems like a reasonable amount of time passed to go shopping. I was thinking I would do a weekly reinforcer, but I think that would be too much shopping!

8) Terms:
Reinforcer, sub goals, emitted, realistic goals, baseline, consequence, topography, behavioral class, functional analysis, positive reinforcement, fixed interval schedule.

Section 4.3
1 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 the individual requirements of good goals. It was helpful to have examples of each step listed out. All of the examples helped clarify the steps and how they pertain to goals.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?- I felt like I knew a lot of this information just from life experiences and previous classes, so it felt a bit redundant and I wish it would have tied into behavior modification a little more.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?-I will remember that some goals could be considered disruptive. This is a concept that I never really thought about before, I only saw goals as a positive thing but the examples in the text make it apparent that there is a chance that goals could cause inconvenience for you or the people in your life. Maintenance is something that I will remember as well because it is something that I struggle with personally. I have a goal and I can usually hold onto it for a week or so but after that I struggle with maintaining the goal. I think the sections about goals being achievable and manageable and having the ability are very important because many people make goals with skewed visions in mind but these requirements remind people that they need to keep their goals small at first.

Section 5.1
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?- I liked the beginning of this section where it focused on the difficulties of measuring behaviors. It was helpful to know that there might be some confusion on how to measure the behavior because I am slightly worried about how I will measure my behavior for the upcoming project.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?- I disliked that this section had nothing to do with how to measure a behavior. It only went over functionality and topography of behaviors and not effective ways to record the appropriate behavior. I think that the sections were necessary but not to the length of being the entire section.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?- All behaviors have a function. I think it is important to keep this in perspective. There is a reason we do the things we do even if they negatively affect us. I thought that history of the organism was an interesting way of looking at topography of behaviors. It makes sense because if an organism has a positive history of being reinforced by a behavior it will be more than likely to repeat those behaviors. Behaviors are topographically the same if they serve the same function.
7) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer?- I will use having an unlimited social media day on Saturday be my reinforcer. Why is this a good reinforcer?-Because I will not have to maintain my low levels and I will want to get caught up on everything that I've been missing out on. What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)?- It will be a fixed interval schedule Why did you choose this schedule?- It works with what I wanted my reinforcement to be. A set day once a week to catch up on social media.
8) Terminology- disruptive, maintenance, achievable, manageable, functionality, topography, reinforcer, fixed interval schedule

AJD
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? I enjoyed the story at the beginning. It put what we were about to read into perspective.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? I found this section enjoyable to read and informative.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? I will remember that is important to break your goals up into sub goals because it is easier to manage them that way. I will remember that goals should be realistic so that they can be achieved more easily. I will remember the 9 different guidelines of setting goals: are they realistic, what is the time frame for my goal, sub goals are important, are they achievable and do I have the ability to do it, I will consider if they are manageable or disruptive, I will see if they require maintenance and I will have to consider getting a support base.
After reading section 4.4, please respond to the following questions.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? It highlighted why it is important measure behavior. It is easier to measure a behavior if it is specific.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? I found this section a little dry and tough to read. More everyday examples would have made it easier 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 that being specific is important when measuring behaviors. I will remember that all behaviors have a function. I will also remember that physical movements can be emitted in order to produce a specific behavior.
7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule? I think I will use 2 netflix episodes as a reinforcer for going to the gym for 1 hour twice a week. I watch Netflix anyway so instead of watching Netflix and not being productive I can do something productive and then do something I enjoy. I think I will use a fixed interval schedule.
Terms: Goals, sub goals, realistic, time frame, achievable, ability, manageable, disruptive, maintenance, support group, measuring behavior, emitted, reinforcer, fixed interval, behavior,

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I like this section because it is very encouraging, and makes me feel like a lot is achievable if I go about it the right way. You must have goals in life in order to succeed at a respectable level, and how you go about the goals being very important. Also the part on sub goals are very important as they reinforce you to continue making progress.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I disliked in this section how it is not mentioned that sometimes the people that surround are your biggest motivators just because they don’t believe in you. I feel like doubt can elicit some of the biggest goal achievements.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
1. The first thing that one must take into account when making a goal is asking am I able to achieve this goal? Your abilities physically and mentally may not be capable of achieving all goals, but sometimes if you emit enough effort into it you can achieve it.
2. You must prepare for the disruptions that may occur in your life when trying to accomplish a goal. They may not be ideal at the time and even a relationship ender, but hopefully the pros outweigh these negative situations.
3. The best way to have success or make the most progress with a goal is to work as a team. It may be having a friendly competition with a co worker to see who can lose more weight, it may be just having your family as a support base to one trying to get a PhD.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I am an objective person, so having a clear target behavior that everyone would recognize as the behavior one is measuring is important to me. You can’t have a broad behavior that you are trying to measure because the results may be skewed from one person to the next.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I can understand the need to know this material before we do the experiment in this section, it just isn’t the most fun reviewing the material.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
a) Some may be more obvious than others, but every behavior that we experience have a function attached to them. Some may be reinforcing others punishing.
b) When measuring a behavior everyone must agree on what is and isn’t a behavior when it is emitted. Any discrepancy due to the target behavior being too broad and there will be issues with the experiment.
c) It is more effective to keep track of the behavior throughout the day instead of trying to recollect all of the times the behavior occurred at the end of the day. Much more accurate if you are able to get it recorded right after every occurrence.

7) When we begin this experiment I will use a fixed interval schedule for my reinforcement. I believe a piece of candy will be the best way to reinforce myself consistently because I will always be in favor of eating a piece, and it is relatively cheap to make happen.

terms: Sub goals, reinforce, elicit, emit, disruptions, target behavior, punishing, fixed interval

Section 4.3:

1) One thing I liked in the section was formatting of the aspects of goals and the various examples. I liked this because it made it easy to read and understand with examples.

2) One thing I disliked in this section was it didn’t seem to have concrete suggestions for how to use goals. It has good guidelines for making goals, and with good questions to ask yourself, but it doesn’t have detailed concrete definitions. This makes me uneasy about setting goals correctly.

3) I will remember the aspects of disruptive, manageable and support base. I will remember all of these because they are the aspects I have the most difficulty with. My goals can be disruptive to my relationships and friendships sometimes. For example, my goal of getting good grades in college is disruptive to my time spent with my boyfriend. Like right now we can’t spend too much quality time together/dates because I have to study so often. This dips into why I need help with manageability because sometimes I pull away time from people in my life to complete my goals. This affects my support base negatively by making it smaller. So overall these things I need to work on most when I make my goals.

Section 5.1:

4) One thing I really liked was how at the end it asked us to write out what behavior we wanted to change, and what functions or topographies it may have. This is helpful for the behavior modification project.
5) I didn’t really have anything to dislike in this section, it all seemed helpful and good to review.

6) I will remember the specifics of how something “serves a function.” I will remember this because it is important to specific the function of a behavior in order to effectively modify the behavior. I will also remember the topographies of behaviors. I will remember this because it can be used to predict the future topographies of a behavior, and this can be helpful for the behavior project. I will remember the importance of specific and immediate note taking of behavior in order to truly measure it accurately. I will remember this because I will need to use in the behavioral project.

7a) I will start collecting a baseline

7b) When I start the behavioral intervention I will you use a mix of candy, hydro-massage, and downtime as reinforcers. This will be a good reinforcer because I will get an immediate reinforcer for getting to the gym, one for completing the work out, and one at the end of the week for going enough days. The type of reinforcement schedule I will be using is part continuous reinforcement and part fixed ratio because every time I go to the gym I will get a reward, and after a set amount of trips to the gym I will get a reward.

8) Terms: fixed ratio, continuous reinforcement, reinforcers, goals, manageable, disruptive, and support base, behavior, function, topographies, measuring behavior

After reading section 4.3, 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 overall because it really made me look into my own goals. I realized that my goals were really broad. I found myself looking at the goal setting guidelines and remaking my current goals. I feel like I made them all achievable and manageable now.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? I really didn’t not like anything about this section. I found it extremely interestin g and helpful.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? I will remember that being realistic is extremely important in goal setting. I think this because you will never achieve a unrealistic goal. You need to measure your resources and ability before you set a goal. I will also remember that support is a huge factor in setting a goal. You will not achieve a goal easily without a solid support system. It is always helpful to be encouraged and makes you want to strive harder for your goal.
After reading section 4.4, 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 reading about the behavior classes. I enjoyed this part of the chapter because it made me realize that behaviors are more specific than I once thought. What I mean by this is that opening a door is not a behavior. Pushing the door open or turning the handle on a door are behaviors and opening a door is a behavioral class.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? There really wasn’t anything I didn’t enjoy or understand because this section just reviewed a lot and helped me understand what I questioned before.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? I will remember the difference between a behavior and a behavioral class because of the door example. I will remember that all behaviors need to be measured in some way because that makes things easier and more specific. I will also remember that all behaviors have a function. This means that there are reasons behind all of our actions. This just don’t occur without a reason.
7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule? I will use a scale as a reinforce. I will buy a scale and make myself step on it everyday to encourage me to continue working out and eating healthy. This will be It will be a fixed ratio because I will make it habit to step on the scale everyday. I may not see a change right away but once I do it will feel good in encouraging me to continue.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post. Fixed ratio, goal, behavior, behavioral class, function, measurement, achievable, realistic manageable.

1. In this section I like that the different categories people should think about when setting goals are listed in bold with supporting paragraphs. It makes it easy for the reader to distinguish the important points and makes them more salient.

2. The achievability section seemed to be lacking in content. I would like to hear more about other factors that could determine achievability rather that just the university situation. Achievability is a big issue for people starting out this practice of making goals, because it is easy to get discouraged in the beginning stages of goal setting if your goal is not achieved.

3. Under the timeframe section you made a point about small and big goals and how sometimes they can be a vicious cycle. I hadn’t though of it that way before but it makes sense why myself and others come up with really big goals. People want the feeling of accomplishment when they achieve that goal, and achieving the smaller goals just isn’t as satisfying even if they are more feasible. I will also remember the “Look before you leap” statement as it relates to ability. It is hard to be so objective about yourself when you realize that maybe I can’t achieve the goal of being a ballerina because I just don’t have the petite build. The third thing I will remember is the issue of changing environments when it comes to maintenance. Every time I get really busy or stressed a lot of my good behaviors that I have been trying to work on slip. I also realize that when I am home for breaks I am more likely to treat myself. This is okay for short weekends or maybe even Thanksgiving, but for Christmas vacation it becomes a long length of time where I am just treating my self and practicing behaviors that are unhelpful.

4. I liked that this chapter just generally focused on making sure the reader had a good understanding of what is needed to accurately measure the behavior. This solidified the previous material we had been reading and talking about, and emphasized the importance of creating a good foundation.

5. During the introduction paragraphs about target behavior specification I would have appreciated a bit of an introduction on what would be included in this chapter. I read the whole chapter, but when I got to the first section of “functions of behaviors” I wanted to know how this was going to be expanded on and how it fit in with the other topics that were going to be discussed in this chapter.

6. I will remember the use of a bartender example to illustrate behavioral classes. I often have trouble getting a bartenders attention so I do end up doing various behaviors to try to get a drink. It will be a term and concept that sticks with me because I can associate it with my behaviors at a bar. I also appreciated the broad statement that all behaviors have a function. This is important to remember because when changing a behavior, we need to know what function it is serving. Thirdly, I will remember the ending paragraphs about how best to document your behavior. I am very forgetful so I tend to forget to document the behavior and end up making an educated guess at the end. I need to make my documentation materials more apparent and more a part of my life.

7. To reinforce eating breakfast 5 days a week, I will set aside time to watch an episode of my favorite TV show. Each time I have breakfast, I can watch one episode and they can also build upon each other. This is a good reinforcer because time is very important to me and I enjoy relaxing. I will be using continuous reinforcement because I have noticed I respond better to that type of reinforcement schedule.

8. Goals, salient, achievability, timeframe, maintenance, behaviors, target behavior, functions of behaviors, reinforce, continuous reinforcement, reinforcement schedule.

1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why? I really liked how this section was an easy read, since the topic was setting goals that are more likely to succeed. I liked that each section set an idea of how to maintain a goal and then had boxes to help fill out to make our goals successful and fit the criteria, realistic, understanding the timeframe, achievable goals, sub-goals, manageable, maintained, and account the disruptive features that may accompany a goal.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? One thing that I did not like about the section is that it talked about differential reinforcement of other again. It talked about that when you want to focus on starting a behavior so you can use reinforcement. And if I wanted to decrease a behavior I would need to use DRO. And that would be hard for me because I had trouble understanding so I have trouble understanding anything that talks about it.

3. What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? I will remember that goals need to be realistic. It is pointless to set a goal that cannot be achieved. I will also remember that the time frame for which the goal is to be completed is important. Bigger goals take longer and therefore require more time than small goals. Another thing that I will remember is that some goals require maintenance. An example of this would be if a person wants to quit smoking or lose weight they need to keep doing things in order to complete their goal. Sometimes this involves making changes to the environment. An example would be the person who wanted to lose weight might have to start eating healthier in order to keep the weight off.

After reading section 4.4, 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 about this section about topography because I thought it made it much more clear with all the examples and telling students to imagine it as a topography on a map (what does the behavior look like?)

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? One thing I disliked was how there wasn't a chapter summary at the end of this chapter to make sure I got all the main points out of the section.

6. What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? I will remember that a baseline is how often we emit the behavior when we are not being reinforced. It is useful in seeing if our behavioral intervention worked. Another thing that I will remember is that behavioral classes are behaviors that are similar but have the same function. The third thing that I will remember from this section is that the topography of behavior is how it looks on the surface.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
I am changing my behavior that I discussed in class to walking 10,000 steps per day.

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule? I am going to use craft beers as a reinforcer. I think this is a good reinforcer because it is a good motivator for me to accomplish my task each day. I don't usually by sample packs of beer just to have. I do enjoy drinking new beers. I am going to use continuous reinforcement because I think that after I get in the habit it of walking 10,000 steps a day it will give me something to look forward to. Then after awhile I'll just set it to Friday or Saturday nights so I'm not getting into a whole new routine with alcohol.

8) achievable goals, sub-goals, manageable, maintained, emit, aversive, target behavior, behavior, reinforcer, behavioral intervention, DRO

Reading Activity Week #11
4.3 (Importance of Goals)
1.) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how easily it was to relate on a personal level. I could apply these goal setting guidelines to my past goals and my present goals. I could understand where some past goals “went wrong”. I could relate some previous successful goals with these guidelines and understand why exactly they worked. These guidelines will also help me during the next couple weeks while we are doing our self-directed behavior experiments.
2.) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
In this section, I disliked how there was no new terms to learn. As I was reading, I felt like a lot of this information was common sense. But then again it was nice to see it all laid out.
3.) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember larger goals can be divided into sub goals. This is important because if I begin to feel too overwhelmed by a larger goal, I can think about in smaller sections. I may be more successful with this approach.
I will remember when making a goal, we should look to see if it is disruptive. This is important because choosing to make a certain goal may result in disrupting our current lifestyle, this could include really important aspects like family, friends, and our careers.
I will remember that all goals, no matter if they are large or small, need to ultimately be achievable. Your support base can help you along the way. Some people, like myself, are extremely self-disciplined and independent. But it is nice to know someone has got your back and are willing to push you along the road to success.
5.1 (Measuring Behavior).
4.) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how it this section explained that we cannot study something unless we measure it. It also went on to say all behaviors have a function. Which is extremely true. It just makes me think about all these behaviors people will exhibit when they are angry. They will openly admit they did not know why they did something. Basically it served as a form of expression. Those behaviors still had a functions, to show an emotion.
5.) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I was disappointed with this section. I felt it was extremely repetitive of previous sections. I was kind of bummed that I did not learn anything new. It also did not have a summary at the end of the section.
6.) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that all behavior have a function. It is important to remember this because it goes to show we should not ignore behaviors we do not understand. Every behavior is for a reason. Instead of ignoring, we should study the behavior.
I will remember that we cannot study something, unless we measure it. This goes for studying behaviors as well as countless other things.
I will remember in order to successfully study a behavior we need to be very specific in how we want to measure it. We also need to specifically define what “it” is. The target behavior needs to be defined so that there is no room for error.
7a.) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior. Okay.
7b.) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule? Taking a long hot bubble bath is my reinforcement for my target behavior. The reason why this is a good reinforcement for me is because I love to take bathes. I plan on using a once a week reinforcement schedule. I choose this interval because after each workout session, I will obviously be taking a shower. If I reach my set goal of the target minutes of both cardio and weight lifting for the week, a long hot bath will not only soothe my muscles but also my mind. I know this will be a good reinforcement for me because it is not often that I take the time to treat myself.

8) Terminology: goal setting guidelines, sub-goals, self-directed behavior, target behavior, baseline, reinforcement, reinforcer.

1) One thing I really liked from this section was the advice about how you need to be around people who support your goals in order for in to work out. Just like addicts are unable to get clean when surrounded by other users, setting a goal and having no support system makes it even harder to obtain. I suppose I like that part because I know how important it is. I have struggled with that problem over the years, and it does seem impossible to keep going when you have nobody backing you up, or understanding why you’re doing it in the first place.
2) One thing I didn’t care for as much was the realistic goals part. I know there are some things that are honestly not obtainable, like your old astronaut example, but I still feel some’ unobtainable’ goals can be obtained. I get why you put this section in there, I understand trying for a goal that isn’t possible is aversive and can lead to serious disappointment. I just felt a little thrown off reading it. I feel a lot of people think things are impossible and they aren’t, they just aren’t persistent enough.
3) 1. to break goals down into smaller goals; This is something I can remember because it makes me think of Dr. Marvin in the movie What About Bob, and his book Baby Steps. 2. Goals should be realistic; Even though I don’t completely agree with you, it’s something I will remember out of this chapter because of your astronaut example and my lifelong dream of becoming an astronaut will remind me. 3. Goals and support systems go together; It is something I know very well of though, I’ve been surrounded by lots of drug addicts throughout my life and know very well that it is almost impossible to stay clean without the support of others.
4) One thing I liked about this section was revisiting some of the older terms we went over towards the beginning of the semester. Since I have learned so many new terms in this class that I haven’t heard before, it’s nice going over them again to get them fresh in my memory. Even though I know them now, having new examples and re-reading them is nice to revisit them.
5) One thing I disliked most is that there wasn’t a summary in this section. I’m assuming it is because a lot of this section is review. The summary is very helpful to me, and I like when it’s included. I always have to revisit areas of readings to make sure I understood it right, or got it down, and it’s nice to have a summary to look at instead of dissect parts of the section and find what I’m looking for.
6) 1. Measuring behavior is best done right away; This is something for me to remember because I did so terrible at the water recording. Since I forgot to measure so many times throughout the process a lot of my information was left out, leaving me with a really bad graph. 2. Topography is getting the same result, different ways; I remember learning about this earlier in the year, and gave a turning the water on as an example because I was watching a faucet commercial as I was doing the assignment. 3. The importance of being specific when changing a target behavior; I liked your example of calling your parents. I always feel guilty about not calling certain family members enough and relate to that example.
7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
7b) The behavior I chose to change is being tardy to work continuously. I’m late everywhere I go but decided to start out with making it to work on time. I’m still unsure what reinforcement I will use, I’m having problems coming up with one. I think I will use continuous reinforcement at first, and possibly switch later when I get better at being on time. Since it’s something I am so bad at, I think I will need instant gratification of being reinforced before I can get on another type of reinforcement schedule.
8) goal, aversive, measuring behavior, topography, target behavior,

Section 4.3
1.) One thing I really liked about this section was the fact that it focused on being realistic. I liked that because it's common for people to say things along the line of, "you can do whatever you set your heart to," etc. I know that people can accomplish really incredible things, but I think when it comes to setting goals, it does make sense to focus on setting goals that are realistic and attainable. I liked that this section took a realistic approach to setting goals, because I think that definitely makes a difference in terms of whether or not a goal will or will not be accomplished.

2.) One thing I didn't like about this section was that I felt some of the material was a little repetitive. It seemed that a lot of the information from this section was stuff we've already read a little about in previous sections in terms of how to make a goal more attainable and realistic. It was an easy read and definitely makes sense, but it just seems like we've already gone over some of this.

3.) One thing I will remember about this section is that goals have to be realistic. It makes sense for us to focus on what is realistic, and that applies to all the other steps mentioned in this section to make the goal more descriptive. Secondly, I will remember, having a time frame in mind is important because some goals are long-term, while others are more short-term. And with long-term goals, it may be smart to set those sub goals within a shorter time frame to reach that ultimate long-term goal. Lastly, I will remember how important it is to have a support base. It's important to be surrounded by people who believe in you and will encourage you because changing behaviors can be really difficult, especially when they're behaviors we've done for long periods of time. There may be times during the process of changing behaviors that we may want to give up, but having that support base can be essential in keeping us going.

Section 5.1
4.) One thing I really liked about this section was that I felt there were good examples used that made this read more understanding and comprehensible. The examples were applicable to so many of our everyday lives, so that helped me better understand everything.

5.) One thing I didn't like about this section was this section, too, seemed kind of redundant. Much of this information seems kind of repetitive in that we've already gone over some of it.

6.) One thing I will remember about this section is that every behavior serves a function. I liked the way this was explained with the example of getting the bartender's attention. It's probably very applicable to many of us and a lot of us have probably seen this first hand when going out to the bars, so it was just easy to understand. Secondly, I will remember the idea of the topography of behavior because it's important to understand that there are a number of different physical movements that can be emitted to accomplish the behavior necessary at hand. Lastly, I will remember that the context plays a big role in what behaviors will be emitted. There are different circumstances, even some that are rare and this will play a role in how we choose to emit certain behaviors.

7a.) N/A

7b.) The reinforcer I will use will be to give myself a certain amount of time to do whatever I want. What I haven't decided for sure is exactly what that something will be, whether I will have myself do a specific activity or just give myself free time to relax. I also don't know if it's necessary to specify that part. I Just know that my reinforcer will be a certain amount of a time to do whatever I want, since I will be hopefully working towards spending more time doing homework, studying and ultimately working on school work. I want to use this as a reinforcer because it's important for me to have something to use as a de-stressor. I plan to use fixed interval for my reinforcement schedule. I feel it will be best because much of this will be based off of time management.

TERMS: Time frame, realistic, sub goals, support base, behaviors, function, topography, emitted, reinforcer, fixed interval, reinforcement schedule.

JER

After reading section 4.3, 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 reading in-depth about the goal-setting guidelines. I liked this because of how helpful it will be while figuring out my next steps. This section was full of good advice.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was nothing about this section I disliked. In fact, this was probably my favorite section I have read to date for this class. There was a ton of very helpful information that I will definitely apply to my life.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember to be realistic in setting goals. There is no sense in setting a goal that I will never achieve.
One way of achieving large goals is to break them down into a series of sub goals. Little things that I can achieve along the way will keep me focused and reinforce the desire to complete the larger goal.
Changes in the environment can be major hurdles in changing a behavior, so it is extremely important to plan ahead for these unexpected changes.
After reading section 5.1, 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 the short answer boxes in this section. They were able to clarify a lot of the points and helped me learn the information on my own terms.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
The topography of behavior section was pretty dense. I’m not sure how you would change that, because all the information was relevant and important, it was just a little difficult to read.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
If I want to change a behavior, I need to be super specific in defining the target behavior and coming up with an appropriate way to measure it.
All behaviors have a function which is important to remember. All behaviors do something.
We can use a behavioral intervention to save more money. First, one needs to establish a baseline which is a record of the amount of the behavior of interest that we are currently emitting. It is a starting point.
7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I want to eat out less and instead cook more at home. If I eat a decided upon number of meals at home instead of a meal prepared somewhere else, I will reward myself with eating a meal prepared somewhere else. This is a good reinforcer, because I will still be allowing myself to engage in the behavior that I want to change, just less frequently.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Goal-setting guidelines, sub goals, reinforce(r), topography, behavior, behavioral intervention, baseline

1. One thing that I really liked about section 4.3 is the fact that is was simple. I do not mean dumbed down. But it was a smooth read. Did not try to over complicate Setting Goals.

2.Something that I did not enjoy out of this chapter is even know I liked the way it read I do not think this should of been a chapter on its own. It is a lot of common sense that is taught to us in many classes, I have had two classes other then this one teach me about goal setting and how important it is. I believe that this section could be combined with the previous one and still have the desired effect.

3. The first thing that popped out to me was the fact that some goals are unrealistic (i.e. color blind pilot). This is cemented in my brain because several classes have taught this to us in several different ways and also it is just common sense that not every one can do everything.
B. The next thing that really stood out to me is the fact that we need to be honest if not even harsh on ourselves if our goal is achievable or not. This also pointed out how much antecedents effect how well our goals will work, such as family, money, time they are all a factor in if we will achieve our goals or not.
C. The facts about having a good support base struck true to me. I have personally went through quitting smoking and it is not an easy task. I had to get rid of my friends that would elicit a smoking like behavior from me. It was hard to do until I found a new group that helped me quit. It will stick with me because it is so true for me.
5.1

4. The thing that I liked the most out of this section of reading was the fact that a great review was given about fundamental stuff such as the topography of behaviors before asking us what behaviors we wanted to change for our projects.

5. The thing that I liked the least was filling in the boxes it seemed like a bit of over kill on some of them. It was like filling out the same box two or three times.

6. The first thing that stuck out to me in this section is that there are so many behaviors just to complete one single action. I know this is review but it just hit me that I could type a blog so many ways. Also the fact that all behaviors have a function. The different behaviors may over lap on the function they are trying to achieve but they all have a function.
B. The next thing that will stick with me is that we need specificity if we are going to change the behaviors we emit. Because sometimes if we are not as committed our brain will find loop holes. I think this is important to me because my brain has done this, saying I can wait till last second to study when I know I should not.
C. The third thing was the information about memory interference, that has always fascinated me in how our brains can just edit how our day went. This will stick with me because I find it interesting.

7a. My data will be trying to sleep before midnight I will record this in minutes before or after midnight to track my progress.

7b. My reinforcer is a "cheat day" I will be able to stay up as late as I want on Friday night this will be best for me because I am a night owl so the reward of staying up will be very appreciated. I believe this fixed interval schedule of reinforcement will be best for me so I can look forward to that cheat day to catch up on games and movies.

8. terms used- Goals, unrealistic, antecedent, support base, behavior, elicit, topography of behavior, function, emit, specificity, Memory interference, fixed interval schedule, reinforcement

1. My favorite part of this section was learning about how when we are trying to determine if our goals are realistic, we can turn to others to determine how realistic the goal is. If the goal is realistic others will support and encourage us, but if the goal is unrealistic other will not buy into the goal or help us with it. This was my favorite part of the section because this is something I am currently doing. I have accountability partners in my life who are able to tell me straight, without worrying about hurting my feelings, if the goals I have, and if the decisions I am making are God honoring.

2. My least favorite part of this section was the discussion about goals being disruptive. This was my least favorite part of the section because it is a concept related to goals I have to force myself to keep in mind. When I think of goals I don’t often think of the ramifications that can come with accomplishing them, I just think about the end, accomplishing the goal. I need to keep in mind goals can be disruptive when I am setting them and working towards them or I will be rudely awakened to this fact while in the process of accomplishing my goals.

3. The three things I will remember from this section are:
A. the concept of sub goals, the breaking of a larger goal into a series of small goals. I will remember this concept because I think sub goals are what make goals accomplishable. If I were to set a goal and only look at the ending accomplishment of the goal, I don’t think I would ever accomplish any of my goals. I have to look and focus on accomplishing the present task needed to accomplish the goal and then once this is accomplished, focus on the next step. For example, I do this will school. I focus on accomplishing the semester at hand, when the overall goal is to graduate from college
B. that changes in antecedents can be a major pitfall in a behavioral change if they are not anticipated and planned for in advance. I will remember this because this is something I need to work on improving when it comes to setting goals, I need to let the pessimism in me come out when looking at accomplishing a goal, and then plan for all of the events that might prohibit me from accomplishing the goal. It is only with this plan and the mind frame that things may not go perfectly can the goal be achieved.
C. that a way to build a support base when accomplishing goals can be to integrate a game or competition. I will remember this because I am a very competitive person, so learning that adding a competitive side to accomplishing a goal can make them more achievable made me excited to set new goals and then add a competitive side to them and see how it helps me accomplish my goal.

4. My favorite part about this section was learning about how the history of the organism will often dictate what topography of a behavior will dominate. Simply put, what worked in the past often dictates who people will behave in the future. This was my favorite part of the section because this brought so much clarity to so many behaviors I emit in a given day. For example, the reason why I use the beauty products that I do is because they have worked in the past.

5. My least favorite of this section was the review of functional behavior classes and topographical behavior classes. This was my least favorite part of the section because the first time I learned about these concepts I found distinguishing between the two to be very difficult for me and after reviewing the concepts in this section, this is still difficult for me. I often times just want to think about behavioral classes in the functional sense, and I really need to focus on thinking about them in the topographical sense and then distinguishing between the two.

6. The three things I will remember from this section are:
A. that all behaviors have a function. I will remember this concept because after reading it, it made a lot of sense to me and brought a lot of clarity to my thinking about behaviors. Thinking about how each behavior I emit is to function something allows me to further expand how I can implement behavior interventions; what really needs to be addressed in these interventions is the function the behaviors serve.
B. that context matters when considering the topography of a behavior. I will remember this concept because of the door opening example in the text, what a behavior looks like when opening a door depends on the door being opened. This example really helped me to understand that context does matter with the topography of a behavior, allowing me to remember this concept.
C. the concept of baseline, a record of the amount of the behavior of interest we are currently emitting. I will remember this concept because when I read about this concept I immediately remembered reading about it in previous sections and I immediately thought about how I started recording the baseline for my behavior intervention project today. The connections I made in my mind when reading about this concept helped me to remember it easily.

7A. The behavior I am going to try to change for my behavioral intervention project is getting up at the sound of my first alarm instead of staying in bed well past the time the alarm went off.

7B. When I begin the behavior intervention I will use Netflix as a reinforcer. This is a good reinforcer because I find Netflix very pleasurable; therefore receiving it after emitting the target behavior will hopefully help me to continue emitting the target behavior. I will used a fixed interval reinforcement schedule, I will allow myself to watch Netflix at the end of every day that I got out of bed at the sound of my first alarm. I choose this schedule because I only have the chance to emit the behavior once a day, so I think that rewarding it once a day will be the most effective, a one for one concept. If I get up when my alarm goes off I get to watch Netflix, if I don’t, I don’t get to watch Netflix.

Terms: antecedent, organism, topography, behavior, emit, functional behavior classes, topographical behavior classes, behavioral intervention, baseline, reinforcer, pleasurable, target behavior

After reading section 4.3, 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 topic - The Importance of Goals. I enjoyed this section because I like setting goals for myself. I feel a great sense of accomplishment when I finally reach a goal when I have been working hard towards it. I have my own ways of keeping track of and reaching my goals, and this section helped me learn some helpful tips that I can use to be better at reaching my goals.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? - There isn't much to dislike about this section, but if I had to choose I would say that it would be when you want to decrease a behavior as your goal you should use DRO or Differential Reinforcement of Other. This is a fairly new concept we learned in this class so it might be difficult to pick the correct DRO for the behavior change.

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:
1. Goals should be realistic.
2. Goals should be manageable so they can be accomplished while maintaining your normal lifestyle.
3. When setting goals, it is important to establish a time frame to complete the goal.
I will remember these things because they are rules that I currently follow when set goals for myself.

After reading section 5.1, 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 about this section, like the previous section, was that the main topic was about goals. What was different about this section, however, was that it helped me learn how I can measure my behaviors that I am emitting to accomplish my goal. When I go about measuring my target behavior for my goal, I should consider how I should go about measuring it.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? - One thing that I disliked about this section was the part about topography of behavior. This was because it is more of a boring topic in general to me and also because it is a term we have already gone over before in this class so it feels repetitive to read about.

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. Keep a journal, cell phone, or some other small thing on you to record your behaviors when they happen.
2. Make sure to record the context of which the behavior occurred in.
3. Don't try to recall all of your behaviors during the day at night and write them down; you will have trouble recalling them.
I will remember these things because they stuck out to me as the most important tips of this chapter.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention). - Noted.
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule? - When I begin the behavioral intervention, I might use as sleep (naps) as a reinforcer. This is a good reinforcer because if I keep busy in the week then I will have had a productive week; leaving little to no work to do on the weekend. This will allow time for sleep (naps) which is good because I will be tired from a long week of work. A schedule of reinforcement I might use would be a Fixed Interval Schedule of Reinforcement. I chose this schedule because the fixed period of time that will lead to my reinforcement will be the school/work week (Monday-Friday). The reinforcement will be fixed on a weekend (Saturday/Sunday). Note: my reinforcer and schedule of reinforcement are subject to change.

8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terminology used: Differential Reinforcement of Other, behavior change, topography of behavior, emit, target behavior, behavioral intervention, reinforcer, fixed interval schedule of reinforcement.

1) One thing I really liked in the section was the material on setting goals that are realistic. There are so many people that set goals that are far-fetched. It’s difficult and probably wrong to tell them their goals are unattainable. However, I think it’s important and would be very helpful to let an individual know if their goals seem a bit far-fetched. Once again, the examples in this section made it easier to understand by giving real-life scenarios. Another reason I think having realistic goals is important is because I think it makes people more motivated to work toward them. Something that is unrealistic and basically unattainable can fall by the wayside, but a realistic goal is something that is actually within one’s reach. A goal in which the finish line is in sight is much easier to work toward than something that is an unlikely one-in-a-million chance to achieve.

2) If I had to choose something I liked the least in this section, I would choose the material on goals being achievable. The main reason for this is that I thought it was very similar to the material on goals being realistic. It goes into whether or not the goal is something one can achieve. That seems very relatable to the aforementioned section. It just felt like I was learning about the same thing with a different title to it.

3) One thing I’ll remember from this section is the material on sub goals. This is something I’ve done for as long as I can remember when I set goals for myself. I think creating sub goals is very important for individuals to be able to achieve the main overall goal. Trying to go straight to the main goal may be difficult. Creating sub goals can make it easier to achieve that goal as one can get to that goal one step at a time. Another thing I’ll remember from this section is the material on whether or not one has the ability to achieve a particular goal. I really liked the examples given. If a man is 300 pounds, it probably wouldn’t be the smartest things for him to take up gymnastics. He more than likely wouldn’t have the abilities, like the flexibility, needed to be able to succeed in gymnastics. Before an individual sets a goal, it is important that they analyze the situation and figure out whether or not they have the abilities required to achieve that goal. The third thing I’ll remember from this section is the material on having a support base. It would be very difficult for an individual to achieve a goal without some outside support and motivation. I know there have been many people who have been able to do it, but that doesn’t take away from how difficult it is to do so. Having someone there to cheer you on and give you positive feedback is important for one to continue to work toward that goal. Having that support will make that person want to keep going, so they can achieve the goal for themselves, but also for the people supporting them. For example, one setting a goal to lose weight would likely find a support system from others they’re close with that have been successful in losing weight. They can get advice and different tips of what to do and what not to do.

4) One thing I really liked in this section was the material on the functions of behaviors. Again, there was a very good example that many college students could understand. That example was one trying to get a drink at a bar. One may emit the behavior of saying something to get a drink, waving them over, or having someone else get the drink for them who already has the attention of the bartender. The behaviors are all different, but they have the same function, which is to get the attention of the bartender. It’s crazy to think that every behavior we emit has a function. We obviously don’t realize this at the time, but this is almost always the case.

5) There wasn’t really anything I disliked in this section. If I had to choose something, I would say that I didn’t feel it was necessary to go over measuring behavior again. It’s a topic we have been going over for awhile, so I didn’t think it was something that needed to be revisited. Also, I didn’t like that there wasn’t a summary of the section. I really like the summary section as it serves as a nice reminder of the main points from the section.

6) One thing I’ll remember from this section is the material on the functions of behavior. Almost every behavior people emit has a function. There are different behaviors that can serve the same function. For example, a child trying to get the attention from their mother may try many different things like saying mom, tapping her, tugging on her arm. These are obviously all different behaviors. However, these different behaviors serve the same function, which would be getting the attention from their mother. Another thing I’ll remember from this section is that context matters when considering topography of behavior. An example of that would be when opening a door. If the door has a handle, the topography of the behavior will likely be different than a door with no handle. This is something one doesn’t really think much about. It usually just comes automatically. The third thing I’ll remember from this section is the example on saving money. A behavioral intervention can be used to help save more money. A baseline needs to be established, which is kind of like a starting point. There are many different ways to save money. One could put money in a jar, slowly build up their savings account, or cut back on different things. Of these different ways to save money, there are different ways the behavior can be recorded. Many people will choose to keep notes in a little notepad, on their cell phone, or on a computer. Recording the behavior will help people see how they’re doing. Then, they can make the necessary changes if needed in order to meet the goal of how much money they want saved each day, week, month, etc.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?

If I’m able to exercise four days a week for 45 minutes each time, I’ll use video games as a reinforcer. This is a good reinforcer because I really like playing video games, but I don’t get to play them a lot. I will use continuous reinforcement. Each week I exercise 45 minutes four different times, I reinforce myself with a couple of hours of playing video games on the weekend. I chose this schedule because the behavior is something I hope to continue for the time being. Each week I will be able to reinforce myself if I’m able to emit the desired behavior.

8) sub goals, functions, behavior, emit, topography of behavior, behavioral intervention, baseline, reinforcer, continuous reinforcement

APLK
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked that the section went step by step on how to set your goals in order to be successful because it was easy to break down and absorb the information.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There wasn’t much to complain about this section, but if I had to pick out one thing to criticize it might be to limit that amount of “stories” in the section because sometimes it may feel like you’re not staying on track or limiting the amount of actual material with fill-in information.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
One thing I’ll remember from this section is that you need to be realistic when setting your goals because if you’re not you’ll become very discouraged and disappointed when you don’t reach them. I’ll also remember that a time frame is important when setting goals because you don’t want to rush yourself or take too long when trying to complete a goal. Lastly I’ll remember that you have to ask yourself if you have the ability to reach your goal with the example of getting your PhD because that’s a goal that I have in sight but sometimes I wonder how realistic I’m being when I’m setting that goal.

4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked that the section recovered function and topography of the behavior because it helped me remember what they were, which in turn helped me understand the remainder of the section.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I did not like about this section was that there wasn’t a summary at the end of the section because I like to read a recap of what I learned.

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 are the examples of behavioral topography because it was thoroughly explained and we’ve covered it before. Another thing I will remember from this section is what a baseline is because we learned about it in last week’s readings and it’s important to the process. Lastly, I’ll remember that all behaviors serve a function when it comes to recording our baseline because it’s important to see your data and be able to figure out the how’s and why’s in order to change a behavior.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I will use adding money to a jar for every failed attempted as a good reinforcer because I’m broke and giving away my quarters is giving away my convenient laundry money. I will use a fixed interval as my reinforcement schedule because I want to limit myself on the amount of times I use social media on my phone and with a fixed interval I can have a routine on when I’m allowed to go on it.

8) Terms: ability, timeframe, reinforcer, reinforcement schedule, behavioral topography, baseline, serve as a function, function

Section 4.3

1 a&b) I really liked the section that talked about being realistic because that is something I need to take into consideration if I want lasting effects. I set goals that I can achieve for a short time, but they are not lasting. Instead of changing the behavior for good, I instead only change it short term. For example, I cut out desserts completely when modifying a behavior when realistically I need to cut down on the amount and frequency of eating a dessert first and then later I can try to cut them out completely. This will elicit a more consistent and long lasting behavior change.

2) There wasn't really anything I did not like, but if I have to choose I guess I would say the part I liked least was when it said achieving goals often depends on your support group, because most of the things I have overcome (which is quite a bit), I did not share with others and therefore did not have a support group.

3 a,b&c) I will remember timeframe because most goals require a specific time frame dedicated to emitting a certain behavior, placing yourself in specific circumstances, etc. For me I usually cut out desserts, (when I should instead cut back) for at least 2 weeks if not longer to try to break the habit. Time frame is very important.

Time frame leads to maintenance , which I will also remember because you have to take one day at a time and constantly choose to remain dedicated. Again I can relate this back to my eating issue. Sugar can be like a drug to me and once I am use to having it I want more, but once I am 'off' of sugar I crave it at first/have withdraws and then do not want anything to do with sugar. I have to maintain this attitude and lifestyle for long periods of time without slipping back into the sugar crave. This is really affected by my environment as well. Once I have established good eating habits in one environment and then change my environment, such as going home, it is easy for me to slip back because home is 'fun and comfortable.' Maintenance is huge!

I will also remember support base because in the past I have been really bad about having a support base when changing a behavior. I think it is because when I tell them I am changing a behavior and if I slip up they chastise me, which is punishment, not reinforcement and it does not encourage me to continue in my behavioral change. Due to the fact that I don't want it to be pointed out when I slip up because I feel like I am failing, I just keep it to myself. My friends have now realized what a true struggle some behaviors are to change and I have begun to tell them. They give more reinforcing feed back now and it is easier to have that essential and important support base.

Section 4.4 (AKA 5.1)

4 a&b) I really like how the section came back to functions of behaviors because it is another repetition, so it is more likely to stick in my memory and it goes a little more in-depth. Understanding a behavior and its function definitely helps when it comes to changing a behavior.

5) I am not a huge fan of measuring behavior because keeping such in-depth record of my behavior is a lot of work. I know that if I want to change a behavior enough I will record the data, but sometimes I rather just know I am making some kind of improvement instead of the exact in-depth improvement and exactly how much it has changed. That is not always super important to me. Although I know that measuring behavior is essential to the data collected and viewing the outcome of our behavioral change.

6 a,b&c) I will remember that your behaviors need to be very specific because when it comes down to measuring the behaviors and collecting data, there needs to be a concrete definition of the target behavior to measure.

I will remember the part on function of behavior because as I look to change behaviors in my life, I really look closely at why, when, with who, what I am doing, where am I (all the circumstances) when emitting a certain behavior. Each component is HUGE when it comes to understanding and changing a behavior. I realized that I eat a lot at times. Why? After dissecting why, I found that it is social when I eat with the other RA's, I am seeking others approval because I don't want them to think I am starving myself, when I am home it is comforting, and sometimes I am stressed and want to treat myself so I eat. There are many factors and each time is slightly different than the next.

Another thing I will remember because we have gone over it in previous sections and it is a review is after setting the baseline, come in with behavioral intervention. It is really nice to see what your behaviors are like before intervening and changing them, during, and finally after.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule? I have actually started, because I was eager to get the show on the road. I want this behavior changed! I began with a reinforcer of a second dessert on the weekend if I followed through with my plan, but after realizing one thing I was trying to cut down on was desserts, I decided that wasn't the best reinforcer. I then switched my reinforcer to mangos at the end of the week if I follow through. As the week went by I continued to think about my reinforcer, because I do not like to spend money and do not have the time to run to the store for mangos, so I am still searching for an appropriate reinforcer. It has been difficult and punishers seem to be more readily available. Although the search for a good reinforcer is still underway. I have also realized that reinforcing just at the end of the week is not enough motivation in itself. Maybe I could keep the mango reinforcer if I adjust the schedule of reinforcement to Fixed Interval. After every day, if I have reached my goal I can have a mango. This schedule gives me something to work toward everyday. A mango is not a huge reinforcer, so to have one at the end of the week is kind of like, oh well I could just buy one anyway and eat it. If it is once a day though, I will be more likely to follow through with my goal.

8) Terms: realistic, goals, behavior, elicit, modify behavior, time frame, emit, target behavior, maintenance, support base, punishment, reinforcement, function of behavior, measuring behavior, data, baseline, behavioral intervention, schedule of reinforcement, fixed interval, reinforcer

Please read sections 4.3 (Importance of Goals) and 5.1 (Measuring Behavior).
Please fill out the boxes in the readings you may be quizzed on them in class.
After reading section 4.3, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Subgoals are the division of larger goals into smaller more attainable goals. I will remember this concept because I found it easily applicable to my life currently with graduating with my second bachelors, then earning my master’s degree, gaining two years of work experience, and then going on to earning my PhD. When I were to tell my family that I am going to get my PhD in Counseling Psychology or Social Work, they are less supportive of my goal, but when I talk them through my plan they see that it is much more attainable and they are much more supportive.
I will remember to think about goals in terms of them being disruptive or not; this is not concept I had given much thought before reading through this section. Personally, I am very goal oriented, as is the current guy I am talking to; being that we are both this way, this is a concept I should give more thought to or it could it being a problem for us in the future. Also in reading this portion of the section, seeing the goal as disruptive or aversive could just be the mindset or response you allow to be emitted.
Another thing I will remember from this section the impact that antecedents or pitfalls can have on our ability to maintain or change our behavior. This is a concept I was aware of but it was not something I was consciously thinking about. I think becoming more aware of the potential antecedents that could stand in my way of being able to accomplish my goal or be successful is important. For example, in my project for class I am increasing my daily steps to 8,000 steps a day. Some of the antecedents that could stand in my way are no going to class, driving instead of walking, and the weather (rain, snow).

After reading section 4.4, 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 this section served as a review of some of the topics that we had covered in previous sections such as functions of behavior, topography of behavior, and measuring behavior. I also liked that this section went on to better explain and elaborate on these topic; it helped me to gain a clearer understanding of them.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There was nothing I disliked about this section; just the concept of consistently measuring behavior is something I struggle with. I see the value it and it can be very helpful in seeing where you need to make changes in your reinforcement schedule and plan for behavior modification so that are able to make the changes you wish to make. I just have trouble remembering to track it daily, having an app help to keep track for me has been very helpful.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember the concept related to the function of behavior. I found this concept to be really interesting because it caused me to dissect my own behaviors. For example, I eat out at least once a week on Thursdays. I realized that I tend to do this due to social reasons such as hanging out with friends, going on Thursday is less expensive depending on the place you go due to specials that are run, and it convenience because I do not have to cook supper that evening. There are many factors that contribute to why I emit this behavior each week.
Another concept I will remember is topography of behavior. This is concept says that there are a variety of physical movements that can be emitted in order to produce a certain behavior. I will remember this because Dr. MacLin gave the example both in class and in the text of opening a door. You could open the door with your arm, your foot, your leg, or your arm. You could also kick the door, gently push the door, or throw the door; there are many combinations.
A third thing I will remember is the idea of a baseline. A baseline is a record of the amount of the behavior of interest that we are emitting. The baseline serves for us as a starting point for us. When we are looking to modify our behavior, we use the baseline as a starting point and then move forward from there to increase or decrease the behavior to reach our target behavior.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
The behavior I am going to keep track of is my daily walking by steps on Fitness app via my phone. I chose this behavior because I have a larger goal of losing weight and increasing my exercise. Increasing my daily exercise by increasing my walking is an easy way for me to ease into exercise before restarting my gym membership in January.
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I will use buying new music as a reinforcer for increasing my daily steps and meeting my goal of 8,000 steps a day. I choose fixed interval reinforcement because I will buy a new song on Friday if I have meet my goal every day for the week. This serves as positive reinforcement for my walking behavior because I love to listen to new music. I also do majority of my walking for the day on and around campus and while walking I listen to music; having new music to listen to will serve as a good incentive to continue, as well as increase my walking patterns.
8) Terms: reinforcer, fixed interval reinforcer, incentive, positive reinforcement, emit, response, aversive, antecedents, functions of behavior, topography of behavior, measuring behavior, reinforcement schedule, behavior modification, baseline, target behavior

Section 4.3, Importance of Goals
1) I really liked all of the subsection within this section. When setting a goal I, like most people, just focus on the big picture and ignore all of the smaller details. After learning about such things as maintenance, the goal being manageable, having the ability to achieve the goal, and if the goal is disruptive I started to look at goal setting in a different light. I like this part of the section because I began to look at goals in a more strategic way that could enforce the success of the goal.
2) I found this section very interesting but I wish it would have covered exactly why people create goals that it is clear that they will fail. I am curious as to why people don’t automatic set realistic goals with achievable timeframes and smaller subgoals. The section made it seem that people just overlooked actually behavior modification and I wish the section would have talked more about that so I could hear other people’s opinions on the matter.
3) (a) Goal setting guidelines help construct more efficient goals that can be achieved, and helps in eliminating broad, poorly defined, and unrealistic goals that result in failure. I will remember this because of the example at the very beginning of the section about the motivational speaker and the man trying to buy a bus ticket because what the example emphasized is a common problem for many people who want to accomplish a goal. (b) I really enjoyed the part of the section about subgoals. Most people want the instant gratification of achieving their largest goal but nearly always overlook subgaols. It is definitely something I overlooked and it why I found that information so interesting. (c) Lastly I will remember that a support base is one of the most crucial parts of achieving a goal. Just from previous experience in goal settings I will remember that support is a key part in goal setting and that one must set a realistic goal in order for others to get behind and support them.
Section 5.1, Measuring Behavior
4) I liked how this section built off of the information in the previous section. It was easy to see how all of this information works together and using all of these techniques together causes for greater success in achieving and measuring a goal. I also liked how the section had a little bit of a review from previous sections because it showed that behavior modification is almost like one giant web with each subpart building off each other and working together.
5) There was not really anything in this section that I disliked. At times the section was a little bit dull because there wasn’t really many ways that the information could be explained. Overall I did not have a certain area in the section that I would disagree with.
6) (a) Broad measurements are not beneficial to achieving a goal. I will remember that this section talked about how measurement needs to be specific in order to change the behavior, because even though it seems like common sense it is definitely something that I always overlook. (b) Understanding the functional analysis of behaviors is another beneficial way to help achieve a goal. I will remember this because knowing the antecedent to a behavior helps one to better prevent that behavior. (c) Finally, I will remember that context/situations have a significant impact on the topography of behavior, due to my own personal experience in the past. Understanding that will help to plan for that certain problem and ways that I could prepare to deal with it in the future.
7a) Eating in between meals is the behavior I would like to decrease. I will measure this behavior by counting the number of time is eat something in-between meals. The size or amount of something I eat does not matter, I plan on counting anytime I eat anything in-between meals.
7b) Because it was a successful reinforcer for increasing my water consumption, I plan to use the reward of an hour of procrastination for this behavioral intervention. Each day that I am able to not eat anything in-between meals, I will reward myself with an hour before my homework where I can do anything that I would desire (read, paint, Netflix, etc.). This is a good reinforcer because I do not feel guilty during this hour because I know that I earned it. Normally if I would do something like wasting an hour before I start my homework I would feel guilty. I would most likely use a fixed interval reinforcement schedule because that is the schedule that I respond best to.
8) Terminology Used: reward, reinforce, fixed interval, reinforcement schedule, timeframes, subgoals, behavior modification, maintenance, manageable, ability, disruptive, realistic, functional analysis of behavior, antecedent, topography, context

Section 4.3
1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked that this section talked about being direct when making goals. This is important because what is a goal? It is modifying our behavior in order to reach a certain achievement, and in order to do that successfully we have to be specific when setting goals. It is important that when we think about setting a goal, we have identified a realistic expectation and have identified multiple steps that will help us achieve this goal. This is important because then we will be more likely to meet our goal, then we will be able to reward ourselves and reinforce the behavior change.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I disliked about this section was that it seems very simplistic compared to other sections that we have read. I understand that the information is important to both our professional and personal lives, but I feel as if we have indirectly talked about all of this information before.

3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember that we must be realistic when setting our goals. This is the most important step, because if we do not actually have a chance of achieving our goal, then the consequence of changing our behavior will be a feeling of failure, which may act as a punishment so that individuals stop setting goals. I will also remember that you must have the ability to achieve a goal, because if I want to begin selling my crochet products online, I must first have a camera, a computer, an internet connection, and obviously know how to crochet. If I do not have any of these things, then I won’t have the ability to reach my goal of starting my own online business selling crocheted things. Finally, I will remember that sub-goals are necessary when trying to achieve a larger goal. Sub-goals help us remain focused on what our main goal is, and they give us an opportunity to be reinforced for our behavior, and when our behavior is reinforced when pursuing goals, it means we will be more likely to continue that behavior and actually achieve our goal.

Section 5.1
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked that the section recovered behavior topography and behavior function, but in a new way that made it applicable to the subject of setting goals that we are currently reading about. We have talked about these topics before, but now it was interesting to read about how different behavior functions will dictate how you go about modifying the behavior by being aware of the function of the behavior and how you want to change that. It is also important to know the topography of the behavior when you begin monitoring your current behavior in order to create a baseline of that behavior. These are important things to know when setting our own goals so that we can be as specific as possible when identifying target behaviors and reinforcement.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I liked everything in this section. It was really interesting and is helping me to create a specific target behavior for our upcoming behavior modification project.

6) 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 the function of the behavior, the topography of the behavior, and measuring the behavior. It is important to know the function of the behavior because some behaviors that we say are target behaviors are actually behavior classes, which are not specific behaviors. For example, let’s say that I pick the cuticles around my nails, but the function of the behavior is to relieve tension. Someone else might pick their cuticles, but they might do it because they do not find their nails aesthetically pleasing with the cuticle intact. This is an example of how a behavior can have the same topography, but not the same function and this influences how I will decide to change my behavior. In order to modify my behavior, I have to find something that will help relieve tension (aka serve the same function as the cuticle-picking behavior), such as using a worry stone. Finally, it is important to measure your behavior in order to create a baseline for the behavior. Once this baseline has been created you can begin to determine whether you want to increase or reduce the behavior and can set goals to gradually adjust the amount of times the behavior is emitted, studying what antecedents might elicit the target behavior, and finally see whether your reinforcement or punishment is successfully helping you modify your behavior.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I have decided to change the behavior of how much meat I eat. At first I thought about becoming completely vegetarian, but that is not realistic for me since I love some foods (bacon) too much to give up completely. Instead I am going to stop eating red meat, chicken, and fish Monday through Friday and only eat meat on Saturday and Sunday. I will reinforce myself every Saturday with a trip to Starbuck’s so that I can do some homework, treat myself to a drink, and enjoy some alone time. I have also decided that at the end of the semester, if I have gone 3 weeks without eating meat Monday-Friday, then I am going to buy myself some new clothes. So I will be using a fixed interval schedule of reinforcement and I chose this because I need small reinforcers throughout the project in order to reward myself for this behavior modification. If I only reinforced myself using the reward of new clothes, then I would be setting myself up for failure since I’m sure there are going to be some days where I eat meat. By rewarding myself once a week for modifying my behavior, it will help me be more successful over the course of the project.

Terms: behavior, goals, reinforce, consequence, punishment, ability, sub-goals, behavior topography, behavior function, schedules of reinforcement, behavior baseline, target behavior, behavior classes, emit, antecedent

1 a&b) One thing that I really liked that was in this section was the content and information. The information was really helpful in helping to set a specific goal. I have tried to set goals for myself in the past that were not realistic, and it always ends badly. For example, one year when I was still a 15 year old student, I set my goal to be traveling around the world. It was unrealistic because I was still in school, and I was not working.

2) There was nothing that I disliked that was in this section. Everything was very clear and I could understand everything. They were all very organized and systematic.

3 a,b,&c)
a. I will remember that goals have to be realistic. It makes sense because with an unrealistic goal, it's basically like daydreaming.
b. I will remember that larger goals can be divided into smaller sub goals that are easier to achieve. I think it is important to plan out your short-term goals instead of one long-term goal.
c. I will remember that goals have to be achievable. For example, I decided to travel around the world when I was 15 year old. It couldn't be achieved at that time because I did not have my own money and I was not working.

4 a&b) One thing that I really liked that was in this section was the part on topography of behavior. Last time when we talked about this in class, I thought it was really interesting and I really liked the topic. I thought it was interesting that the topography of the behavior that an organism emits depends on the history of that organism due to previous reinforcement or punishment.

5) One thing that I liked least that was in this section was the lack of the summary because I always use it to make sure I did not miss any important points in the section. I always give the summary a quick read after going through the entire section and it helped me remember the important parts of the section.

6 a,b,&c)
a. One thing I will remember is that many behaviors are easy to measure in terms of the frequency of the occurence. For example, our mini behavior project measured the amount of water we drink in a day. It made it easier to keep track and easier to compare and explain later.
b. I will remember that the functions of behaviors are behaviors that may be emitted which serve the same function. I will remember this because we have covered this few weeks ago in class and I thought it was really interesting.
c. I will remember that a baseline is a record of the amount of the behavior of interest that we are currently emitting. I will remember this because it appeared several times in the the other sections and we used it to produce our graph for our mini behavior project.

7b) I have decided to use chocolates as my reinforcer. I think it would be a good reinforcer because it did a good job reinforcing my water drinking behavior. Since I have decided to exercise more to stay healthy and be in shape, I think reinforcing myself with chocolate only once a week would be the wise amount. I would not allow myself to have any unless I run at least an hour every week. Since I would be deprived of it during the week, I would be motivated to exercise so that I could have one piece of chocolate at the end of the week. Also, because chocolate is my favorite, I think it would be the best reinforcer for this behavioral intervention. The schedule of reinforcement I am using here is the fixed-ratio schedule. This means that reinforcement should be delivered after a constant or "fixed" number of correct responses. I think this schedule will help keep me on track, and since I do not want to consume too much chocolate because it would defeat the purpose of me exercising, this should be the schedule of reinforcement that fits me the best.

8) TERMS: Topography, behavior, emits, reinforcement, punishment, functions, baseline, reinforcer, deprived, behavioral intervention, schedule of reinforcement, fixed-ratio schedule.

1. I liked that the importance of realistic goals is mentioned in this chapter. I often set unrealistic goals for myself and usually just end up setting myself up for failure, which discourages me from making any more goals that can actually benefit myself. After many failing resolutions, I stopped making goals. BMOD had helped me understand that goals have to be realistic and specific to be successful, because it is easier to follow a goal when it is realistic enough for you to see success in the near future, which can reinforce the furthering of the goals. By being specific, it is easier to determine what actions need to be taken to achieve the goal. More specific goals have less actions, or sub goals, needed, whereas less specific goals have a wide range of actions that need to be taken, and thus may discourage one from engaging in all actions to achieve the goals.

2. I enjoyed everything, however, I did not feel like I learned anything new either. The strength of this chapter is that it puts common sense into words, but the limits of this chapter is that there is nothing else except the common sense.

3. I will remember that beneath goals there are more sub goals that individuals have to achieve before the big goals are achieved, and that maintaining the goal is just as important as achieving the goal, as well as the importance of a strong support system. I will remember these because I think they are the most important aspects in setting goals, achieving goals, and maintaining goals.

4. I like the revisiting of the topography and function of behaviours and how it connects to the theme of this chapter. Measuring the behaviours are important because it allows us to keep track of how we are doing re achieving the goals we set. However, it is often hard to measure the behaviours if they are not specified. To measure the behaviours, the topography and function of the behaviours need to be specified so we know which behaviours count and which does not. The revisiting of the topography and function of behaviours make it easier to understand the concept of measuring behaviours.

5. It feels like it has been reviews in the past few sections, and this one is to. I enjoy learning new things and reviews are important, but I want to learn more than just reviews.

6. I will remember to specify the topography and function of the behaviours I want to measure, because it is important to measure behaviours accurately to keep track of the progress we’ve made. I will also remember the concept of behaviours and behavioural classes, because this concept has been mentioned over and over again in class and in the textbook. Goals and sub goals are similar concepts. Then, I will remember the importance of keeping track o data to show whether the reinforcement is working. If the reinforcement is found to be not as beneficial as planned, then it is necessary to look at the game plan again and work out the reasons why it is not working, and make changes so the goals can be successfully achieved.

7. I discovered an app and downloaded to measure my behaviours, therefore the way I measure my behaviour is the data that the app recorded, not the tally marks I mark down on a little notepad as planned. I will use the times my screen was unlocked as the number of times I used my phone.

Day 1: 93. Day 2: 76. Day 3: 32. Day 4: 118. Day 5: 85. Day 6: 90. Day 7: 64.

I think doughnuts are good reinforcers. I love doughnuts, they are cheap and taste pretty satisfying. Cake doughnuts are my favourite. So cake doughnuts will be my reinforcers. I will do a fixed interval reinforcement where doughnuts are only available by 2100 hour, and my phone use has to be 5 times less than the day before. I choose this schedule because fixed ratio cannot work, since the number of times I unlock my phone can be less than the total of the day before throughout the day, and it is unhealthy to keep reinforcing myself with doughnuts – I do not want to be satisfied with doughnuts, and make them lose their reinforcing power. Various intervals may work, but I want to make sure I get reinforced by the end of the night, so I can be encouraged more to use my phone less the next day.

TERMS: various intervals, fixed ratio, reinforcer, reinforcing, reinforcement, goals, sub goals, topography, function, behaviour, behavioural class

I will remember that maintenance is important when you are trying to keep a goal. This is because if something interrupts your routine then it can be easy to fall out of habit but maintenance can keep what you are trying to do.
Overall I believe that this section focused on how to prepare to start a goal and create a realistic goal. I will remember this because it is important to set yourself up for success.
I will remember the majority of points in this section because they are good advice when I am working on creating my goal for this class.
4 I liked that this section gave clear examples and made the reader think in depth about if the behavior is actually a behavior or if it is a behavior class. I think that it is easy to get confused but this section made it easier to understand the distinction.
5. I liked everything about this section because it was helpful in accordance with our behavior change project we are doing.
I will remember the importance of zoning in on what you want to increase or decrease because that is what you want to change and if you don’t you could become discouraged.
The importance of not just defining the behavior topographically but also looking at the function it serves so that you can measure the behavior.
I will remember to not rely on my memory in order to remember when a behavior occurs because our memories are not perfect and we tend to think that they are.

6. I am going to use the reinforcer of ‘me time’. This sounds silly but I tried relying on Netflix last time and I never made time for it because I wouldn’t make time for it. This time, I am going to make time for myself and let myself paint or watch netflix or anything that I want to do. The reinforcement schedule that I am going to use is a fixed ratio. I want to use this because it will be more reinforcing than continuous reinforcement.
7. Terms: continuous reinforcement, fixed ratio, reinforcer, topographical behavior,

After reading section 4.3, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
-One think I liked about this section was how the guidelines for goals were clearly laid out and explained, this made this section very understandable.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
-There wasn't really anything in this section that I disliked, I understand what I read which makes it difficult for me to dislike it.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-Three things I will remember are: goals should be realistic, have a larger goal broken down into smaller goals, and timeframes for goals is important to remember. These were all clearly explained and make since so that will make them easier to remember.
After reading section 4.4, 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 in this section was at the end when it said that the context that the behavior occurs in is important, I liked this because it fits well with the behavior I want to change.
5) 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 disliked, I thought everything was pretty easy to understand.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-Three things I will remember are: the context in which a behavior occurs is important,topography often dictates how we measure a behavior and it is important to have a target behavior not a behavioral class. I will remember these things because they will be useful when I try to change my own behaviors.
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
-I am going to use painting my nails with nail polish as a reinforcer to quit emitting the behavior of biting my nails. This is a good reinforcer because I do not like taking the time to repaint my nails, so hopefully it decreases the likelihood that I bite my nails. I will use a variable interval schedule of reinforcement because it depends on when I bite my nails as to when I will have to repaint them.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
-reinforcer, variable interval schedule of reinforcement, emitting, behavior, behavioral class, target behavior, topography

Reading Activity Week #11

Section 4.3: Importance of Goals
1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I just really liked this section in general. Last week when I wrote my topical blog it was about how people don’t always complete goals and how New Year’s resolutions are hardly ever met. I was looking at the reasons why people were unable to meet their goals, and this section gives us several ways to make it easier to meet our goals. This section would be a good read for anyone trying to accomplish any sort of goal. It has a lot of helpful tips and tricks to keep people on track. It lays out ways that will help a person start a goal, maintain that goal, and overall accomplish that goal. All of the concepts and ideas in this section were very helpful.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
In all honesty, there wasn’t anything about this section that I disliked. I found all of the information to be really helpful and it was filled with ideas and concepts that I can take with me in the future. Everything in this section will be useful when I am (or when anyone is) trying to accomplish some goal.

3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A. The first thing I will take from this section is the first goal guideline. The first goal guideline is “be realistic”. When making goals, I will need to set them at an attainable level or the process will not succeed. This is something that I have always struggled with when I set goals for myself. I always start out too high and wanting to change too much at once. I go on health kicks and instead of setting one reachable goal, I set several difficult goals. Just last week when we were asked to pick something to change about our own behavior I said I wanted to start running more. But after I was done writing that assignment, I went on to think, “I will start eating better too.” And even after I had a (sort of) diet planned out I went on to think, “I should also start going to bed and waking up earlier.” Maybe one of these goals is realistic – if I start of slowly and work my way up. But all of these goals at once will get difficult and my ideas start to become unrealistic. I can change one behavior at a time (if it is a realistic one), but I cannot just revamp my entire life in a day. This is something that I need to remember for future instances when I want to change my behaviors.
B. The next thing I will take with me from this section is an idea that is listed under the concept of a person’s ability to complete a goal. In this portion of the reading it discusses how buying new equipment to complete a goal does not necessarily mean that the goal will be completed. This really hit home with me because of the goal that I am going to try to achieve. The goal of “getting fit” is something I have been working at (on and off) for some time now. I go through health spurts where I will go to the gym more often and watch what I eat every day, but they never seen to stick. This winter I was in one of those health spurts and I asked my parents for different workout equipment that I could easily store and use at my apartment. They got me some assorted hand weights and other little things to help me in my process, but do you think I actually use those weights now? I thought that in getting the proper equipment, I would work out more and become even more fit. But that is not how it worked at all. Just because I have some equipment to help me complete my goal does not mean that it will absolutely get completed.
C. The third thing I will take from this section is that goals need to be manageable. This means that you need to be able to fit the goal into your everyday life – whether it be the type of meal that you eat (does it affect your family’s eating?) or finding a time to hit the gym (can you fit it into your day somehow?). This is something that I really struggle with when trying to meet my goal. It is hard for me to find time to hit the gym in my busy, fast paced life. I usually wake up, go to my classes, do some homework in the library, and then I either have to work at night or start on some other school related project. I need to make sure that I can really set aside time to get to the gym and complete my goal. Sometimes I think that I am just making excuses so that I don’t have to go work out. There are always other things that I can be doing, but if I actually make sure to factor in working out and going to the gym, then this process will be a lot easier on me. This section talked about waking up earlier than usual in order to work out and as much as I love sleeping in, I think that’s something I may really have to consider when completing my goal!

Section 5.1: Measuring Behavior
4) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked all of the information in this section. It was mainly all things that we have covered before, but we were able to relate them to ourselves and changing our own behaviors rather than the behaviors of others. I think that all of this information will be really helpful in the future when we are working on changing and modifying our own behaviors.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I think the only thing I disliked from this section was that most of the information was “revisited”. I understand that we need to cover this information again, and I do find it all very helpful. But it is hard to write about when it seems that we’ve written about it all before. I do think that these concepts need to be brought back since we are now learning about how to change our own behaviors, rather than the behaviors of others, but it was hard for me to stay focused since we have covered the topics previously.

6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A. The first thing I will take from this section is how specific you have to be when naming the target behavior that you wish to change. I know that I usually pull this concept from about every section, but I really believe that this is the most important thing to remember, but it is also the thing that people have the most trouble with. While we were in class, Dr. MacLin would ask certain students what their target behavior was that they were trying to change. Every time the students responded he would stump them with a question while trying to get them to be more specific. For example, a couple of the students said that they wanted to eat out less, and when asked, “well what does that mean/look like?” – most could not respond appropriately. When you say eat out less, where do you want to eat out less? Less fast food? Less sit down restaurants? Do you want to do this to save money? Do you want to do this to get healthier? How will you measure that once you start? These are all things that need to be answered, yet no one really thinks of those things when in the behavior changing process!
B. Another thing I will take with me from this section is the topography of behaviors. This section talks about how one behavior can look several different ways. The example the section gives is the behavior of opening a door. This can look several different ways all depending on how you open a door and what context you are in. At first I didn’t really see how context related – why would I open a door any differently if I were in a different place/situation? But I then realized that it really does matter where you are. For example, when I am at work (in a restaurant), the door to the kitchen is one of those that swings open both ways, no matter how you push on it. Usually when I encounter this door, my hands are busy holding heavy plates full of food. When I first starting working at this establishment, I would push the door with my elbow, or even kick it lightly with my foot. But I have come to learn that that is not the best way to open this door. There was one night I went to push it with my elbow, and someone else was coming through the other side. The door swung open and knocked the heavy plates right out of my hands. This punishment made me start bracing myself whenever I go through that door, just in case there is someone trying to come through the same time I am. So we need to remember that one simple behavior can look a lot of different ways, and it really does depend on the context or situation you are in. And it also depends on what you have encountered before.
C. The third thing I will take from this chapter is that I need to record my target behavior whenever it occurs. The section says to record it however you can (in a notebook, send yourself a text message, etc.). At first, I didn’t really think that this was that important – especially not with the behavior that I am trying to change (running more often). With the behavior that I am trying to change, journaling my progress wouldn’t really make sense because it is just a matter of whether I have ran that day or not. But then the section goes on to talk about how we should record the context in which the behavior occurs. This made a lot more sense to me. If I can record when and where I run, when I do run, it will help me to know when that behavior occurs best/the most.

7) Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention). Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention. What will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
Next week, when I begin my behavioral intervention, I will use shopping as a reinforcer. My goal is to run at least 2 times (days) a week. If I had to guess a baseline, without actually measuring one, I think I run about twice a month. If I can increase my running behavior to twice a week, I will reinforce myself with one article of spring/summer clothing (probably a tank top or shirt of some sort. This will be very reinforcing to me because my tank top collection is very out of date and most of the tops I have are still from high school! I need to update my closest and with the nice weather approaching it is a great time to do so. The schedule of reinforcement I will use will by variable interval. I can’t say that I will reinforce myself at the same time on the same day every week, so that makes it variable reinforcement. And I will be reinforced in a given amount of time (roughly a week), which makes it interval reinforcement.

TERMS: Goal, Goal Guidelines, Be Realistic, Ability, Manageable, Maintenance, Target Behavior, Topography of Behaviors, Punishment, Baseline, Reinforcer, Schedule of Reinforcement, Variable Interval

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The thing I really liked in this section was how in depth this section was. The things being said in this section can be applied to every aspect and every goal we have in life, not just the project we're working on.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I least liked that there were not very many behavior modification terms in this section.

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 important to break big goals into smaller goals. This definitely applies to me and my education, as I'm working towards a Ph.D. in psychology.
B = I will remember to have constant maintenance as I work for my goals. The environment is constantly changing, and I need to be able to adjust and keep moving forward.
C = I will remember that when adjusting my own behavior, use either reinforcement or DRO.

Section 5.1

4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked that this section had more behavior modification terminology in it than the previous section, like punishment, reinforcement, behavioral class, antecedent, and serves the function.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I least liked that there was no summary to summarize the section at the end. Even though I retain most of the knowledge, the summary is a nice refresher and a lot quicker than reading the whole thing over again.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
A = I will remember to be specific about the behaviors I will be reinforcing or punishing in any goal setting situation.
B = I will remember that all behaviors have a function, and some may be the same act but serve different functions, like nail biting for nervousness or boredom.
C = I will remember to keep track of goals as I go, not just at the end of the day, because memory is not perfect and we may forget throughout the day.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I will use pancheros as a reinforcer after I know my baseline, as that was effective in the water project, so I am interested to see how effective it is in this project as well. It's a good reinforcer because it has been shown to be effective in the past. Plus, there's nothing better than a Panchero's burrito. I will be using fixed interval reinforcement, at the end of a week if I hit my goal I will reward myself. I don't want to go more than that because eating too much pancheros can have an undesired impact on both my bank account and my body weight. This schedule is more than fine for me.
8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms: reinforcement, differential reinforcement of other, punishment, antecedent, reinforcer, fixed interval reinforcement, schedule of reinforcement, behavior, behavioral class, serves the function,baseline

1) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing that I really liked overall about this section was how the material was broken up into different categories you should consider when you are thinking of a goal you want to create for yourself. The one I found most important, was the first one this section talked about, being realistic. I really liked this because it gave you tips about what you should consider before you dive into setting up the guidelines you are going to follow, the reinforcement you will use, and the measurements you will go by. I also found the advice of breaking up larger goals into sub goals in order to achieve them easier and so they don’t seem as farfetched.
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 it didn’t go into any detail about after picking your goal some tips or ways you could stay or track with that goal. Or what happens if you start to find your goal is too difficult, do you modify the goal, or do you stop all together and think of a new goal for yourself? I think this is important because a lot of people who may have never worked toward many goals before could find it harder to stay on track then others.
3) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember more than just three things about this section. I will remember all of the steps you should take and different types of things you should take into consideration when you are creating a goal. It is important to remember your goal should be realistic, don’t set yourself up for failure or you obviously wont achieve your goal. Another important thing to remember is that goals should be manageable. If you can’t fit your goal into your average daily lifestyle then you are probably most likely not going to achieve that goal. Lastly, if you have a large goal, try and break it down into smaller sub goals. This will give you the ability to celebrate the small goals that will lead you to completing the large goal.
After reading section 4.4, please respond to the following questions.

4) 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 talked about the idea that every behavior has a function. I liked this because you don’t normally think of all the reasons why we emit a certain behavior. There isn’t just one reason, there could be many different reasons and in order to change a behavior you must be aware of the specific reason or function that the behavior serves for you.
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 it revisited material that we have already covered. Instead of revisiting the material I think it would be less confusing if we just went into more details about the content the first time we discuss it, instead of adding more on to each one during each section. So instead of covering a little of each one, cover a few ideas and more in-depth.
6) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing that I will remember because it is important not only in behavior but psychology in general is that in order to study something you must be able to measure it. If you can’t measure it then you have no way of knowing whether or not the variable you are manipulating is doing anything. The next thing that is important to remember is that when you are measuring a behavior it is important to be as specific as you can when defining your target behavior. For example, I want to reduce the amount of money spent on food. IF I just said food, people may think, groceries, fast food, snacks, coffee, sit down restaurants, etc. So I have to be specific in saying reduce the amount of money spent on fast food and sit down restaurants, so I know specifically what I am measuring. Lastly, it is important to remember that behaviors can b topographically different, but functionally similar. This is important to remember once again because you must make your target behavior very specific in order to measure it properly.
7) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
Each week I will allow myself a specific amount of money to spend on going out to eat at fast food or sit down restaurants. The first week it will be 30, the second week it will be 25, etc. decreasing in increments of 5 dollars each week. If I stay under that allotted amount of money, at the end of the week I will treat myself to a cup of coffee from Caribu, if I don’t, I will continue to just make plain coffee at my house. The type of reinforcement schedule I will be using will be a fixed interval schedule. I will be reinforcing myself after a certain amount of time (7 days). I chose this schedule because I feel it will be the easiest for me to keep track of and it makes the most sense, because each Monday I will be changing the amount of money I allow myself to spend that week.
Fixed interval, behavior, psychology, schedules of reinforcement, goals, sub goals, emit, realistic, manageable, measurements, reinforcement, target behavior

After reading section 4.3, please respond to the following questions.
1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
--My favorite part of section 4.3 is about the achievable and ability section. This is because a lot of people pick a goal that is completely unachievable and I know that first hand. This is shown a lot in self-directed behaviors like new year resolutions; most people don’t even achieve their new year’s resolution. It really made me think about when I want to change an behavior and set a goal. I need to start asking myself if each goal I set is achieve and do I actually have the resources and support to do it. Also something to think about is if you have the ability to accomplish your goal? I really like the statement in the book, “look before you leap”.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
--One thing I didn’t like is that were supposed to be focused on this behavioral change project and he was asking us to pick 3 new goals and write them down in the textbook activites. Yes there is other goals I would let to set and reach but the whole actually setting a specific behavior is new to me and I would like to focus on reaching one goal the right way right now. Also, were back to a lot of activities like we had in the beginning of the semester and like I have said before I like to just read and take notes rather than stop and do the activities anymore I what I found out.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
--I will definitely remember it is very important to have a support base when trying to achieve your goals. If you don’t have a support base, it will be even harder to accomplish the goal you want. Also, I have picked goals that aren’t fully manageable before and now I know after ready that your goals should be fully manageable meaning so they can fit in your daily life schedule and not be disruptive. Lastly, I remember that time frame of your goal is majorly important. Some goals take longer than others. As it states in the book that goals with longer time frames can sometimes be harder to achieve which I never really thought of it that way.
After reading section 4.4, 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 seemed to like the saving the change/money example because it has made me think about what I could buy or something I want to buy if I were to save all my change. First you would record a baseline, which is the record of the amount of the behavior of interesting we are currently emitting. Therefore putting all change you receive in the change jar you choose would be the behavioral baseline.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
--The thing I seemed to like least was the fact that you stated you will discuss functional analysis of behavior term later on and I could never really find out what it really meant; it made me very confused. It may have stated later on but in a different context which I don’t like. Why don’t you just state the meaning of the term there and not say we will discuss it later because then I got lost in what you were talking about.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
--I will remember to record the context in which the behavior occurred when recording your behavior. Even when you fail to emit the behavior still record the context surrounding the failure to emit the behavior. Secondly, ive always been kind of confused of the baseline term but now since I know it is kind of the starting point to your behavioral change. It is a record of the amount of behavior of interest we are currently emitting. Lastly I will remember that if you are interesting in adjusting a behavior, then you need to decide first whether or not we measure all behaviors which serve as the same function or just one specific behavior. Topography of behavior and various behavioral classes dictate how we will measure the behavior.

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
--When we start the behavioral intervention I will use buying myself candy and or buying myself a new shirt or jeans after 1 week of washing my face night and morning and then ill have it go up to 2 weeks and so forth. This is a good reinforce because I love to shop and I love candy. I will use variable ration instead of continuous reinforcement because if I allow myself to go purchase items I want it will help me elicit the behavior of making sure I wash my face morning and night.

Terms: Elicit, Emitting, Reinforcer, Continuous Reinforcement, Variable Ration, Topography of Behavior, Behavioral Class, Emit, Baseline, Functionally Analysis of Behavior, Support Base, Time Frame, Achievable and Ability, Self-Direct

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
This section details goal setting. I really enjoyed the portion about sub goals. Often goals are very large and breaking them down helps to increase the likelihood that you will make them. The example used was getting a PhD which was helpful for me because that is a large goal of mine.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I disliked the section about how modifying some behaviors can be disruptive. I dislike this because it did not give an example on how to get around it. I guess we're just suppose to get over the disruptions? I think this would make modifying behaviors significantly more difficult.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember support bases help to achieve goals. Those with similar goals help to motivate and keep people going. I will also remember that maintenance is an important part of behavior modification. Upkeep is needed and you have to keep track of your goal over time. I will also remember

After reading section 4.4, 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 that they pointed out that to study something in psychology we need to be able to measure it. This makes psychology a science which some people say it isn't.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I disliked the "serves the function" idea. It makes sense but I didn't feel it was properly defined at all. I wish that the author would have defined this idea in a more tangible way.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
I will remember baseline because it is the basis for modifying the behavior. I will also remember that it is important to record when behaviors occur and the context -- otherwise you may forget. I will also remember topography of behavior -- or what a behavior looks like because topography of the Earth is what it looks like. I will also remember that to change a target behavior, you need to specifically define it. This is important because you may encompass more behaviors if you don't define it specifically enough.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
Last week I said I wanted to increase the amount of vegetables I eat. However I have changed my mind and decided I want to increase the likelihood that I go to class. I have been skipping all of my classes a lot lately and I want to stop that. Instead I want to promote going to class.

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I want to use a fixed interval -- on Friday if I go to every class scheduled for the week (or everyone but one) I will be reinforced with something to buy. I know myself and I know I love buying things. I have yet to figure out what would be a good enough reinforcer that I don't already regularly buy and that wouldn't be too expensive to buy every week.

8) Sub goals, behavior, modify, disruptive, behavior modification, support base, maintenance, serves the function, baseline, behavior topography, target behavior

Please read sections 4.3 (Importance of Goals) and 5.1 (Measuring Behavior).
Please fill out the boxes in the readings you may be quizzed on them in class.

After reading section 4.3, 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 in section 4.3 is when it talks about having a good support base to successfully achieve our goals. I liked this section, because it makes a person think about those who support them and if they will help that individual to achieve their goal(s).

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
There isn’t one thing that I really disliked in section 4.3. However, I did find that this section seemed to ask a lot of questions rather than provide a lot of information.

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 the importance of sub goals. It is important to have sub goals when trying to achieve a larger goal. When we focus on sub goals we are able to reinforce the smaller achievements on our way to achieving the larger goal. Another thing that I will remember from this section is having a good support base. By having a good support base (people who believe in you and your goals) make it easier to attain the goals that an individual has. It is important to seek support from people who have achieved the same goal, as well as those that are reaching for the same goal. This way you are able to receive advice on going through pitfalls, and ways to work through these pitfalls and by having a support base of those who are striving for the same goals you can go through these pitfalls together when reaching for the same goal. The third thing I will remember from this section is making sure the goal is achievable. We need to make sure our goal(s) are achievable by asking ourselves is if this is something that we can do and if we have the resources to reach it. I will remember these three things, because they are very important when it comes to behavior modification.

After reading section 4.4, 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 liked in this section was hot it went back and refreshed what behavioral classes are. Knowing the difference between behavior classes and behaviors will be valuable when 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 disliked in this section was talking about ways to measure behavior. I feel like we have talked about ways to measure behavior a lot lately.

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 that a variety of behaviors may be emitted which serve the same function, these are known as behavior classes. Another thing that I will remember from section 5.1 is that context/situation matter especially when we consider the topography of the behavior. The third thing that I will remember is in order to change a behavior is that we need to establish a baseline for a current behavior. A baseline is important because it allows the individual to see the frequency of the behavior increase or decrease. I will remember this because it will be important during my own behavioral intervention.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
As I start my own personal behavior intervention, I chose Netflix as a reinforce, because I find it enjoyable. If I decrease my behavior, I will reinforce myself with one hour of watching Netflix without doing anything else during that time. I will be using a fixed interval reinforcement schedule. This type of reinforcement will work best for me because I will have to decrease my behavior a certain number of times before I am able to reinforce myself. If I reinforced myself every time I participated in my behavior, I do not think my reinforcer would be as effective in my frequency of decreasing my undesirable behavior.

8)Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms- support base, sub goals, behavioral classes, behavior, emitted, topography, baseline, behavioral intervention, reinforce, fixed interval reinforcement schedule, reinforcement

1. One thing i enjoyed reading about this section was reading about goal setting. Specifically breaking larger goals into smaller goals. Goals for me were a big part of my life, my high school freshman year i wanted to play D1 basketball so i had that as my goal. it was a good goal but after reading this chapter i realize the many benefits of setting smaller goals. The smaller reasonable goals would be more manageable and would help me complete the larger goal.

2. One thing i didn't like reading about is the support base. The only reason i didnt enjoy this was because I couldn't connect to it. I was very fortunate to have been raised in a good family with plenty of support. I understand how having little to no support would make it difficult to achieve you goal.

3. Three things i will remember is support base, breaking a large goal into a smaller goal and maintenance of your goal. A support base is very important to have, The support base will help you because when you lose faith in your goal they will keep you going and because who doesn't enjoy little extra support.

I couldnt find a section 4.4. I wrote on the next available section that was 5.1 measuring behavior.

4. I liked how this section began by explaining the significance of being able to measure data. Its true how could one tell if the results were working without the ability to measure them. Without measurable data there wouldn't be any kind of way to tell the effects.

5. I disliked the section functions of behavior. This was a big review chapter, I thought this section was just a little unnecessary because it was too simple for how far we are in the book. I didn't learn anything from this section.

6. I will remember the importance of being able to measure data, what topography is and the functions of behaviors. Without measurable data no one can determine if the experiment works. The difference between topographical behavior and functional behavior is that topographical looks the same but has a different meaning (waving hello and waving goodbye) while functionally two behaviors may look different but have the same function (pushing a door open and pulling a door open, they look different but both functionally open the door).

7a. I wanted to increase the behavior of shooting shots in the gym. i wold like to stick with that plan. My baseline would be very low, maybe an average of 20 shots a day over the course of a week.

7b. I will reward myself with some kind of candy bar. Seeing how variable interval is the best schedule of reinforcement i would like to use that but realistically i cant because i will be the one rewarding myself so ill know when i get a candy bar. Realistically i think fixed variable will be my best option. I think i will reward myself after i have completed my goal of shots.

8. Terms
Baseline, behavior, schedule of reinforcement, fixed variable, variable interval, topographical behavior, functional behavior, support base, maintenance of goal.

1 a&b) What I really liked about this section was how they broke down the importance of goal setting and the guidelines for doing so. This made it more helpful for me to start thinking about my goal for the self directed behavior modification project we are doing. It made me think about other goals in my life too and if they follow that criteria.

2) I feel like this section was a bit of downer when it came to talking about getting a PhD or higher education. I plan on going to medical school but have issues with finances. This section said it would be unrealistic of trying to pursue a goal like that if you have money troubles. It was a bit discouraging.

3 a,b&c) 1-Goals must be realistic and have a timeframe. Some goals are unrealistic and setting those unrealistic goals will end up unfufilled because they cannot be obtained due to disruptive obstacles. And some goals require such a long time frame it's difficult to follow through with them. Not to say they can't be achieved but, if they are they need to have a schedule for how they will be achieved.
2-Sub goals is a way to break down a large goal so it can be achieved. Sometimes goals are very big and broad like going to med school, so need to be broke down into sub goals which are smaller goals that can be obtained until you meet that goal such as; get good grades in high school, go to college, get good grades to your bachelors, take premed pre reqs, study for the mcat, take the mcat, get into med school.
3-Some goals can be disruptive and much too life changing. For example if you have a family and want to get a job in another state, it might be a disruptive goal to have to move your entire family. Your kids would have to change schools, it costs a lot, and your spouse would need a new job and you all would have to start a new. This is something to consider when making your goals.

4 a&b) I liked how this section went back to revisit functions and topographies of target behaviors but applying it to modifying behaviors.

5) It was kind of hard to understand this section. I didn't feel like it was explained clearly on how topography really plays a part in measuring the behavior and why it was elaborated on so much in this section.

6 a,b&c) 1-It is important that when we go on to our behavior change project we are able to measure it so we can keep track of our progress and increase it.
2-It is important to be specific on what target behaviors we are measuring, otherwise it cannot be measured. Sometimes this means breaking up a behavior in to smaller behavioral classes.
3-It's important to document the behavior you are trying to increase right when you do it by keeping a journal or diary. We tend to think we will remember these things but actually our minds tend to forget all the details. It's important not to only mention the frequency of the behavior and what was done, but also the context/antecedent in which the behavior was emitted.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I will let myself rest on Sunday (no workout) as a reinforcer. This is a good reinforcer because it lets my body take a break and opens up my schedule a little so I can maybe do something else I like. I'm going to use a fixed interval schedule meaning I have to workout Monday-Saturday, 30 minutes (my goal) to get my reinforcement. I chose this schedule because it will be easier to keep track of whether or not I did the behavior that day and for how long, and I have a specific day in which the reinforcement will come.

8) Goal, goal setting guidelines, self directed, behavior modification, realistic, timeframe, subgoals, disruptive, function, topographies, behavior, measuring behavior, target behavior, behavioral classes, context, antecedent, emitted, reinforcement, fixed interval schedule.

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
- I really liked the part on how to achieve goals, and for bigger goals make smaller goals. It really shows how people can achieve large goals, when people may doubt them. It is important to make large goals, but it is more important to make smaller goals to achieve the larger one.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
-The thing i didnt like was the article said dont dream big. As a kid you are told to dream big. I understand that this may mean to dream big with smaller goals to achieve the bigger goal but dream big is how i have gotten to where i am today.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-To have smaller goals to achieve the bigger, main goal.
-To always have a support base behind you, even if you are the only one whose behind you.
-To have a realistic goal, that might be a physical test that you cant fix like; being to old, color blind or to tall. these are some things that might not let you to achieve a goal.

After reading section 4.4, 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 talked about the functions of behaviors. i liked how it helped give me a great ideas on how to order me a drink at the bar.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
-i didnt really like the part about topography. it didnt seem so clear to me and was kind of confusing to me to understand.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
-i will remember that context matters, the environment can help decide how you react.
-I will remember the part on measuring behaviors. i liked this part because it was easy to understand and gave an interesting way on how you can measure your behavior.
-the last thing i will remember is how the functions of behaviors. I like this part because it was interesting to me and it helped me understand the variety of behaviors that may be emitted which would serve the same function.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
-read a chapter a night. (yes or no)

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
-i will use a scoop of ice cream each night i read a chapter as a reinforcer. I will use a continuous reinforcement because, it will keep me motivated to read a chapter a day.

8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
-Reinforcement, continuous reinforcement, achieve goals,function of behaviors, topography of behavior, and measuring behaviors.

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?

I liked how this section utilized many examples as well as gave us the chance to test our understanding. I think that having the exercise boxes helps to reinforce my reading to check my understanding.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?

There was really nothing I disliked. It was a very easy read, and broke down how to have a good goal.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?

a. I will remember the movie example from Lilies of the Field. I liked this example because it shows how when others can see a goal being realistic they are more likely to reinforce your behavior as well as be a support base.
b. I will remember the saying “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” I will remember this because it shows that having sub goals are important. By breaking a goal down it allows you to reinforce the steps towards to big goal. I think that having this saying will help me to emit the behavior change that I want, knowing that I can reinforce the small sub goals that I have.
c. I will remember that a goal needs maintenance. Keeping up with the change and the changes in antecedents will be important for planning maintenance. Knowing that the changes in the antecedents are the biggest downfall will help me to remember how to keep up my own behavioral change.

After reading section 5.1, 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 allowed us to have exercises that focused on the behavioral change that we wanted. It helped to keep me focus in this section.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?

I felt like this section repeated a lot of terms, like topography, measuring behaviors, and functions of behaviors. I know that it is good to revisit the terms but it was slightly boring.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?

a. I am going to remember that all behaviors have a function and that we need to conduct a functional analysis of behavior to understand why we emit the behaviors we do. I will remember this because I know that I emit behaviors of eating junk food because I do not have time to eat outside of my car between school and work.
b. I will remember the topography of behavior and that context matters within the topography. I will remember this because the example of opening a door with a handle has a different topography then a door without a handle. The functions are the same, but the topography is different.
c. I will also remember measuring behavior. I will remember this because the examples that driving has many functions and that we have to define the function that we are measuring. Defining the function helps with the behavioral intervention because it gives us something to measure.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
I am changing my goal to wanting to exercise more. My measuring will be completed by showing if I exercised three times a week. Each exercise will be measured by completed cardio (jogging or biking), ab work out (crunches, situps, etc).

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?

I am going to do a constant reinforcement after every workout by getting an ice cream. If I complete all of my work outs I will allow have one drink of Jack and Coke. This will be a good reinforcer because ice cream is a treat and that way I can reinforce myself right away when I work out, and then after an entire week I can get a drink of Jack and Coke because it helps me unwind. My schedule will be a fixed interval and then a fixed ratio. I chose this because I know I will need a reward after I emit the behavior (only if I complete the entire work out for the day) and then one for completing all of it for the day.

8) Reinforce, goal, behavior, sub goal, emit, behavioral change, maintenance, antecedents, topography, measuring behaviors, function of behaviors, functional analysis of behaviors, behavioral intervention, fixed interval, fixed ratio

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?

- As the same said, the importance of goals. This section is all about the goals we want to accomplish. Starting to be realistic in our goals. For example if we want to stop smoking we wont stop right away everything because it will make ourselves increase the desire of smoking more and more. After this, the time that it will take us is an important factor in achieving our desire goals. The goals need to be manageable and their maintenance play an important role as well.


2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?

- What I kind of dislike from this section were the subgoals because they were a little confusing and they are necessary in order to achieve our goals better but I think that we may still achieve our goals without the sub goals. However, I consider this chapter very important because the importance of goals are necessary in everyone in order to achieve success in our lives.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?

a) Realistic goals. Because if we don’t have clear and realistic goals we might not accomplish them.

b) The time it might take and the importance of patience and how to keep this goals, perseverance. 

c) The necessary support needed to achieve the goal. This may be friends, family helping you and reinforcers. 


After reading section 4.4, 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 in this section were the different types of measuring a behavior depending on the circumstance it occurred. Is important to keep in track when and where it occurred. Recording the behavior is also a key to measure the behavior in a small book, phone or somewhere where you can have details about it. 


5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?

- One thing I did not like at all was the section because it did not gathered my attention as I thought it would. For example, the explanation of topography of behavior and the different behavioral classes, measuring the behavior. I just thought the section was kind of long and there were pretty good point that I learned from but it took me time to actually concentrate and focus on them. Overall, the section did explain its point and it useful since it is related tot he previous chapters. 



6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?

a) I will remember that context matter when measuring a behavior.

b) To always write down when a behavior occurs for a better measuring.

c) I will remember to consider the place and the time of the behavior. 


7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).


7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?

- I will use as a reinforcer buying a new piece of clothe or makeup. This is a good reinforcer because if I get into better eating habits I will feel good about myself and I will be allowed to feel more pretty with new makeup of clothes. This might a fixed interval reinforcer because I might some weeks eat more healthy than others so the reinforcer may vary. 


8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.

- Measuring behavior, behavior, consequence, elicit, fixed interval reinforcer, sub goal, goals, timeline, reinforcer.

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I really liked the idea of subgoals. I think a lot of times people to often try to go for unrealistic goals like mentioned in the chapter. I myself will try to go after certain things way to hard and not focus on smaller things. For example if I want to improve my golf scores don’t just go out and start hitting as many balls as I can. I would emit the behavior on practicing aspects of the game firs: focusing on putting, then driving, then chipping, etc.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
I think the part about ability is a tough section to grasp. Many of us think we have the ability to do things that we can’t. Again, we have to go back and set realistic goals within our ability.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Goals need to be realistic to be achieved because I will know to not make a goal I cannot achieve in the future, breaking larger goals in to subgoals because it will help me achieve goals easier in the future, and timeframe is important because it will help me plan for my future goals.
4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
Most of this section was review so there were not any new things, but one thing I understand well now that I didn’t before is baseline. For whatever reason I did not understand it before but now I know that it is the occurrence of the behavior before the behavioral intervention.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Again it was mostly review so I did not have really anything to complain about, but I did not really like that it introduced functional analysis of behavior and then didn’t really explain it at all except for saying it would be revisited.
6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Baseline is the behavior’s occurrence before the intervention because I will know to establish one when I want to change behaviors, behavioral class refer to a group of behaviors because it will help me understand to change specific target behaviors in the future, and that all behaviors have a function
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
To be honest, I have no idea what I will use as a reinforcer. I will have to think about it more. It depends on what the reinforce is. I was thinking about doing something like Netflix, but I am not sure if it would be the best for me. If I did use Netflix it would be probably once a day or every other day maybe on a fixed interval schedule. This is not for sure my plan and it will likely change.
Subgoals, unrealistic goals, emit, behavior, realistic goals, ability, timeframe, baseline, behavioral intervention, functional analysis of behavior, behavioral class, target behavior

Please read sections 4.3 (Importance of Goals) and 5.1 (Measuring Behavior).
Please fill out the boxes in the readings you may be quizzed on them in class.
After reading section 4.3, 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 going over how important setting goals are and that it is not a true goal if it is not; realistic, with a time frame, and maintenance of that goal.
2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? The chapter was good review for the upcoming Operant Conditioning assignment.
3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why? I will rememnber goals must be realistic, with a time frame and a baseline set graph.
After reading section 4.4, 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 chapter explained that importance of recognizing behaviors that you are emitting, in other words being self aware.
5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why? I thought this chapter was much like the last chapter and that it will help come time for the operant conditioning assignment
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 important to define a behavior clearly and specifically, I will also remember the importance it is to measure behaviors after understanding why it is you emit them.
7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention). I have lifted weights in the Gym on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, or most weeks during the last two months. Some weeks I have gone only two of the days. I usually am there for at least 5 different lifts to be done but there are somedays where I do leave after 2 or 3 lifts. This only happens occasionally. I have not worked out in the last 4 days.
7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule? My reinforcement will be ice cream from either Cold Stone or any type of store bought ice cream. This will only be given if I complete my goal for the week and on Sundays I will be able to have a ice cream large size if it comes from a restaurant or ice cream store, and about 5 scoops if it comes from the box of a store bought brand. This is a vixed interval schedule I think this is best because it will not erease the results of working out, or the health benefits.

emit, reinforcement, taget behavior, behavioral class.

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
The first thing that jumped out at me from section 4.3 that I really liked was the story about the man and the bus station. What I liked about it was the fact that was a change of pace. It was a little different from the other chapters in that it helped bring our imaginations into things and picture what was going on in the story. It was a good way to bring in our attention for this section.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing I didn’t necessarily liked was the support system idea. Though I don’t necessarily disagree with it. I feel like if an individual truly wants to change a behavior, they wouldn’t care what anyone else thinks of it. They would change their support system around them and not let it defect their goal.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
The first thing I’m going to remember is how goals need to be realistic. This is an important part of attaining goals and must be considered immensely before even trying to reach your goal. The second thing I will remember is the importance of maintenance of goals. This is important because just because you achieved your goal once, doesn’t mean that it’s over. You must continue to maintain the behavior you changed. The third thing I will remember is how is important to start a change in behavior with the use of reinforcement. This is important as it will give you a positive experience of first changing the behavior. It’s also been repeated many times in this course that it is the most successful.

After reading section 4.4, 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 when the text described how all behaviors had a function. This is important as to understanding why we do things. Whether it’s something simple, such as consuming food or it’s something complex as to why you overconsume food, there is always a function behind a behavior.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing I didn’t like about this section is when it talked about how difficult it was to measure meaningful calls with your parents. I understand the point the text was trying to make with its example. But, I think the whole point behind having a meaningful conversation with your parents is to improve upon the relationship. This can be measured in many ways though. How often you talk to them, how the relationship progresses to how often you visit them, or even you can create a scale of how much you enjoy talking to them. There are many different ways where you can make it measurable. That’s why I don’t necessarily like how the text explains that topic. It makes it seem like it’s almost impossible to measure.

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 all behaviors have a topography. This is important because it explains how that there are many different ways perform a behavior. The text gives the example of pushing a door open. You can push it with your hand, shoulder, butt, or other parts of your body. You may also push it gently or forcefully. The second thing I will remember is how important context is when considering topography of a behavior. With the door example, if you are entering a funeral, you are not going to want to push the door open extremely forcefully. You’re going to want to open it gently and with reverence. The third thing I will remember from this section is how being able to measure a goal is extremely important in the chances of accomplishing the goal.

7a) Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention).
Last week, I talked about spending less money and being more frugal. I decided that I spend roughly $150 a week through groceries, going out with friends, and miscellaneous items. My goal is to spend less money and continue to save more for the future.

7b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
The reinforcer that I will use in order to prevent myself from spending money on certain items to reward myself with something important. For example, I spend a lot of money on food because there are days I don’t want to cook. If I save $40 a week on not going out for food, then after a few weeks, I will have enough money to spend on something that I really need. That item would cost less than $90, so I would still be saving my money, yet it would still reward me for changing a behavior. This would be a fixed interval reinforcement. As it will always be 3 weeks of saving money. Fading will occur when I still continue the behavior and don’t necessarily need something after the 3 week.

8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Terms: behavior, reinforcement, reinforce, target behavior, functionality of behavior, context, measurability of a behavior, fixed interval.

1 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
One thing I really liked n this section was it focused solely on goal setting guidelines. It was really easy to read and understand the different steps to goal setting. Also, some of the guidelines like ‘timeframe’ and ‘managable’ made me realize that some of my goals are not centered around these guidelines, which means I am not getting close to achieving my goals.

2) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
Honestly, I did not dislike anything from this section. I found every piece of information here interesting and informative, in the sense that I can apply it to my goal achievement behaviors.

3 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Firstly, I will remember that big goals must be divided into smaller goals in order for it to be attainable. This is because often times, I set goals that are difficult to achieve and then I realize that I should be taking one step at a time because, in that way, I find it easier, as well as, more realistic to achieve my goals. Secondly, I will remember that maintenance is an important part of goal setting. Changes in the environment which are the antecedents can disrupt our goal setting behavior. As for me, my goal is to get 8 hours of sleep every night by getting to bed early and waking up early the next day. However, holiday being the antecedent, changes my behavior of emitting 8 hours of sleep because I stay up late at night with friends. In that way, I am unable to maintain my behavior. This is why maintenance is an important part of goal setting. Lastly, I will remember that in order to achieve a goal, one must have the ability to attain it. This is because if one does wants to become a nurse but does not have the patience or sympathy to care for people, this is not going be attained.

4 a&b) What was one thing that you really liked that was in the section? Why?
I liked how this section reviewed behavioral classes and topography of behavior because I have very little recollection of these terms since it was discussed at the very beginning of this class. Reviewing these terms were very helpful for me given that they are core dimensions of behavior modification.

5) What was one thing that you disliked (or liked least) that was in the section? Why?
One thing I liked least was chapter summary was absent in this section. I find chapter summary in all the sections very useful because it tells me what the main points are. In this section, however, I had to go back and read to find out the main points.

6 a,b&c) What are three things you will remember from what you read in the section? Why?
Firstly, I will remember that all behaviors have a function and a variety of behavior may be emitted which serve the same function. This is because the act of drinking can have a variety of behavior but serve the same function. A person drinking soda from a can, and a person drinking vodka from a glass, and a person drinking water from a bottle all fall under the category of drinking. But, the behaviors are different. Secondly, I will remember that baseline is important in behavior intervention. One must have their baseline recorded at the beginning of the behavior intervention to keep track of the amount of behavior they are currently emitting. This is because baseline will be used to compare the changes in the behavior afterwards. Lastly, I will remember that it is important to keep a record of the behavior you are changing. This is because the more you keep track of your behavior, the more likely you are to modify it. For example, I keep track of my sleeping hours on a foam board, on the wall right next to my bed so that I remember to jot down the hours when I wake up every morning.

7) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
My target behavior is to get 8 hours of sleep every night. For my reinforcer, I will watch a movie that I like once a week if I get 7 hours of sleep consistently for a week. The reinforcement schedule is fixed ratio because I get to watch a movie if I get 7 hours of sleep every day for a week, which means that I only get my reinforcer after 7 days of successfully emitting 7 hours of sleep every night.

8) Once you are done with your post make list of the terms and terminology you used in your post.
Goals, realistic, manageable, ability, reinforcer, emitting, behavior, target behavior, reinforcement, fixed ratio, baseline, topography, behavior class, antecedent, timeframe.

1. A) I liked the idea of making sub goals.
B) I liked this because I think it's important to break a larger goal into smaller sub goals. I think that it would be easier to get things done if they weren't large and extreme.
2. I don't like the idea of being disrupted while trying to achieve a goal. I think that makes things a lot more difficult like moving to get an education or making new friends to quit smoking.
3. A) I will remember that goals have to be realistic. If they aren't realistic they will not be things that you can achieve.
B) I will remember that having an achievable time frame is important. Some things you can't achieve right away and a person should have an idea on when they plan on accomplishing their goal.
C) I will remember that you have to question whether or not you have to ability to accomplish the goal. A person should not set a goal that they know is impossible for them.
4. A) I liked reading about how all behaviors have a function and functional analysis of behavior.
B) I liked this because all of our behaviors have a function and knowing the function of the behavior can help modify it.
5. I least liked reading about topography of behavior. I least liked this because we already learned this and feel like I understood it then.
6. A) I will remember that the context of a behavior matters when you are thinking about the topography of the behavior.
B) I will remember that before you begin a behavior intervention you need to establish a baseline of the behavior.
C) I will remember that different behaviors may be emitted but they can have the same function. Varieties of behaviors are behavioral classes.
7. A) I would like to stop procrastinating my homework.
B) I will put aside $10 every week that I do not procrastinate. This is a good reinforcer because I will want to put that money aside for something that I would enjoy and actually want to spend my money on. I will use continuous reinforcement because it will push me to do my assignments every week in a timely manner.
8. Terms: reinforcement, continuous reinforcement, behavioral classes, emitted, baseline, behavior intervention, topography, functional analysis of behavior, behavior, goal,sub goal.

Section 4.3
1 a&b) One thing that I liked about this section was that it laid out how to make goals that are achievable so that changes that want to be made can be done so. This will be very helpful with the class project in which we attempt to self-modify behaviors. It showed the importance of making sure that the goal is something that is actually possible and the ways to make that goal happen. I liked that this section made it clear that just because something is a big goal does not mean that it is not achievable. This is a distinction that I think many people do not make. This section provided a good layout for helping to determine what behavior we would like to change and is a good way to make sure that we will understand how to make that change possible.
2) There was nothing in particular that I did not like about this section. One thing that I may bring objection to is when it discussed thinking about one's ability, how achievable the goal is, and how manageable that goal is. In many situations where goal setting and behavior modification is sought, people may not have a realistic understanding of what is possible for them which is where the support systems really play a big role. I feel as though it should be discussed how this effects goal setting and behavior modification.
3 a,b&c)
An important aspect of setting a goal is to understand the timeframe that it will take to successfully complete this goal. It is ok to have a goal that will occupy a larger timeframe, but in these situations it is helpful to have sub goals in which can be used to monitor progress as well as serve as times for reinforces to keep motivation going towards that overall end goal. Having sub goals will allow for those around you to be a stronger support system because they will be more likely to believe that it is achievable as well as be able to motivate you towards those sub goals in an easier way and more helpful way than they could with simply a large long term goal. 2. Understanding the how achievable a goal is for you and if you truly have the ability to achieve that goal are important when setting realistic goals for oneself. A major part of a goal being achievable is having access to the right resources that are needed for it to be achieved. It is important to think through what will be needed, how you will obtain those resources, and who else will be effected in this change. Within understanding if it is possible to reach this goal one has to realistically look at the characteristics and traits that they will need in order to have the ability to meet this goal. These abilities include mental, physical, and traits that we can posses such as positive attitudes and perserverence.3. Another important aspect of goal setting is making sure that it is manageable with the life that you live and the people that are impacted by you. Setting a goal but not making sure that there is enough time and resources in the life that you live to do the require things to reach that goal, then you are setting yourself up for failure. Not considering how others might be effected by your goal can bring about unexpected failures as well. A goal can not be met because outside factors inerfere. It is important to make sure that all factors of how the goal will be met are layed out so that it can be determined if the target behaviors that have been established will be able to be truly emitted in the environments that make up the person's everyday life. If not a possible change in antecedent may be possible, but again it must be taken into consideration if it effects anyone else and if that effect will be possible to be taken on.
Section 5.1
4 a&b) One thing that I liked about this section was that it described that when setting a goal there are different behaviors that belong to the same functional class and therefore it needs to be specified exactly what behavior or behviors want to be increased or decreased in frequency so that it is possiblle to measure and track. More than one thing can bring about the desired consequences and therefore shoudl be defined so that it is clear when to record if a desired target behavior is emitted. This is important to know as it was shown in the last sections of reading that being able to record data is an important step in having a successful behavior modification procedure.
5) One thing that I did not like about this section was that it was all review. Very little new informatin was added in as to the connection between measuring behaviors and this review of information. Though I appreciated the review and was able to see the connection of this information to the importance of measuring data it was not something that was really said. I understand the need for review and appreciate it though it would be better to be labled as such rather than thinking that new information is going to be introduced.
6 a,b&c)
One thing to remember is the differnce between topographical behavior classes and functional behavior classes. Behaviors that are topographically similar look the same and behaviors that are functionally similar achieve the same task. Behaviors are able to be both functionally and topographically similar or only similar functionally and need to be considered when determining target behaviors and what are all included within those that are recorded and reinforced. It is important to know if you want to include behaviors that are in the same functional class as all parts of desired behaviors. This way it is known exactly what to look for and what to reinforce. 2. One thing to remember from this section is history dictates which topographies of behaviors are more likely to be used. When a certain behavior is reinforced then it increase the frequency of that behavior occuring again which we have learned in previous sections. There may be other topographically different behaviors that are a part of the same funcitonal class, but because that one specific topographic behavior was reinforced it is the behavior that will be repeated with the hopes that it will once again be reinforced. It goes with the mind set of why fix what isn't broken. We should be aware of this conditioning and make sure that we consider all behaviors that belong to a functional class because there may be one that is more efficient or bring about success more often that has just not been tried.3. An important part in measuring behavior is having something to compare it to. For this a baseline is needed in order to see if progress is being made. While recording emitted behaviors in order to create a baseline it is also helpful to record what elicits the behaviors and if the antecedents have an impact on which behavior is emitted and the frequency in which it is emitted. These things are important to know when determining the target behaviors.
A behavior that I would like to change is eating healthier. This can be measured by the number of servings of fruits and vegetable eaten everyday, the amount of water drinking daily in ounces, as well as in the amount of food that are considered high in fats by national standards. All of these things are behaviors that will lead to the overall eating healthier goal.
7a) The I have decided to change the behavior that I was going to measure. I want to start walking more, so my goal is to start trying to take at least 10,000 steps a day and have at least 30 active minutes. I am going to measure my steps and active minutes by using my fitbit flex.
7b) The reinforcer that I am going to use is going to be at the end of the week being able to go out to eat. This is a great reinforcer for me because 1 I love food and 2 it’s a great social setting and my friends always want to go out to eat. This is going to be a fixed interval because it will be only on the weekends. I chose this schedule because I would be broke and fat if I went out to eat every day that I met my goal.
8) Terms used: goals, reinforcer, sub goal, emit, antecedent, target behavior, functional class, topographical behavior classes, baseline, elicit

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.

1.This section of reading was another one I liked because it was like our previous reading because it can be easily relatable. I liked the concept of breaking down large goals into smaller sub-goals. I feel like it is much more rewarding to break down a large goal into smaller ones to one track your progress as you get closer to that large goal and to see how many smaller goals you have already accomplished. I liked that the section was developed around one story example and to see all the aspects and concepts interact with that one story and watch behavioral modification shape the story.

2.I did not find anything in this section that I did not like because it was an easy read that was not complicated to understand and flowed very well. It helped having one story throughout the entire section and to help explain the concepts and terms through the use of the same example.

3.The first thing that I will remember from this section is how important sub goals are in order to achieve the larger goal. Without sub goals achieving the larger goal would not be possible and the example in the reading was perfect in explaining it, in order to obtain a Ph.D and become a doctor one has to first graduate elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and then graduate school before being able to get to the doctorate. Another thing I will remember from this reading is how important it is to have people supporting you and encouraging you to never give up. It was important to realize having sub goals is crucial when it comes to a support system because having a lofty goal that may seem daunting and unrealistic at first will discourage many from supporting you. Instead it is important to break that goal down into smaller sub goals that are realistic and achievable so that your support system can see that you are realistic and that the goals can be accomplished. The last thing I will remember from this section is how important it is to keep up the maintenance of one’s goal which can occur through manipulating the antecedents. If the environment is conducive to one’s goal it is much more likely that the goal will be achieved.

4.One of the things that I liked from this section of reading was the different behavioral classes that were discussed. Each behavior has a function and there can be a multitude of behaviors that can be emitted to get the same consequence. It was also nice to read about measurements again especially when it went over baselines so that when I come to define my specific behavior I will know what to change and what type of intervention I will create.

5.I did not find really much of anything that I did not like or find useful from this section. Some of it was review and it helped to gauge some concepts and find details that I didn’t have down yet. The only thing that I didn’t like was not having a summary at the end of the section which helps a lot to go back over the main points of the reading.

6.I will definitely remember what a baseline is because it has been defined and explained in several sections and again in this section. A baseline is a record of the amount of the behavior of interest that we are currently emitting and in our projects a baseline in the first week of emitting the target behavior without any reinforcement or behavioral intervention. Another thing that I will remember is that context is important especially when thinking about the topography of a behavior. The example in the text about the opening of a door and what the behavior looks like when opening a door depends on the door being opened. The last thing that I will remember from the text that recording the target behavior is very important especially if analyzing to see if the reinforcement is working to increase the desired behavior. If the reinforcement is not having the desired effect then the behavioral intervention needs to be adapted whether it be another form of reinforcement or a different schedule of reinforcement.

7.When I start my behavioral intervention I will use a 12oz. can of Coca Cola as a reinforcer. I will used a fixed ratio schedule of reinforcement. For my target behavior I will be eating 3 cups of vegetables each day with the reinforcer of Coca Cola. In order to obtain my reinforcement I must eat at least 3 cups of vegetables a day and will be reinforced that day if 3 cups of veggies are consumed. I chose this schedule of reinforcement because it is the closest to continuous reinforcement and it reinforces the target behavior each time the goal is reached. I feel like it is a good schedule of reinforcement because ill want to eat the healthy 3 cups of vegetables in order to get my favorite drink.

8.Terms: Schedule of Reinforcement, Reinforcer, Reinforcement, Target Behavior, Topography, Behavioral Intervention, Continuous Reinforcement, Fixed Ratio Reinforcement, Baseline, Sub-goals, Maintenance, Antecedents, Behavioral Classes, Emit, Consequence

Please read sections 4.3 (Importance of Goals) and 5.1 (Measuring Behavior).
After reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
-I enjoyed that you started this reading with a story and ended it with a lesson. I really enjoy that this reading is about goals because I am really a strong believer about setting goals and completing them. I used to be really bad at setting goals because I did not set realistic goals. I always got frustrated as to why my goals were never met and gave up on making goals for myself because I knew they would never be completed. So I definitely agree with setting realistic goals. I also liked how you said that we have to also set realistic goals not just for yourself but for others because if you are seeking encouragement, the other person has to believe you are being realistic too. I enjoyed the timeframe section as well because we need to think about what kind of goal we are trying to set (realistic or not) and think of how long it will take to be completed. This also may be tied with thinking if the goal is short term or long term. I honestly really enjoyed the refresher on how to set possible goals. Right now, I have been going back and forth between going to grad school or not and have been thinking about if it’s realistic for me to go and all of the things I need to think about are things that were listed in this reading.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
-Nothing, I really enjoyed this section as it related to my own life.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? 
-We talked about goals in a section previously but it was very brief. I have learned about setting goals previously in my life by my own experiences.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
-I used to set unrealistic goals
-I learned how important it was to take your goals seriously and learn how to set goals the proper way.

After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
-I found it interesting that we are talking about measuring behaviors this far out in the semester. It is a very interesting subject because it does tie in well with setting goals too. It is very true that most areas of psychology you cant study anything unless it is measurable. I never really thought about that until I read it. Also, I really like that we are incorporating target behaviors to measure our behaviors. I personally find it difficult to measure behaviors while just learning it. It’s easier to read but to understand it and actually incorporate it into your own life is a little bit more challenging. I like that we learned about behavioral classes and topography behaviors before but are learning a little bit more now. Although we have reviewed them before, they seem to be a little confusing still.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
-Nothing! I really enjoyed this section as well as the first one.
7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously? 
-We have learned about a few of the terms in this class in past readings to it was nice to get a refresher on those terms. Although some of them still confuse me.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
-I base changing my behaviors on target behaviors
-I never think of behavioral classes
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
-Behavior Modification is a lot more complicated than what I thought it would be

10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/reinforcer).
10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer?
-A fudge cupcake from Scratch cupcake at the end of the week
Why is this a good reinforcer?
-This is a good reinforcer because I don’t get cupcakes from Scratch very often unless someone gives me one.
What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
-I may use continuous reinforcement because I am a huge believer for being reinforced for pleasurable behavior
11) Terminology: goals, realistic, timeframe, short-term, long-term, measuring behaviors, measurable, psychology, target behavior, behavioral class, topography, behavior, reinforcement, pleasurable

After reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.

1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The thing I thought was the most interesting was the section about a goal being disruptive. I found this the most interesting because when I set a goal for myself I do not tend to stop and think about how it will disrupt those around me.

2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The section I found to be the least interesting was the one about sub goals. This was least interesting to me because this is usually the technique I used to successfully reach the bigger goals I have set for myself, such as graduating from UNI.

3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
This chapter relates to the sections that we read about last week on how to set a good goal. The section goes more into the guideline one should think about when setting a goal that they want to achieve.
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 that relates to my life is using sub goals to reach a bigger goal. My parents have always taught me to take things one day at a time. The second thing that applies to my life is the section about a goal being manageable. This relates to my life, because I don’t often manage my time wisely, so when i do set goals for me, I have to be careful on how I choose to use my time.

After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.

5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The thing I found most interesting was the section about measuring your behavior. This is interesting to me, because I think when people set goals they often do think about how they are going to measure their success or failure as time goes by. Reading this section caused me to think back to some of the goals i have made in the past, and I realized that I was not successful because I didn’t have a way to measure if I was making progress or not.

6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The section I found to be the least interesting is the one that talked about the topography of behavior. This was the least interesting to me because I already have a really good understanding of this concept. This section was more of a refresher, rather than teaching me something new.

7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
This section builds on what we have learned much earlier in this class about the topography of behaviors. It also builds on what me learned last week when talking about setting good goals.
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 topography of behavior, because there are many things I do in my life that a lot of my friends do differently. I have to remind myself that not everything has to be done my way. My friends can do it their way and still get the same result. The second thing that applies to my life is the saving money example. This relates to my life because I am in the process of saving up money since I graduate in December, am moving to Des Moines, but still have no job for after graduation.

9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
This reading has helped me change the ways i will go about setting goals in the future. I will put more time and thought into it, rather than just saying I am going to change some behavior without having a set plan in place to help me reach the goal.

10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/reinforcer).

10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
My reinforcer will be having a relaxation day at the end of the week. This is good reinforcer, because I don’t have a lot of time to just relax by myself and watch TV/Netflix. I would use a fixed interval reinforcement schedule. I choose this schedule because I will be reinforcing myself once a week every Saturday, if I complete my exercising goals for the week.

Terms: reinforcer, goals, topography, behavior, measuring, disruptive, sub-goals, manageable

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 your future can be so influenced by the people that you gather your support from. I think we could all be in very different places right now as a result of that.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I did not find anything particularly uninteresting, I liked learning about goals.
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 already knew that it was important to have a time frame on your goals because it makes them easier to manage.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I try to make sure that I set very specific goals so that I can obtain them easily.
I also try to surround myself with positive people to help me obtain my goals.
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 really interesting that all behaviors have a function. Typically, I do not think about behaviors in these terms, so I thought that was different.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I thought the section on the topography of behavior was a little dry, but I understand why that information is significant.
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.
A lot of the information in this section was actually new to me.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Just like the examples, the topography of my behavior is constantly changing.
When I want to research something I try to make sure that the item I am researching is measurable.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
These chapters have given me new perspectives on making goals.
10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/reinforcer).
10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
My aunt just asked me if I would like to go to Vegas in a few months, so remembering that I need to save my money will be my reinforcer. I am going to use continuous reinforcement because I want to be constantly reminding myself so that I spend less money.
TERMS: continuous reinforcement, reinforcer, goals, topography of behavior, behavior, time frame

Section 4.3
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
What I found most interesting in this section was the part talking about how you should be cautious with who you surround yourself with and who you use as support. This it a very good thing to know and can have a major impact in the future. Relating this back to behavior modification was very cool and showed a different type of application.

2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the section on goal setting to be just a review for me since we have already discussed goals and changing target behaviors before, so it was not as interesting as the rest of the 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.
This section relates back to previous sections and subjects such as goal setting. This is also a slight review of what I have learned about in my Child Development course, which covered these subjects only briefly.

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 me trying to surround myself with good friends that help me in obtaining my goals and supporting me. I feel like they support me through everything. And once I have set a specific goal, another connection to this section, I am about to achieve the desired behavior and reach my goal.

Section 5.1
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the part about measuring behavior the most interesting because it is a somewhat complex concept, but that is what makes it interesting. There are so many ways that behavior can be measured, helping to change to reach the target behavior.

6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The part that I found least interesting in this section was the one discussing behavioral classes. This has already been covered in previous sections, so it was not as interesting as the new information in this 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.
Most of this section was fairly new information to me, although somethings such as the behavioral classes and focus on goals has been covered in previous sections in this class and touched on very lightly in my Intro to Psychology 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 from this section is the idea of the money saving example. Since I am a broke college student, I need to be able to measure my behavior so that I can achieve my goal of saving money. I make a note every time that I spend my money so I know how much I'll need to save up to make up for me spending. Another thing that relates to my life from this section is the idea of making a resolution or goal, like the new years resolution. And by me not being specific enough with my behavioral classes, I did not accomplish my goal.

9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
This section has influenced my thought on how important the ability to measure behavior is and how important goal setting is in behavior modification.

10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
If I follow through with my target behavior of working on my papers right away, I will reinforce myself every Sunday night with personal time to relax and watch Netflix. This is a very effective reinforcer since I do not have a whole lot of time to sit and relax. I chose the fixed interval reinforcement schedule because of the set schedule and how the reinforcement will only be delivered once a week.

11) target behavior, goal setting, desired behavior, measuring behavior, behavioral classes, fixed interval reinforcement, reinforcement, reinforcer

1) I think what I found most interesting in this section was how detailed the steps were. I liked how the goal setting guidelines were explained with detail so there really wasn’t a question as to what it meant. It really helped me understand more about the process because I was not stopping all the time to re-read a part over again or to ask myself what was going on.

2) In this section I thought that the least interesting to read was about the differences between a realistic goal and an unrealistic one. The reason I found that the least interesting to learn about is because I feel like those two things are more common sense than anything else. However, I understand that it is something that needs to be learned about in order for some people to completely understand the concept.

3) This section relates to what I already knew previously about goals. In a previous class I took we learned about how important goals were in life. I like how this chapter defined the steps it would take in order to really achieve a goal that is being strived for. It built on my knowledge of the concept as a whole.

4) Two things that can relate to my life from this chapter are setting goals in general, and having sub goals. I can relate to this because right now I am actually trying to reach my goal of drinking only one 12 oz. can of pop a week. By having that as my ultimate goal, I needed to make little sub goals in order to watch myself and gradually be able to make it there.

5) I liked the last part in this section about measuring behavior. The reason why I found this interesting is because there are a lot of different behaviors people can have and if modifying the behavior is the ultimate goal then there has to be a way to measure it. Some behaviors are harder than others to measure but I feel as if this part of the section helped me realize that it is not always really hard if you think about it.

6) I think that learning about the different topographies and context of behaviors was the least interesting. I know that the context of target behaviors is an important thing to know but I feel as if we have been using target behaviors in different contexts all semester long. I know I will probably be using these two outside of class, but in reality am I ever going to think about “Oh that’s a different topography or context?”.

7) This section relates to a lot of what we have learned previously. Earlier in the semester we learned and talked about different topographies and context that different behaviors can be used in. I think this chapter kind of just re hinted at that in relation to behavior.

8) Two things that relate to my life from this section are different behavioral classes, and topography. These relate to my life because it is an everyday occurrence. Everyone in the world has different behavior classes that they act on every day. It more or less depends on the mood of the individual how their class is for that day. Also, everyone runs into the problem of when and where to say something. What the topography of the situation and behavior is differs on a daily basis.

9) Reading these sections has not really influenced my original thought about behavior modification. When we first read about these topics it did change my thought about it but now it’s kind of a review of things I already know. I already knew that different behaviors have different times and ways to be modified.

10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention I will use pancheros as a reinforcer. I believe this is a good reinforcer because I always want to go there but I tell myself no because I already have a pop that I am drinking. I would do it on a fixed interval schedule by doing it every week. I think that by doing this every week it will help my chances of making my goal.

11) reinforcer, fixed interval, goal, sub goal, realistic and unrealistic goal, behavior modification, topography,

BNC
Please read sections 4.3 (Importance of Goals) and 5.1 (Measuring Behavior).
After reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.
1)What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The section about the importance of the ability to do the goal was what I found most interesting. I thought asking yourself the questions like, do I have the patience and dexterity to become a wood worker? I never really asked myself these questions and it is important that when you do you are honest. I thought it was a really good point that even though you buy the tools doesn’t mean it’s done; you need to have a good plan that fits in your everyday schedule.
2)What did you find least interesting? Why?
I did not find the time frame section very interesting. This has always been in our learning about short and long term goals and how some goals take longer than others. It is good to readdress just common sense to me and didn’t grab my attention.
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 focused on goals and how they should be realistic and ways to achieve them. The previous section in this course we learned about how our goals should be realistic otherwise they will not be successful.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I thought it was funny how it talked about in the manageable section about beginning the video in your room so your roommates don’t see you. My roommate does this and now I could see why she does. I have a goal to get my masters and my boyfriend has a goal that requires moving also known as a disruptive goal. He may need to move to a larger city to achieve this goal. We both have good support bases and will achieve our goals with the help of others and ourselves. Another thing that relates to my life is with the ability section. I have bought workout videos but never go through and use them, you need to be committed and have a plan.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I thought the saving money example was pretty interesting because there are so many different ways that could look like. It is important to be specific on how you are going to measure it. All these questions didn’t even cross my mind I found it interesting that it could be by a piggy bank, deposit money in savings, refundable cans, coupons for grocery’s, and walking rather than driving. This section sparked my interest because they all serve the function of saving money but you need to be clear on defining the behavior and how you measure it.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I did not find the parts that were revisited very interesting. We have already covered them previously in this course. It is good to revisit them but it wasn’t as interesting the second time around for me to read.
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 learned previously in this course that we need to be specific in defining the target behavior and we need to be able to measure our behavior. This section also brought up the New Year’s Resolution example again and how it is important to be precise. Behavioral classes and topography are both review in this section.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I can relate to the example of trying to get the bartenders attention and within this specific behavioral class I would wave, say something or have someone else order for me, I see this happen all of the time. Multiple behaviors exist within this class that are all related.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
I enjoyed reading this section and it helped me see even further that all behaviors have a function. Everything we do has a purpose and does something. Behavior modification can relate such a wide variety of scenarios in the world. This course keeps making me aware of all the behaviors around me, I am being intentional with my own as well.
10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/reinforcer).
10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
For a reinforcer I have been thinking about making time to paint. I don’t know how well this will work but I would really enjoy this and it would cause me to want to achieve my goal even more than just from stop bothering others and myself. Along with this goal I will already be reinforced with healthier hair and more attention on my surroundings, so I hope that this reinforcer will serve its purpose once a week. I chose only once a week because I knew that with my schedule I would not have time to paint everyday it would be unrealistic.
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.
Importance of ability. Time frame. Short and long term goals. Manageable. Disruptive. Support bases. Behavior function. Behavior classes. Topography. Reinforcer.

4.3
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
One thing that I found interesting was the idea of sub goals. It got me thinking about goals I have, and I think that I have a lot of sub goals to help me reach my ultimate goals. I think you could say that a person would be more successful if they used the idea of the sub goals. I was thinking of this idea in terms of a stair step, you have to use to get to the top of the stairs. I think this helps to make goals more achievable.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I really liked this section, talking about goals is interesting because it is so easily related back to our lives.
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 first things that was discussed in the reading was unrealistic goals vs. realistic goals. I thought this was interesting because nearly anything can be set as a goal, but as the book stated, it kind of depends on the time frame you want to a lot to this activity to as to when you will reach this goal. Another thing that was discussed was the fact that a person will often not reach their goal if it is farfetched or very time consuming. These were both things that we had previously discussed, they were now just in much deeper thought.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Two things that can be related back to my life is goals and sub goals. When I was thinking about this I started thinking of my ultimate goal of getting my master’s degree in psychology. But that is the ultimate goal, sub goals along the way could be getting my AA degree and then getting my bachelor’s degree this spring. Another thing that could be related back to life is maintenance of the goals. A many others, I too have the goal of losing weight. Maintenance could be applied to this because it is something that I have to work at each and every day for my goal to become a reality.
5.1
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
One thing that I found interesting in this sections was topography behavior. This was something we had previously discussed but I still found it interesting to learn and think farther about different topography’s a behavior can consist of.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
Most of this section was revisited items, which I didn’t mind because they only went into further detail this time around.
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 previously have talked about functions of behaviors. I found this really interesting the first time we discussed it because it was something that I had never really thought about previously. I liked discussing it again and revisiting the idea.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing that can be related to my life is behavior class, something that all goals can be put into. The goal of losing weight could be the behavior class that I am currently in. Another thing that can relate to my life is behavior functions. One example could be eating too much. Some of the functions of this behavior could be, food tastes good, I’m hungry, or I’m sad.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
Each week, reading these different sections only broadens my horizons and reminds me how much of what we learn in this class can actually be applied to what we do each and every day outside of this class.
10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
For my reinforcer I will use getting Buffalo Wild Wings at the end of the week if I achieve the goal. I would use this in a fixed interval schedule, at least for the first couple of weeks. I chose this schedule because it could be something to look forward to at the end of the week, which I think will help me achieve the goal.
Terms used: unrealistic goals, realistic goals, reinforce, sub goals, achievable, behavior functions, topographic behavior, and behavior class.

1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?

Having a support base for a goal. I didn’t think about external people influencing goal achievement. I was more focused on thinking about internal reasons of what the person with the goal could do.

2) What did you find least interesting? Why?

Ability section. Mostly because it was repeated information to me and did not learn something new.

3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?

As a person in college and trying to work out I have set goals for myself.
Also in business classes goal setting for companies and employees are talked about.
Goals are a section in organizational psychology as well.

4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?

When I set goals for future employees I want to make sure they have support base for the employee.
I want to set reasonable and able goals catered to myself and employees.

5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?

Function of behavior. Understand why people do behavior and what purpose their behavior does. Understanding the context can help give you a perspective to guide your behavior modification efforts.

6) What did you find least interesting? Why?

Measuring behavior. Choosing and recording the baseline was a pretty boring read and was not a significant build up from the previously week to keep me interested.

7) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?

Choosing baselines was material from the previous week.
Behavior classes was a discussion point of a previous section in this class.
Function of behavior was previous material in this class.

8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?

Understanding the behavior and what function it is serving can make it easier to modify behavior.
Using a baseline to track begining of behavior and understanding the function of behaviors when tracking behavior. For example nicotine content between gum and patches and measuring nicotine consumption you need to know the differences.

9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?

I think that you need potentially more than yourself to keep your goals. Support of others can be very influential and I can now recognize now.
Understanding functions of behavior can be important and why they do them can help the modification process.

10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/reinforcer).

10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?

Reinforcer will be allowing myself leisure activities, using negative reinforcement. I think this is good because it is my main distraction from doing it in the first place and leisure is a good reward for me. Type of reinforcement will be fixed ratio because it is done every time and the only way the reinforcer can work because if it is not fixed then I will just skip the routine everyday and do leisure activities.

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.

Reinforcer, negative reinforcer, fixed ratio, behavior class, baselines, support base, reinforcement, goals, goal setting, function, behavior, behavior modification.

1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The thing that I found most interesting in this section was the little synopsis of sub goals and the importance of them. I found this the most interesting because with many things in life, especially when it comes to the later years of college, sub goals become a very pertinent part of lives. For example, in taking a yearlong executive position, there are many goals that a person may want to accomplish. In order to accomplish these, it is much easier to break these down into smaller steps, much like the elephant example.

2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found most of the section to be least interesting because of the repetition of it. I wrote last week on how the sections were incredibly related to the notion of SMART goals that I had been doing in my student organizations, the major section heads, realistic, timeframe, achievable, ability, and manageable are all incredibly related to SMART goals. Overall, I agree with everything, and it is great for getting behaviors emitted that are desired, and to inhibit other ones, but I do believe I have a quality grasp on the concept of goal setting.

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 already had a quality understanding of goal setting and how to set them up to succeed in what one wants out of it instead of the typical goal of shooting for the moon, and landing among the stars. It also expands upon the goals that were from last week’s sections, and what is a well-defined goal, what is poor, what is beneficial to behavior progression.

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 the notion of a joint plan. This is related to me because when I work out I usually work out with a roommate of mine, we both workout together and go at the same times each week. The lucky thing is, I have enough determination that the few times he has not felt like going, I still make it to my workout, but I can see exactly how this can be problematic if one side breaks.
Another thing that relates to my life is the support base. When I worked at Pathways with alcoholics or co-dependents, this was something that was commonly brought up in sessions. How the person would need to change who they were with, where they would be, and whatnot. The support base and structure was detrimental to their progression, and the common problems among these people were that they had a poor support base.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.

5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The thing in the section that I found most interesting was the ideas of measuring behavior. I found this interesting because it talks about the misconception of swapping behaviors to “quit” one, and how once a new behavior is done to quit, it basically serves the same function and doesn’t really accomplish what the person initially set out to do.

6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The section I found least interesting was the part on the topography of behaviors. It is relevant and provides lots of good information, along with the idea of the history of the organism, however to me it was just dull to get through and it wasn’t interesting 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 gives the baseline example of what we have been working on with our water consumption and also this new behavior change project. Another thing this section builds upon is the first sections of the class. We visited topography relatively early and haven’t done much with it until this section revisited it.

8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One idea that relates to me is that of behaviors that serve the function. I enjoy playing blackjack, and this can be quite an expensive hobby. With wanting to quit or play less, I simply play at my house online or in other methods. This behavior that I want to stop simply isn’t, instead, I am emitting another behavior that elicits the same results.
One more thing that relates to my life is the history of the organism and how it predicts current behaviors. The book mentions the use of opening a door. Instead I like to think of my Monday’s and what I do with behaviors. I generally do the exact same thing on this day because of my schedule, in this case, my schedule is much like a door, and my behavior of how I handle it, is what I do with my Mondays.

9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
This section, and all the previous ones, build upon the same base that was brought up in the first chapters and had continued unto now. Most classes build on an idea or base like a tree, but this class is more like a skyscraper where the first level is still relevant to the top level.

10a)
I revised my behavior to be slightly more specific. Instead of simply cutting out swearing in all scenarios, I will phase it out like it was suggested. I plan to start in my three professional meetings a week, and if it phases out of those, it will be easier to phase out of other professional engagements.

10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?

The reinforcer I would like to use is a grace word, if I accidentally let one slip, in one of these meetings. I think this is a good reinforcer because it allows for the unconscious mistake, and it also allows for a little leeway instead of an all or none. This also allows for a more positive mentality moving forward instead of thinking of the trial as a failure. The reinforcement schedule would be variable ratio, because the reinforcement may be utilized on the third meeting, the seventh, or never. But it has the potential for it to be used. This is why I chose it.

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.
Sub goals, realistic, timeframe, achievable, ability, manageable, behaviors, emitted, joint plan, support base, reinforcer, variable ratio, reinforcement schedule, reinforcement, co-dependents, topography of behaviors, serving the function, history of the organism, measuring behavior, baseline, elicits

Section 4.3
1) Overall I thought this was pretty interesting to read because I have a lot of goals that I have been wanting to achieve, and this reading helped to determine how to define my goals so I can be set up for success.
2) The least interesting section was probably about the time frame of the goals just because I think we all know that some goals will take longer than others. It was not really teaching me anything new.
3) I think this section is an expansion of the last couple sections we have read in this class on how to make good goals. This also relates a lot to the topical blog I did last week on how to achieve New Year's Resolutions. This reading also reminded me a lot of the Careers in Psychology class I was in previously this semester, and made me think about my goal of getting into graduate school. I also just recently learned about goal setting theory in my Organizational Psychology class. 
4) One thing that really related to my life was the idea of having a support base. Freshman year I was in an abdominal work out class with two of my friends, and when one of them ditched it was okay because I still had another person to go with so I would go. However, sophomore year I was in a cycling class with a friend and when she stopped going so did I. I realized how important it is to have someone that is going to keep you accountable in joint goals, and that I need a backup plan to still feel encouraged to go if my partner backs out.
Another thing that related to my life is that when I have made goals in my past they have been too broad, and then I give up on them. In the future when I am making new goals I know they need to be more specific, so I have a better chance at actually completing them.
Section 5.1
5) I liked the section of topography of behavior the best. I thought it was interesting to think about all of the different behaviors we can emit to produce an outcome, and how most of us will pick a dominate one that we will most often do. I think it is just interesting that so many people do things in different ways, but their way is what they consider to be "normal."
6) Overall I did not think this section was very interesting to read. I like reading about what different people have done, experiments, process of research, etc. And I felt like this reading was just pretty dull.
7) This section repeated how important it is to make sure you are measuring your behavior. (This has also been said in previous sections.) It also goes back and makes the point that it is important to be specific about the goals you set.

8) One thing that related to my life in a way is that I know someone who wants to quit drinking, but in order to do that they need to stop hanging around the friends that drink. Whenever she is with them they elicit her drinking behavior.
Another thing I thought of when reading this that could relate to my life is changing the topography of my behavior in different contexts. When I am alone and opening a door I tend to just kind of walk into the door and have it open, but when I know someone is behind me I actually put in the effort to stick out my arms/hands to push the door open.
9) I also had the idea in my mind that if I wanted to change a behavior no matter how I recorded it would be sufficient. For example I always thought that if I recorded stuff at night that would be okay, but now I know I need to record behaviors as they are happening during the day so my observations will be the most accurate.
10a) The behavior I wanted to change is exercising more, and I will keep track by recording my behavior in a journal on my nightstand.
10b) I am going to use being able to go out to eat as my reinforcer because I love food, so I will want to be able to go out to eat. I am going to use a variable ratio reinforcement schedule. I am choosing this because it will be for every five pounds I lose I can go out to eat, and that way I will not be going out to eat very frequently, but it is still an attainable goal where it won't make it so I can never go out to eat again.
Terms: behavior, reinforcer, reinforcement schedule, goal, variable ratio, joint goals, support base, topography of behavior, emit, elicit

1) I thought it was interesting how Professor Maclin discussed having the ability to do the goal. I thought this was interesting because I have never really thought about it that way; I just kind of correlated it with accepting and attaining the goal. If the person making the goal doesn't think they'll be able to do it, they probably won't reach their goal. His example was "Some people are not built to become ballet dancers or world class chess players." I find this true, but possibly, this could be a long term goal of someones and with time and smaller goals, they may become a ballet dancer or a world class chess player.

2) I wasn't disinterested in this section really, but it was pretty much a review for me since I have other classes that discuss goals.

3) In my Motivation and Emotion class, we have read and discussed goals and how to reach them and the steps that were listed in this section were also in my readings. Also, in other psych classes, I've discussed goals and how to maintain them.

4) Well I believe everyone in some point in their lives make goals. To be specific, my roommate and I had a goal to eat healthier meals. Since we had each other to motivate, we were and still are determined to eat healthier. This goal is realist and we have the ability to do it. We have easily incorporated it into our daily routines, and we support each other. Another way this relates to my life is my goal to become a clinical psychologist. As it mentioned in the section, larger, long-term goals often have to have sub-goals. My sub-goals are made every semester when I chose my classes, and some future short-term goals of mine include applying and going to grad school and then getting my PhD.

5) I liked how this section mentioned how it was important to be specific in defining target behaviors when you are serious about changing a behavior. I thought this was interesting because it is true; you need to be specific and realistic to know what you want to change. If you are too broad, you may not change the behavior you actually are wanting to change. And it shouldn't be unrealistic or too difficult. Difficulty is important though, but just not too difficult. this is also true when trying to measure your changing target behavior.

6) I didn't necessarily find this topic disinteresting, it just wasn't the most fun to read... The topography section. I honestly don't care about the amount of force I emit when doing a behavior, but I know someday, I will put it to use.

7) This section revisited measuring behavior, but added some new interesting information. It also mentioned antecedents and baseline, which I am familiar with.

8) I can relate measuring baseline to my life right now. I am currently in the stage of measuring baseline for reducing amount of time using Facebook each day. Another way this section relates to my life is the fact that all behaviors have a function or reason. The behaviors I emit to do this blog (typing and reading) have a reason: to create this sentence for this paragraph for this assignment.

9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
This gave me more of an understanding of how to maintain my goals and how I should properly measure these goals. And to properly measure these goals, the goal must be specific and acceptable to measure correctly and efficiently.

10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior.

10b) I think I am going to reinforce myself with a nice meal if I reach my goal. This is a good reinforcer because as a poor college kid, I am not usually eating out and eating something nice and filling so if I reach my goal, then I will be happy to give myself a nice dinner and be disappointed if I don't reach my goal. I will probably do a continuous reinforcement because after every week of reaching my goal, I will reinforce myself.

11) Terms: goals, sub-goals, ability, maintain, target behavior, antecedents, topography, baseline, continuous reinforcement

After reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.
1) What did you find least interesting in the section? Why?
There wasn’t really anything in this chapter that I didn’t find interesting.
2) What did you find interesting? Why?
I thought it was very important to go through the steps required to meet our goals. I appreciated how it was broken down into sections.
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 talked about maintenance and related it to something we have previously learned, antecedents. In order to maintain our goal, we have to avoid environments that will cause us to mess up.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
We can relate having a time frame to our goals in life. We have to be realistic about our goals. I cannot set a goal for myself, for example, to get in super fit shape in a couple of weeks. If I attempt to do this I will fail, no matter how practically I apply the principles of negative and positive punishment and reinforcement to self-direct myself.
We can also relate sub goals to our life. Instead of trying and failing an unrealistic goal in a short period of time, I can set a smaller, more realistic one that will help me build up to the big goal. I cannot get in super fit shape in a couple of weeks, but I can be healthy and cut down on the amount of Pepsi I drink.
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 read about keeping track of our behavior. This is going to apply heavily to our final project.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
It was kind of boring, but important, to read once again about being specific in our target behavior.
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.
It continues to push us to be specific in our goals and keep track of our behavior.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
This chapter teaches us that in order to keep up with our goal we need to properly measure our behavior. I will have to keep track of how much Pepsi I drink in a day to meet my goal.
It also teaches us that we need a target behavior. Without being specific about what we want, we cannot measure it.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
It is making me think that it is going to be more difficult than I thought to keep up with my goal. It keeps talking about having to stay on top of your behavior constantly, and I’m afraid I will space off how many Pepsis I drink or something like that. Or drink more than I meant to that day and not meet my goal.
10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/reinforcer).
I usually drink about 3-4 Pepsis a day
10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I might use video games as a reinforcer. For every 3 hours I go without drinking a Pepsi I will get to play 3 rounds of Team Death Match on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. If I do drink Pepsi however I do not get to play. I really enjoy this game so it is a good reinforcer. Fixed interval is better because I might keep playing and put off other stuff, such as homework or cleaning the house.
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.
Goals, maintenance, antecedents, environment, time frame, realistic, sub goals, negative punishment, positive punishment, negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement, self-direct, behavior, target behavior, fixed interval

1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the beginning anecdote about the boy and the bus station a good way to draw my attention. I found myself more interested in the entire reading after I read that story.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found some of the later subjects in the reading less interesting such as the maintenance and support base sections. I think they are less interesting because they deal with the aftermath of the goal being achieved.
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 to the idea of having a concise goal for a behavioral modification project. The more honed in on the details of a goal the more likely it is to happen. This is a large part of this section of reading.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
The idea of support base connects with the idea of a support group for things such as alcohol dependence or drug dependence. Those who utilize a support group have a higher rate of recovery. This section also connects with the idea of small goals in life. I have always taken my goals when it comes to school as short term goals like in the reading. Graduate high school, get general education done at community college, and transfer to four year institution, graduate with degree, more on to post grad studies.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.

5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the beginning of the section interesting, this was because it is new information to me and the idea of how to record behavior is more complex than first thought about.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the later sections of review material on function of behavior a topography less interesting because it was just rehashing a previous topic. It is important to revisit these ideas but are less exciting to reread.
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 back to many idea from the beginning of this class such as topography of behavior, the function of a behavior, and the context in which a behavior is emitted.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I can relate to the idea of not having the best memory and having the need to record behavior immediately after it occurs. I can also relate to the idea of measuring behavior due to participation in this class and its behavior modification project.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
These reading sections have enforced the idea that being specific when it comes to behavior and changes is critical to success. Without being specific there is too much undefined.
10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/reinforcer).

10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
The reinforcer I will use is time to watch my shows on Netflix. I will use continuous reinforcement where if I eat healthy the day previous I am allowed access to Netflix that day. I chose this schedule because it will force me to go through an entire day of being on track before I could get my reinforcer.
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, reinforcer, continuous reinforcement, topography, function, and goal.

1)What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
Personally I really appreciated how detailed this section was. How the goals were broken down in this reading was really helpful to understand these concepts. I was intrigued by the way that people set certain goals for themselves that are not very realistic, and I personally can relate to that portion of the reading. Although my own personal example was not as severe as the reading I too had to realize what type of person I was and how the goal was not attainable for me. I really liked the statement of “know yourself” because I find that to be essential to setting your goals, as well as the statement of “be honest”. It is so easy to be overly optimistic when setting goals and although the goal may be something we strive to achieve someday, perhaps the goal is not attainable due to who we are as a person or where we are at in life at the moment. Another aspect that I really liked the was the part about having a plan. As a very plan based person I support this concept because I find that I am most successful when I am prepared with a plan, and I know how to go about achieving my goals. Lastly, I enjoyed the part about how goals need to fit into your life in the regard that they need to be easily manageable. Although you are changing a part of your behavior, you are not trying to completely disrupt your life.
2) What did you find least interest? Why?
The only real issue that I had with this reading was the part about the difference between a realistic goal and an unrealistic goal. Personally, I would hope that this concept would be more common sense and not need to be taught, however I understand that this issue is something that needs to be at least addressed.
3) How does the section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Note: This can be from a previous chapter or from other classes, etc.
In my personal wellness class that I took a few semesters ago, I learned the importance of setting realistic goals when it comes to getting in shape and trying to maintain a healthy weight through diet and exercise. By being realistic about your goals you are essentially helping yourself to be able to achieve your goals and be successful. Also, having realistic goals enables others to support you. In the reading and in my previous class it talked about having friends with similar goals (aka getting in shape) to work out with so you guys can pace each other and ensure that you maintain your workout routine. My personal wellness instructor talked about having a trainer to help you start in your workout routine is a form of a support group because they can encourage you to keep your goals realistic and find the best possible route for you to achieve your goals.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things you can relate to your life? How so?
Well, as I said previously, I can relate to this section because I have experienced what it is like to write realistic (and unrealistic) goals. As I have gotten older I have become better at writing out very specific goals based on what I am physically capable of achieving. When I was younger I would write down “practice mallets” on my whiteboard to-do list. Then I would get in a practice room and attempt to practice for 2-3 three hours straight. I was never able to accomplish this goal due to the fact that I was a younger player without the ability to endure such practices. I never knew how to work up to that kind of level until I got to college. Now when I write out my goals for practicing on my whiteboard I am very specific about what I want to achieve, such as “Practice for 45 minutes, focus on Un Dia De Novembre measures 15-50”. I am unable to practice three hours straight because that is unrealistic. However, I am able to practice three hours per day but in different increments throughout the day.
Bouncing off of that idea, I have also become better at using a specific time frame in which I will achieve my goals. As freshman in college I would simply write out my to-do list, or goals for homework that I wanted to accomplish each day and pray for the best. Now when I write out my to do list, I plan everything out by the hour, and even include how long I am going to spend on each item. That way my goals are measurable and I can clearly see whether or not I had achieved them.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in this section? Why?
This section was a good refresher on previous concepts that we had covered in earlier sections. I found this section more helpful than the first because the examples really helped me grasp the concepts being discussed. I enjoyed the section about measuring the behavior because the examples stressed the importance of recording the behavior being altered. The biggest “take-away” I have from this section is the portion of the reading dedicated to the “serves the function of”. I was interested in the fact that certain aspects of everyday life could be described as serving a particular function.
6) What did you find least interesting?
I would have to say that the section of the reading pertaining to the different topographies was the least interesting. I was not a big fan of this in the previous reading and I find it to be a bit boring. Personally, in my future field of work, as a teacher I do not believe I will see a behavior in one classroom and try to determine its topography. However, I could be completely wrong, so we shall see what the future holds.
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 I mentioned in the post above, we had previously discussed what topography was and how some behaviors can be viewed as having similar function and topography. Essentially, some behaviors can have the same overall function, but they may have a different appearance. We discussed how behaviors that serve to provide the same function will be classified as being apart of the same behavior class. However, with topography, behaviors can exhibit a wide range of physical movements.
8)Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing that would relate to my life is the fact that in this class we have had to measure behavior and be aware of the context and the outcomes associated with this behavior. For class we had to record the antecedent, and the consequent, as well as establish a baseline record of behavior. This way we were able to see the baseline information and compare it to the the results that followed the behavior change.
Yet another way this reading compares to my life is the necessity of making sure that you are specific when you define target behaviors. Currently, I need to get a little better about having specific target behaviors. By being vague I am not able to accomplish some of my goals to their maximum potential and is allowing room for error.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
Prior to this class I had no real concept about what target behaviors were and throughout this semester I have been able to learn about the various aspects pertaining to this topic. It has been an interesting journey through this semester and has been quite fascinating to see what topics covered in the semester I have simply overlooked because I never knew of their existence.
10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might want to change and how you would go about measuring that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/ reinforcer)
10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention, what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use ( continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc)? Why did you choose this schedule?
Well, what I will use for my reinforcer will be fruit smoothies infused with protein. Since I have been having the issue of “grazing” throughout the day due to the number of sweets accessible in my apartment, I will instead supplement fruit smoothies for cookies. I don’t usually make smoothies and by adding a little protein powder it helps you feel fuller longer. For this project I will used fixed ratio because I will have various times of day that I will be reinforced for engaging in my target behavior.
11) Terms: Reinforcement, target behavior, fixed ratio, reinforce, topographical, support base, functional, realistic, unrealistic, time frame

Section 4.3

1) I liked the whole section. I especially liked the amount of examples in order to make the explanation easier to understand. I found the goal setting guidelines really useful because like everyone I also have goals that I want to reach and I feel more encourage to reach them after this reading.

2) There was nothing that I didn’t like from this section.

3) This whole section explained in more details what was said on the sections of last week but it was not covered in the same exactly way any time before this week so I would say everything was kind of old and new.

4) From this section the two things that relate to my life are sub goals and ability. One of my goals is to get PhD and in order not to feel overwhelmed about the idea of getting it and give up that goal I have separated it in different sub goals which are finish college, get a Masters in Clinical Psychology and finally get the PhD in Clinical Psychology so I do not feel overwhelmed about the idea of getting the PhD and I take it step by step. The second thing that relates to my life is ability and it is also something present on my thoughts when I think about my goal of getting my PhD because it is really expensive so I keep it in mind in order to look for alternatives to pay for it if I did not get an scholarship. In order to be able to get the scholarship I put a lot of hours of work so I can get a good GPA that will let me access the scholarship and have higher chances of getting it.

Section 5.1

5) I liked the whole section. I found it really useful and full of meaning towards reaching my goal. I especially liked the part of the reading that refers to the context and that it matters and after looking at both examples of the context in opening a door I saw the actual importance of the context when emitting behaviors.

6) There was nothing that I did not like from this section.

7) This section included topography of behavior, functions of behavior which included behavioral classes and behavioral intervention which are concepts that we have already covered in this class in past readings.

8) Two things from this reading that relate to my life are baseline and all behaviors have a function. Regarding to my goal of eating less junk food and more healthy food when I set the goal I looked at my baseline in order to be aware about if I was going to be able to reach the goal or no. By that time I was already eating healthy I just needed to decrease the amount of junk food that I would eat especially during the weekends. The second thing that relates to my life is that all behaviors have a function because now that I stop to think about it its true all behaviors have a reason to take place mainly because the environment elicits them.

9) Both readings have made me understand the importance of setting specific goals because the environment can change and it is important to always have clear what do we want to achieve. They have made me appreciate the meaning behind every single action no matter if it’s a big one or a little detail everything has a function.

10a) On regular basis I eat healthy food if I get to go home. It is when I eat on campus on during the weekend that I tend to add some junk food to my diet even though I still eat healthy food such as fiber bars and fruit.

10b) I will allow myself to have one of the days of the weekend as a day in which I can eat whatever I want no matter if it is junk or healthy food. This is a good reinforcer because I will be healthy but I will still have that day that everything counts which will be my motivation to reach the goal set. This is a fixed ratio because for every day throughout the week that I eat healthy one of the days of the weekend I would be able to eat whatever I want. I chose this schedule because it will help me focus on the day that I can eat whatever I want so the whole week and eating healthy would be easier to follow.

11) Terms and terminology used: Goal setting guidelines, sub goals, ability, context matters, emitting, behaviors, topography of behavior, behavioral classes, functions of behavior, behavioral intervention, baseline, all behaviors have a function, elicits, fixed ratio, schedule.

After reading the first section, please respond to the following questions.
1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I liked that it focused on the more realistic side of goal setting. Most people tend to make goals by “following their heart”. I also found the section “Disruptive” very interesting, because it is something that not everyone thinks of. Again, people tend to follow their heart, and not think through the goals that they set for themselves. There are several consequences involved in decision-making.

2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the section on sub-goals least interesting because I feel like that is already a part of behavior modification and goal setting. If I want to go to graduate school, I obviously need to have a goal of graduating from a university, and having a higher GPA. Maybe that is just I, but I felt like this was something that everyone does automatically.

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 the sections that we have been reading these last few weeks. It also relates to the behavior modification projects that we are beginning to work on.

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 looking at how disruptive a goal may be. I want to get my Master’s and then eventually move on to a Ph.D. However, I had already made the choice to get married when I decided to further my education. Now I am finding that there are not very many graduate programs in my area in Iowa, and that we either have to rearrange our plans of staying close to home, or I just won’t go. It’s not an easy decision to make.
The nice thing is, I have a great support base. Not only is my fiancé being amazing and supportive, but also so are my friends and family. Without them, I probably would have given up all together and not taken the GRE, let alone started looking at programs.

After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.
5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the section about the context of topography most interesting, just because it is something that is not typically something that is talked about in a lot of my courses. The example about opening the door was interesting because I don’t give a second thought to how I open a door. All I really pay attention to is getting the door open and getting to where I want to be.

6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
Honestly, I found the (revisited) section about measuring behavior least interesting, just because I feel like it is something that we keep revisiting. I understand that it is important for us to know; it is the central theme in this class it seems like. Maybe if I had chosen to work on modifying my behavior of procrastination, it would have been more interesting 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 was a lot of review from previous chapters/sections that we have read already. We have talked about topography in other sections, and we have talked about measuring behavior.

8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
Like I kind of said before, without realizing, I have been affected by the context of the situation. I have (many times) opened a door with my foot because my hands were full and I could not possibly put what I was holding down first. I can also relate to measuring behavior, because I will be using it starting this week to establish a baseline for my behavior modification project.

9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
The first section almost sounded like something a counselor would tell you, and it made me think about just how vast behavior modification is. It is involved in so many different aspects of our lives, from classrooms to just living with roommates, and these sections kind of confirmed that for me.

10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I had planned on running thirty minutes five days a week on a elliptical, and I was going to make those five days Sunday-Thursday. My reinforcer would be having a lazy day on Saturday, complete with Panda and Netflix. This is a good reinforcer, because I am a super lazy person. I am hopeful that it will work, because I am doing this with my fiancé and our other roommate, so hopefully we will push each other. I guess it would be a fixed interval schedule of reinforcement because I will only get reinforcement after five days of running.

Terms: disruptive, sub-goals, support base, topography, context, baseline, reinforcer, reinforcement, fixed interval schedule of reinforcement, measuring behavior, goals

1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The part I found most interesting thing in the section to me was how much emphasis that was put on being realistic with goals. A lot of the times when discussing someone striving towards a goal, how realistic it is gets left out. The focus I hear is on trying your hardest to achieve your dreams when most people should take a step back and relook at what they are trying to accomplish and see that they likely will not get it. Not doing so can make them think they can’t achieve anything.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
There was not a part of this section that really stuck out to me as the least interesting part, but if I had to choose one I would say it was how achievable, realistic and ability were all very similar. I understood why they were separated but it did feel a bit repetitive.

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 have already learned because in my nutrition class we discussed SMART goals. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time. You must be precise about what you want to accomplish, you must be able to measure how well you are doing, the goal must be attainable and realistic for you, and it must have some kind of time frame. The SMART goals are for mainly set for goals that have to do with exercise, weight loss, or healthier eating but it can still apply to this.

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 are making goals and attainable goals. Right now, I have a goal that was about exercising more. I had to do this for a class, but I still really want to achieve it. I didn’t choose something that I didn’t want to do just to get the assignment done, I have been working at in since the beginning of the semester. I decided to pick a goal that was attainable to me. I work around my schedule so I can play for the days I will exercise and talked my roommate into going with me so I will be less likely to blow a day off.

After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.

5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The part I found interesting about the section was on how every behavior has a function. More specifically the question on what function does biting your nails have. This made me think about how something like biting your nails has some function like stress relief or to side track your mind. I started thinking about the function of other things I do without even noticing, like how I find different things to side track me while doing homework or pulling at my eyebrows to reduce stress.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The least interesting part of this chapter was measuring behavior. The reason I found this as the least interesting part of the section was because it was a revisited subject and because I found the behavior topography more able to keep my attention. I think it is an important part of the section but after reading about it and it influencing many of the chapters throughout the weeks it wasn’t as interesting as the other parts.

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 what I already knew because the history of an organism is what I have done a few of my Thursday assignments on. The history has to do with how an animal will likely behave following a certain trigger.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so? Two ways this section relates to my life in saving money and the topography of behavior. The reasons both of these relate to my life are because I am saving up money for spring break next year and topography of behavior is something I come into contact with every day. I just started a knew job and I was told that there was something off about the way I go about things. It turns out, the person noticed that I lead with my left hand on a lot of things because I am left handed. It’s not the first time I have been told this either, but it’s not a behavior I notice because I am so used to it.

9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
This section influenced what I originally thought about behavior modification by making me think more about how much it is in my life. It wasn’t until the assignment that I had thought about how everything I do looks backwards to most other people just for the fact that I lead with my left hand.
10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/reinforcer).
The behavior I said I would change more was exercising more.
Last week since Tuesday I exercised on Thursday and Sunday.
I told myself I would go more but I ended up getting conflicts that came up with work.
10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I am going to use cheat days every other weekend to reinforce my behavior. The reason I am doing this is because I would like to treat myself with something that I like and will not really hinder my behavior too much. Gaining weight is not a problem for me so I thought it would be a good one.
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.
Attainable goals, behavior modification, topography of behavior, measuring behavior,

1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
The first thing that I found interesting about this section of the ABC's was the point made that the smaller goals might not seem as satisfying, but they will help you reach the bigger goal which will eventually be rewarding. I thought that it was a good point being made that getting your PhD is a realistic goal, however maybe not when you are in fifth grade and that the timing matters. I like the idea of sub goals because they will help you try and reach the bigger goal. The sub goals can also reinforce you on the way to the big reinforcer.

2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The beginning part of this section I found least interesting because we have discussed numerous times how we need to set realistic goals. I have also had to set goals in previous classes and this is one of the things they always say about setting goals. I know this is an important aspect but I just found it very repetitive.

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 to previous class discussions because we have broken up into groups during class to talk about what goals we want to make for ourselves and then once we share them with the whole group we critique each others goals and target behaviors. This also relates to past chapters throughout the ABC book. Goals are also things that many classes have you set for yourselves and even in high school we would set goals and our teachers would tell us the correct way to set them.

4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
This relates to me and my life because in my life in order for me to have a goal and have it actually be reached I need to not have temptations and have people support me by having a support base. I feel like I would also accomplish goals better (especially my dieting goals) by having joint goals. I also believe that I would workout more when I have friends working out with me. I think that the support system is a much better way to set goals because then you are held accountable. I also am a competitive person and feel like I would have workout competitions or try to stick to the diet longer. The disruptive section of this chapter also relates to my life because I would love to work in Chicago with adolescents however I know that none of my family would really prove of that decision because they are all from around this area.

After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.

5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
Something I found interesting within this section was the part where it talked about how easy it is to conform to the others and in the example about eating junk food. This showed me just why it is so hard for me to stop and why it is also hard for me to quit ordering out or more so getting Jimmy Johns delivered, because it is easy and convenient and my other friends do it. This was the part that also brought up factorial analysis of behavior.

6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The part that was least interesting to me was the section that talked about how you can emit behaviors in a million of different ways. This was only not interesting to me because we have talked about this a lot in class and have gone over target behaviors a lot before. I understand that this is very important when deciding a behavior that we want to change however I feel like we have it down for a most part on the definition of target behaviors and what specific ones we should emit. However, because it is so repetitive we should have perfect target behaviors down.

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 to previous class discussions and previous readings like the past sections on topography. Also the context matters section is something that we previously talked about because we have talked about the antecedent and I feel like this section relates to that point of the ABC's a lot. Also the measurement of a behavior was just in the previous section because we talked about how to achieve the goal you should make it so it can be measured.

8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One way that this section relates to me is by better teaching me about how to measure my behaviors and how they are changing for the better. Like my example I used in class on working to cut back on eating in restaurants and getting Jimmy Johns delivered to save my money and start buying groceries, I need to set a baseline to see how much money I want to save each week and cut back little by little. The baseline will be a starting point. This can help me start saving and cutting back on my spending. Like the section states, even though some of my behaviors may be topographically different they all serve the same function. Also this section makes a good point on needing a specific way to measure behavior, for example you cannot have your opinion be a way that you measure your behavioral change. "Looking in the mirror" to see your change on your body's physical fitness may not be the best way to measure.

9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
This portion of the book makes more sense to me on why the class is called behavior modification and I feel like it is giving us more detail on the behavior that we want to change. I also think that this is the stuff and information I figured would be what the whole class was about because it is working on changing a behavior.

10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/reinforcer).
Cut back on only getting Jimmy John's delivered on the weekends.

10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
My reinforcer will be ordering Jimmy John's on the weekend only (Friday and Saturday). This will be a good reinforcer because it will give me something to look forward to when I am thinking about not ordering the Jimmy John's during 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.
sub goals, realistic goals, reinforced, joint goals, disruptive, factorial analysis of behavior, emit, topography, antecedent, context, behavior modification

1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found all of the settings to be interesting because they all merge in order to create and complete a goal. This is important because many people don't have good technique on goal setting and therefore they may fail. I liked the fact that there were many examples throughout the text because it put the portion into perspective which may change many peoples mindsets towards goal setting.
2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I didn't find anything in this section uninteresting. A lot of it seemed kind of repeated from the last section, but all of the information could be very helpful.
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 by presenting that your goal setting must be realistic. I believe we talked about this matter earlier on in the semester, but I also have known this factor due to my childhood. I had a goal set for going to the NBA because I loved basketball, yet was unrealistic because I did not have the abilities to play professional basketball.
4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I can relate to creating subgoals, because I do it on a daily basis. I have noticed on the other hand that I do this unconsciously and set subgoals due to easing stress. It takes the stress away from completing the big task when you only have to complete a small portion, and have that thought in your head. I would also say that I can relate to the support base of this section. This is due to the fact that I always have the reliability of my family behind whatever I do, which helps me succeed with my goals. For instance, when I started to workout three to four years ago, my mom and dad would always compliment me when I came home by saying "I can see the definition in your arms" or "wow you don't even look the same". This always encouraged me to push myself even harder in order to achieve my goals.
After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.

5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the topography of behavior portion of this section to be very interesting. This is due to all of the actions that take place throughout the day that are done unconsciously. The book explains opening a door and how you may exert different forces. Also how you might handle the situation if the door has a handle compared to if it doesn't.
6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
I found the saving money portion to be the least interesting. I think this is because it kind of restated common sense on how all of the different options had the same objective; to save money.
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 was mostly a review on information that we have already learned in this class. Earlier on we learned about measuring behavior, topography of a behavior, and the behavior classes.
8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
I can relate to the saving money example due to the fact that there are several ways that I save money, yet they all go towards the same goal. This includes me spending less when I go out to eat as well as working more to earn extra cash to set away. I can also relate to measuring behavior due to the fact that I measured my behavior during the water drinking experiment. I made sure to record the amount of water drank on a day to day basis.
9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
I honestly feel as though these sections were mostly review. It obviously helps to refresh your mind on the topics for better chance of utilizing the material. I did find it helpful to learn the goal setting process though, because it will surely help me in the future.
10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/reinforcer).

10b) Next week when we BEGIN the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule? Go out to eat in Cedar Falls before this class so I will already be in the same town as my class. This is a good reinforcer because it will put me in the right state of mind to attend class. This will most likely use the continuous reinforcement as good food never goes old. I chose this schedule because I knew it would help me fulfill my goal on attending class.

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.
goal, realistic goal, ability, subgoals, support base, topography of behavior, measuring behavior, behavior classes, continuous reinforcement

Section 4.3 (Importance of Goals)

1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the discussion about needing a timeframe interesting. I wonder if this is why so many New Year’s resolutions fail. There is no specific timeframe and the goals may not be as well-defined as they need to be to accomplish a task and change the behavior. I think it is applicable to setting realistic goals. You cannot just make a random goal without first setting a timeframe and then going on from the baseline.

2) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The maintenance section bordered on not being as useful as the other ones that were listed. It should be common sense that consistency is key to develop a new behavior. I feel that it was unnecessary reading.

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 the previous section self-directed behavior was the focus. Both last week’s readings and this week’s readings have specific steps to follow in order to successfully fulfill a goal requirement.

4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
One thing that I thought of while reading this chapter was that scheduling for classes also requires a timeframe. Usually, a student plans out his or her courses for four years. I did not go about scheduling courses in this way. I usually see what is offered and then make a decision rather than thinking about my college timeframe (graduating in four years…or possibly less).

Section 5.1 (Measuring Behavior).

5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
I found the part about the history of an organism interesting. I thought it was interesting how an individual’s history could have so much influence on how a topographical behavior is emitted.

6) What did you find least interesting? Why?
The reasoning behind why behaviors occur. I think it is common sense that the function of certain behaviors is for a specific purpose. A person may display certain behaviors when they are uncomfortable with the purpose of leaving the anxiety-causing environment.

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.
Goal setting behavior was brought up in the last section. Although, last section discussed more self-directed behavior rather than how to explicitly measure it (the previous sections only stated that there needed to be a baseline and the goal had to be measurable).

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 keeping a record of behaviors. As a Direct Support Professional (DSP) at Exceptional Persons Incorporated (EPI), I am legally required to record the behaviors of the mentally and physically disable individuals with whom I support. I also have to record which services I provided.
Another thing that can be traced back to my place of employment is how I am my fellow DSPs must work on a goal for each person served. Some goals are daily, others are weekly, and some may even stretch to a monthly goal (depending on the level of difficulty). An example of one of the goals is participation in the community, while another includes discussing positive attributes or fun events that happened during the day.

9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
For some reason I had this stereotyped view of behavior modification as either encouraging or discouraging a behavior. Now I have learned that they are called reinforcement and punishment. I had not event thought to include goal setting behaviors as behavior modification; I perhaps thought it was a separate category altogether.

10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/reinforcer).

10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?
I would like to use a financial reinforcer so that I may have a visual representation of my exercising accomplishments. I will definitely have to use a continuous reinforcement schedule, because my attention tends to wander without a lot of repetition. I chose this schedule because my focus can only hold for so long and I need to have success in this endeavor so that I may apply the concept to future goals.

Terms: goals, timeframe, maintenance, self-directed behavior, history, topographical behaviors, emit, baseline measurement, reinforcement, punishment

Section 4.3
1. What did you find interesting in the section? Why?
What I found interesting in this section was how well it was broken down into different aspects of making a goal successful. I felt that it was really important that this section emphasized the importance of being realistic about goals because I think a lot of times people aren't all that realistic. I also think sometimes people set goals that aren't super realistic because we're raised to believe we can do anything we set our minds to, but I've always believed that, that can be an iffy thing to teach children because it sometimes I think can give people false hope. I think it's important to really take into consideration if one has the means necessary to accomplish a certain goal, and if one has/can acquire the skills that would be needed to accomplish said goal.

2. What did you find least interesting in the section? Why?
I didn't find anything uninteresting in this section. I felt that this section had a lot of really useful information. Nothing really was redundant, nor was any of the information unclear or difficult to understand.

3. How does this section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
Because I've taken this class before, none of this information was new to me. Also, because I have worked two jobs in this field already, I've worked two jobs where goal setting has been a big part of the work we do with our clients. Many of the things discussed in this section were things we did/do with our clients to help them set goals that are realistic so that they're more likely to actually achieve them.

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've had two jobs in this field where we've had to work with clients on goal setting. At my previous job, I worked with recovering addicts/alcoholics. At my current job, I work with individuals who have suffered brain injuries and who have intellectual disabilities. Even though these individuals are very different from one another and have some majorly different struggles, we use most of the same concepts with each population of clients when it comes to goal setting. We help them to set goals after taking into consideration their circumstances, limitations, etc. This being said, we have them think about how to measure the goals, we have them consider if they have the resources they need, and if they do, how will they utilize those resources? We also have them be realistic about time frame and developing a better understanding of the difference in short term and long term goals.

Another way this relates to my life has been working on goals for myself. Admittedly, before I took this class, I didn't take most of these things into consideration. I've always been a realist, so I never had issues thinking about what things I actually can vs. what I probably cannot accomplish. However, this class has really helped me to be better at setting smart goals for myself. This class has also helped me to better understand myself so I can think, okay, realistically what kind of goals will I be more likely to accomplish, and what kinds of things will I likely lack motivation for? So, I can definitely see many of these things being applied to my own life and working on behaviors and goals that I have set for myself.

Section 5.1
5. What did you find interesting in this section? Why?
I thought the emphasis on measuring behavior was really interesting in this section because it did a good job of really highlighting the importance of doing so. I think sometimes, measuring a behavior is something a lot of people don't always think of. This section brought up an interesting point and that is that you can essentially set a number of different goals within one main goal if that makes sense, so it's important to think of what you really wanna accomplish and how you could go about measuring it.

6. What did you find least interesting in this section? Why?
I found reading about the function of behaviors to be least interesting because I just felt like it was a lot of review. Sometimes, this just makes it feel pretty redundant.

7. How does this section relate to what you already knew/learned previously?
I have taken this class before, so none of this information was new. However, I don't really think I've learned much about the information in this specific section in other psych classes I have taken.

8. Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?
The functions of behaviors can definitely relate to my life, along with anyone else's because we emit different behaviors topographically all the time but do all those same behaviors with the same goal in mind. I know I've done that even with the way I study for classes. I came into college with no idea how to study effectively because I never had to in high school. I've tried so many different methods. The goal has always been the same and that's to do well on exams, but the steps I've had to take to get there have been different on many occasions because I really had to learn how to study in a way that worked for me.

This also applies to my life with measuring behavior. Just yesterday I was hiking with my friend and we talked about making a bucket list. I suggested we do it year by year, so that we don't set goals that are like way out there. To me, it's easier to accomplish goals that have a smaller timeframe because I'm more likely to focus more on the steps needed to accomplish it since it seems to much closer. If I allow myself too big of a window of time, I tend to put things off because I think I have all the time in the world.

9. How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?
These sections haven't really influenced what I already thought about behavior modification since I've taken this class before.

10. Because the goal I set for myself was to do something for me as much as possible, I think that I may have to remind myself that the reinforcer for me is really going to be more natural than anything. I always feel so calm and relaxed when I do things for myself. I also will have to remember how stressed and upset I can get when I don't take the time to have "me" time, and that's a really big natural punisher because it's not a good feeling to reach that point.

TERMS: Goals, realistic, measurable, reinforcer, punisher, functions of behavior, topographical, emit

1) I found interesting the whole section because it focuses on the importance of the setting the right goals in order to be able to achieve them. I like the part about the importance of having a support base because when you have people cheering for you your goals will be easier to accomplish.
2) I found least interesting the paragraphs about being realistic because I found it repetitive. In my opinion that is something really obvious because if it is not realistic you won’t be able to accomplish them.
3) I found this section very related to the last sections from last week, but it went into more details. For example the goals have to be realistic, consider time frame, have achievable goals, etc.
4) I would relate to my life two characteristics seen in the section that I am not good at and those are the time frame, because I always set my goals in a short period and then I get disappointed when I don’t achieve them. The second one would be the ability to achieve the goal.
5) I found interesting the whole section but especially the part about how the context matters because I really like studying how the environment changes behaviors.
6) There was nothing that I didn’t like about this section.
7) I find this section related to the previous sections where we already talked about how to measure behavior, and the importance of doing it right so you can learn from the errors.
8) I would relate to my life the example giving in the section like saving money because when I was little and I really wanted to have something my mom would encourage me to write down everything I had and how much did I need left.
9) Each time I realize more about the importance of the details in measuring behavior in order to change it and I look forward to read the rest of the sections.
10b) next week I will reinforce the behavior by going to get a manicure and pedicure done if I eat healthy the whole week. It would be a fixed ratio because once I have completed seven days eaten healthier it would mean I can get a manicure, which is something that I really like.

Goals, realistic, support base, time frame, achievable, ability, context, environment, measure behavior.

1). I think the sub goals were the most interesting because the idea of having goals in your ultimate goal is a very important part of goal setting. I with out setting sub goals it is very hard to get to the ultimate goal. That is why this interests me.

2). Talking about how to manage goals was the least interesting part to me. I think this step comes naturally if you’re passionate about meeting the goal. I thought this section of the reading was just the most boring.

3).The section relates entirely to the work we did last week for this class. This section also relates to the blog that I did last week about how we need to have goals inside our goals and there are phases of goals you don’t just meet a goal with one step. This also relates to other health classes I have take on campus.

4). I think I could use the section on being realistic with goal setting in my life because I set goals for myself all the time and a lot of the time they can be a little unrealistic. I also think I could use sub goals in life to make the goals more realistic and possible by breaking them down.

5). I thought reading about the functions of behaviors section of this section the most interesting. I think it was interesting to read about and learn more about because it the way we behavior the mechanics behind behavior. And I think that is very interesting.

6). The section about measuring behavior was the least interesting part of this section for me because it is something that I have learned before and it is pretty basic information.

7). This section relates to what I have learned previously in many ways including what we read through out this course. It also relates to other classes with topics of functions of behavior and the topographies of behavior.

8). I think I will use the knowledge of measuring behaviors and the topography of behaviors because they will both help me recognize the behaviors around me and analyze them to make sure I am making an accurate interpretation of the behavior being represented.

9). This is getting into more what I thought behavior modification was going to be and it really helped me understand more about behaviors and how we analyze them in order to know how to modify them.

10). A: I will start collecting data on exercising and losing weight.

B: I will use a cheat meal once a week for my reinforcement. Yes this is a good reinforcement for my goal because every time I am craving something bad for me while I am trying to loose weight and get fit I will write down the food I would like and add it to a list of foods I can choose from for my cheat meal. It will motivate me to eat healthy until I get to the end of the week for that cheat meal. I will use a fixed interval schedule, I will reinforce myself one time every 7 days. I chose this schedule because it makes the most sense with the goal and the reinforcer that I chose.

11). Reinforcement, reinforcer, behavior, modify, measuring behaviors, topography, functions of behavior, realistic goal setting, sub goals, managing goals,

1) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?

I found the “Disruptive?” section the most interesting because I had never really heard that part of goal making in that context before. Sometimes goals CAN be very disruptive, which is something that causes many people to give up on them or not even begin working on their goals. While the examples used in this text are very extreme, such as training for a new job in a different state, or having to move for a PhD program, this can also be true for smaller tasks, such as the goal of going to class when there’s a snow storm, or losing weight.

2) What did you find least interesting? Why?

I guess if I had to pick the least interesting section for me it would be the “Timeframe” section. I suppose of the various parts of creating a goal this one is the most boring or dull. It is also something that I learned previously through the SMART goals model, so this was not new!

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.

Many of these relate to the SMART goals model, which has been incorporated into many of my classes and experiences at UNI. The SMART goal model consists of Specific goals, Measurable goals, Attainable goals, Realistic goals, and Time-managed goals. Many of these aspects can be applied or related to this reading. The “Achievable” and “Ability” sections could compare to the Attainable and Realistic sections of SMART goals. The “Time frame” section directly fits into the Time-managed goals section of SMART goals.

4) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?

One major component from this section that I can relate to is sub goals. I have had to work on subgoals myself, as I tend to bite off more then I can chew in general. I’ve really had to work on things in parts, or slowly in small bits. For example, I have been working on losing weight. It’s hard to stay motivated at times because my big goal is to lose X amount of weight, and obviously that takes time. I have had to learn that not drinking pop anymore is a good start to a subgoal, working out 4 times a week is also a good start to a subgoal. These goals would have to be more specific, but in general, they are subgoals of my ultimate goal of losing X amount of weight in X amount of time.

After reading the second section, please respond to the following questions.

5) What did you find interesting in the section? Why?

I found the section on the function of behaviors interesting because honestly I find it fairly complicated. I think it’s interesting that you could emit a wide variety of behaviors in order to elicit one specific response. In the text, the example of trying to get a bartender’s attention, you could whistle, say “hey!”, clap, make noise, say their name, etc. All for one specific response - it’s so interesting to think of perception in this manner and how people prefer different behaviors for certain responses. There are many functions of behavior.

6) What did you find least interesting? Why?

The section covering topographical maps was not very interesting to me. In general, I am not interested in graphs. I also am very bad in general about keeping track of certain things, such as how much water I’ve drank!

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.

Measuring goals can relate back to previous readings as well as the SMART goals concept. We also discussed behavioral classes in class.

8) Based on what you read from this section, what are two things that relate to your life? How so?

I can relate measuring and keeping track of my goals to my own life because I have to find a way to keep track of each step. I can also relate the behavior classes to my life because it is helpful to identify certain behavioral classes in order to be specific enough when making my goals or even subgoals.

9) How has reading these sections influenced what you originally thought about behavior modification? How so?

I realize now that behavior modification is much more precise and measurable than I originally thought. While in general, behavior modification can be a difficult and at times messy process, throughout the process you can still measure ups and downs, successes and failures.

10a) Behavioral Project (Baseline). Last Monday (week #10) you were asked to state a behavior you might change and how you would go about measure that behavior. Please start collecting baseline data on that behavior (recall that baseline is the data collected before the behavioral intervention/reinforcer).

10b) Next week when we begin the behavioral intervention what will you use for a reinforcer? Why is this a good reinforcer? What type of reinforcement schedule might you use (e.g., continuous reinforcement, fixed interval, etc.)? Why did you choose this schedule?

A Kit Kat bar. I absolutely love Kit Kat bars, but I rarely allow myself to have them. They have these Kit Kat minis that would allow myself to have a small reward without ruining my ultimate goal. This will be a continuous reinforcement as I accomplish my goals each 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.

disruptive goals, timeframe, subgoals, attainable goals, manageable goals, ability, behavioral classes, emit, elicit, function of behavior