BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION

Week 2
Characteristics of Behavior

 Behavior is what people do and say.

 Behaviors have one or more dimensions.
 Behaviors can be observed, described, and recorded.
 Behaviors have an impact on the environment. Behavior is influenced by, or
occurs as a function of, environmental events. (e.g., disruptive behavior
and teacher’s attention)
 Behaviors may be overt and covert.
 Dimensions of behaviours – examples

 Latency Dimension:  Intensity Dimension:

 Time between a parent's request for their child to clean their room and  The force behind a person's voice when speaking
the child starting the task  The level of anger expressed during an argument
 Time between an employer's request for a project to be completed and
 The amount of physical force used when playing a sport
the employee beginning the task
 Time between a doctor's request for a patient to take medication and  The amount of enthusiasm shown during a job interview
the patient starting to take the medication  The level of interest shown during a lecture
 Time between a friend's invitation to hang out and the person  The intensity of a person's emotions during a movie
accepting the invitation  The level of excitement during a vacation
 Time between a teacher asking a student a question and the student
 The degree of physical pain experienced during a workout
answering the question
 Time between an emergency alert and an individual taking appropriate  The level of concentration during a test
action
 Duration Dimension:
 Frequency Dimension:  The length of time a student spends studying for a test
 The number of times a student raises their hand in class  The amount of time a person spends on social media per day
 The number of times an employee takes a break during the workday  The length of time a person spends exercising each week
 The number of times a child interrupts their parent during a  The duration of a person's sleep each night
conversation
 The length of time a person spends completing household chores
 The number of times a person checks their phone during a meeting
 The amount of time a person spends commuting to work
 The number of times a person talks during a lecture
 The length of time a person spends talking on the phone with a
 The number of times a student completes their homework on time friend
 The number of times a person fidgets during a long car ride  The amount of time a person spends watching television each day
 The number of times a person bites their nails during a movie  The duration of a person's attention span during a meeting
 The number of times a person says "um" during a speech  The length of time a person spends in a particular job
 The number of times a person cleans their house in a week
Identify characteristics of behaviors.

 Talha’s paper for his behavior therapy class is a week late. Talha gives the
paper to his professor and lies, saying that it is late because he had to go
home to see his sick grandmother. The professor then accepts the paper
without any penalty. Talha also missed his history test. He tells his history
professor he missed the test because of his sick grandmother. The
professor lets him take the test a week late.
 Samantha is a 6-year-old with an intellectual disability who attends special
education classes. When the teacher is helping other students and not
paying attention to Samantha, Samantha cries and bangs her head on the
table or floor. Whenever Samantha bangs her head, the teacher stops what
she is doing and picks Samantha up and comforts her. She tells Samantha
to calm down, assures her that everything is all right, gives her a hug, and
often lets Samantha sit on her lap.
Behavior Modification

 Behavior modification is the field of psychology concerned with

analyzing and modifying human behavior.

 Analyzing means identifying the functional relationship between environmental

events and a particular behavior to understand the reasons for behavior or to
determine why a person behaved as he or she did.
 Modifying means developing and implementing procedures to help people
change their behavior. It involves altering environmental events so as to
influence behavior. Behavior modification procedures are developed by
professionals and used to change socially significant behaviors, with the goal of
improving some aspect of a person’s life.
Characteristics of Behavior Modification

 Focus on behavior
 target behavior.
 behavioural excess
 behavioural deficit

 Based on behavioural principles

 Emphasis on current environmental events/De-emphasis on past events as
causes of behavior
 Precise description of procedures
 Treatment Implemented by people in everyday life
 Measurement of behavior change
 Rejection of hypothetical underlying causes of behavior
Historical Roots of Behavior Modification

 Ivan P. Pavlov (1849–1936) Pavlov conducted experiments that uncovered the basic
processes of respondent conditioning. He demonstrated that a reflex (salivation in
response to food) could be conditioned to a neutral stimulus. In his experiments,
Pavlov presented the neutral stimulus (the sound of a metronome) at the same
time that he presented food to a dog. Later, the dog salivated in response to the
sound of the metronome alone. Pavlov called this a conditioned reflex.
 Edward L. Thorndike (1874–1949) Thorndike’s major contribution was the
description of the law of effect. The law of effect states that a behavior that
produces a favorable effect on the environment is more likely to be repeated in the
future. In Thorndike’s famous experiment, he put a cat in a cage and set food
outside the cage where the cat could see it. To open the cage door, the cat had to
hit a lever with its paw. Thorndike showed that the cat learned to hit the lever and
open the cage door. Each time it was put into the cage, the cat hit the lever more
quickly because that behavior—hitting the lever—produced a favorable effect on
the environment: It allowed the cat to reach the food (Thorndike, 1911).
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOyj-bzpofQ
Historical Roots of Behavior Modification

 John B. Watson (1878–1958) Watson asserted that observable behavior was

the proper subject matter of psychology, and that all behavior was
controlled by environmental events. In particular, Watson described a
stimulus–response psychology in which environmental events (stimuli)
elicited responses. Watson started the movement in psychology called
behaviourism.
 B. F. Skinner (1904–1990) Skinner expanded the field of behaviorism
originally described by Watson. Skinner explained the distinction between
respondent conditioning (the conditioned reflexes described by Pavlov and
Watson) and operant conditioning, in which the consequence of behavior
controls the future occurrence of the behavior (as in Thorndike’s law of
effect). Skinner’s research elaborated the basic principles of operant
behavior. In addition to his laboratory research demonstrating basic
behavioral principles, Skinner wrote a number of books in which he applied
the principles of behavior analysis to human behavior. Skinner’s work is the
foundation of behavior modification.
Observing and Recording Behavior

 One fundamental aspect of behavior modification is measuring the behavior

that is targeted for change. Measurement of the target behavior in behavior
modification is called behavioral assessment. Behavioral assessment is
important for a number of reasons.

 Measuring the behavior before treatment provides information that can help you
determine whether treatment is necessary.
 Behavioral assessment can provide information that helps you choose the best
treatment.
 Measuring the target behavior before and after treatment allows you to
determine whether the behavior changed after the treatment was implemented
Direct and Indirect Assessment

 Indirect Assessment involves using interviews, questionnaires, and

rating scales to obtain information on the target behavior from the person
exhibiting the behavior or from others (e.g., parents, teachers, or staff).
Indirect assessment does not occur when the target behavior occurs but
relies on an individual’s recall of the target behavior.
 With direct assessment, a person observes and records the target
behavior as it occurs. To observe the target behavior, the observer (or a
video camera, in some cases) must be in close proximity to the person
exhibiting the behavior so that the target behavior can be seen (or heard).
 The observer must have a precise definition of the target behavior so that its occurrence
can be distinguished from occurrences of other behaviors.
Steps To Develop A Behavior
Recording Plan
1. Defining the target behavior
2. Determining the logistics of
recording
3. Choosing a recording method
4. Choosing a recording instrument
Defining the target behavior
• To define the target behavior for a particular person, you must identify exactly what the person says or does that
constitutes the behavioral excess or deficit targeted for change. Target behaviours are active verbs describing specific
behaviors that a person exhibits that are objective and unambiguous in nature.
• The behavioral definition does not make inferences about a person’s intentions. Intentions cannot be observed, and
inferences about intentions often are incorrect.
• A label is not used to define the behavior because labels do not identify the person’s actions.
• When two people independently observe the same behavior and both record that the behavior occurred, this is called
interobserver agreement (IOA) or interobserver reliability.
Determining the logistics of recording
• The observer: In a behavior modification program, the target behavior typically is observed and recorded by a person
other than the one exhibiting the target behavior.
• When the client observes and records his or her own target behavior, it is called self-monitoring. Self-monitoring is
valuable when it is not possible for another observer to record the target behavior, as when the target behavior occurs
infrequently or when it occurs only when no one else is present.
• When and where to record: The observer records the target behavior in a specific period called the observation
period. It is important to choose an observation period at the time when the target behavior is likely to occur.
Observation and recording of behavior take place in natural settings or in analogue settings. Observation of the target
behavior can be structured or unstructured.
Choosing a recording method
• Continuous recording: Record every instance of the behavior occurring during the observation period. May record
frequency, duration, intensity, or latency. Baseline is the period during which the target behavior is recorded before
treatment is implemented.
• Product recording: Record the tangible outcome or permanent product of the occurrence of the behavior
• Interval recording: Record the occurrence or non-occurrence of the behavior in consecutive intervals of time during
an observation period.
Choosing a recording instrument
• Data Sheets, stopwatch etc. The sooner the observer records the behavior after it occurs, the less likely the observer is
to record incorrectly. Instruments must be practical.
Labels and Behavioural Definitions

Nail-biting Assertiveness Tantrumming

• Any time Ahmad’s • When Mehak says • When Zaid cries,

finger is in his no to someone who lies on the floor and
mouth and his asks her to do kicks the floor or
teeth are closed something that is walls, or pounds
together on the not part of her job, toys or other
fingernail, cuticle, when she asks objects on the
or skin around the coworkers not to floor, it is defined
nail, it is defined as smoke in her office, as a tantrum.
nail-biting. and when she asks
coworkers to knock
before entering her
office, it is defined
as assertiveness.
Interval Partial Interval Recording: Partial interval recording involves
dividing the observation period into equal intervals of time
Recordin and recording whether the behavior occurs at any point
g: during each interval. If the behavior occurs at any time during
the interval, it is scored as present. This method is often used
when the behavior of interest occurs frequently and for short
durations, as it allows for the observation of many
occurrences within a relatively short observation period.
However, it can also overestimate the occurrence of a
behavior, as a single occurrence can be scored multiple times.

Whole Interval Recording: Whole interval recording involves

dividing the observation period into equal intervals of time
and recording whether the behavior occurs continuously
throughout each interval. If the behavior occurs for the entire
duration of the interval, it is scored as present. This method is
often used when the behavior of interest is longer in duration
and occurs less frequently. It provides a more conservative
estimate of behavior occurrence as it only scores if the
behavior is present for the entire interval. However, it can
underestimate the occurrence of a behavior, as a single
occurrence that does not last the entire interval is scored as
absent.
If you were recording a child’s tantrum behavior
(screaming, throwing toys, slamming doors), which
dimension of the behavior would you measure?
You may be interested in the number of tantrums per
day (frequency), but you may also be interested in how
long each tantrum lasts (duration). Finally, you may be
interested in how loud the child screams or how
forcefully the child throws toys or slams doors
(intensity).
What is wrong with this behavior recording plan?

Anum is taking a behavior modification class and has to do a

self-management project. The behavior she has chosen to
modify is her hair-twirling. She has defined this behavior as any
instance in which she reaches up to the back of her head and
wraps hair around her finger. The first step in her self-
management project is to develop a behavior recording plan.
Because she usually does the hair-twirling in her classes, she
decides to record the behavior immediately after each class
period. She will keep a 3.5-inch note card in her purse, and as
soon as she leaves the classroom, she will get the note card out
of her purse and write down the number of time that she twirled
her hair in the class.
Give behavioural Definitions of these Labels

 Overeating
 Losing my temper
 Studying
 Stuttering