Behavior Modification Research Concepts

Behavior Modification

• Field of psychology focused on analyzing and modifying behavior
• Aims to increase or decrease specific behaviors
• Considers antecedent (what happened before) and consequent (what happened after) events
• Behaviorists focus primarily on observable behaviors
• Cognitive psychologists also consider covert (internal) actions.

Defining Behavior

• Actions described by verbs (e.g., jump, pull)
• Not static characteristics (e.g., angry)
• Measurable dimensions:
  • Frequency: How often a behavior occurs
  • Duration: How long a behavior lasts
  • Intensity: How strong a behavior is
  • Latency: Time until a behavior occurs
• Observable and recordable

Defining Behavior

• Behavior involves actions described using verbs (e.g., jump, pull, speak)
• Not a static characteristic (e.g., angry, calm)
• Measurable dimensions:
  • Frequency (how many times)
  • Duration (how long)
  • Intensity (how strong)
  • Latency (time until the behavior)
• Observable and recordable, affecting the environment (physical or social).

Target Behavior

• Specific behavior chosen for change
• Can be an undesirable behavior (Behavioral Excess, which needs decreasing) or a desirable behavior (Behavioral Deficit, which needs increasing)

Procedures in Behaviorism

• Experimental Analysis of Behavior (behavioral analysis)
  • Scientific study of behavior, originally from Skinner's experiments.
• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
  • Applying scientific study of behavior to change behavior, specifically for humans.

Behavior Modification Characteristics

• Emphasis on current environmental events
• Examines what comes before (antecedent) and after (consequent) behavior.
• Detailed description of procedures (what is being done/measured).
• Focus on treatment by non-professionals (e.g., teachers, parents).
• Measurements of behavior change (short and long term).
• Rejection of hypothetical causes (no internal explanations).

Behavior Assessment

• Measuring target behavior in a specific situation
• Useful before, during, and after treatment to:
  • Determine if treatment is needed
  • Choose the best treatment
  • Determine if treatment is effective

Indirect vs. Direct Assessment

• Indirect: Uses interviews, questionnaires, teacher/parent reports to assess target behaviors. May be biased, inaccurate.
• Direct: Measures behavior as it occurs. More accurate.

Self-Monitoring

• Client observes their own target behavior.
• Useful when independent observers aren't available, behavior is infrequent, or occurs in the presence of others.
• Trained self-monitoring helps increase self-awareness, potentially reducing the behavior being tracked

Operational Definition

• Precise description of how a behavior will be measured
• Objective, unambiguous, and practical
• Avoids references to internal states (e.g., feelings).

Processes of Behavior Assessment

• Define the target behavior
• Determine how the behavior will be recorded
• Identify the observer(s) and the time/place of observation

When is Behavior Recorded?

• Consider the behavior's nature and frequency, observer availability.
• Structured observation entails arranging specific situations for behavior observation

Sample Recording

• Interval recording (partial interval, whole interval)
• Time sample recording
• Momentary time sample recording

Where is Behavior Recorded?

• Natural, more representative of typical settings
• Analogous, artificial environment, more controlled for manipulating variables.

Reducing Reactivity

• Wait for the person to become accustomed to observer or use concealed observation
• Using self-monitoring strategies, as this can affect behavior by heightening awareness

Inter-Observer Agreement (IOA)

• The extent to which different observers agree on the occurrence of behavior.
• Calculated to ensure reliability of observation.

Research Designs

• A-B designs (one baseline, one treatment phase).
• A-B-A-B reversal designs (removes treatment, returns to baseline, reimplements treatment).
• Multiple baseline design (measures multiple behaviors/subjects or settings).
• Alternating treatment design (compares behaviors in different treatment phases).

Functional Assessment

• Determining the "why" of behavior
• Defining and identifying target behaviors
• Collecting Data
• Developing and implementing functional treatment
• Evaluating treatment effectiveness and implementation fidelity

Antecedents vs. Consequences

• Antecedents: stimuli that trigger or alter behavior
• Consequences: outcomes affecting the future probability of a behavior

Types of Learning

• Unlearned behaviors (reflexes): innate behaviors
• Elicited behaviors: automatic responses to stimuli
• Eliciting stimuli: trigger automatic responses
• Learned behaviors: resulting from experience
• Event-alone learning (habituation, sensitization)
• Event-event learning (classical conditioning)
• Behavior-event learning (operant conditioning)

Classical Conditioning

• Form of learning involving association
• Neutral stimulus becomes associated with an unconditioned stimulus, triggering a conditioned response
• Unconditioned stimulus (US): natural stimulus, automatically triggers a response
• Unconditioned response (UR): natural response to the US
• Neutral stimulus (NS): stimulus with no initial response
• Conditioned stimulus (CS): formerly NS, now triggers a CR
• Conditioned response (CR): learned response to the CS

Operant Conditioning

• Learning controlled by consequences
• Positive reinforcement: adding a stimulus to increase behavior
• Negative reinforcement: removing a stimulus to increase behavior
• Positive punishment: adding a stimulus to decrease behavior
• Negative punishment: removing a stimulus to decrease behavior

Reinforcement

• Reinforcer: stimulus that increases future probability of a behavior
• Schedules of reinforcement: patterns of delivering reinforcement

Contingency Between NS and US

• Contingency refers to the reliable co-occurrence of NS and US
• More pairings create stronger associations

Conditioned Emotional Response

• Emotional responses that have been learned through classical conditioning

Higher Order Conditioning

• Conditioning a response to a stimulus that was previously associated with a conditioned stimulus.

Factors Influencing Conditioning

• Intensity of stimuli, relevance between stimuli, temporal relationship
• Number of pairings, previous experiences, and other competing contingencies influence conditioning