Nobody is perfect

Self- Change Project Nobody is perfect. Some of us drive too fast, or too carelessly. Some of us want to recycle our newspapers, but never get around to it. We want to eat less and exercise more, but it just does not happen for us. We know some of our habits are bad for us (smoking, drinking) but we cannot cut back. Principles of learning offer a solution. B. F. Skinner’s behaviorism, although developed through carefully controlled scientific laboratory research, can be used to help people increase behaviors that they desire and decrease behaviors they wish to avoid. Use self-change principles to change some aspect of your behavior. Focus on some specific type of behavior that you would like to perform more (exercise, studying, being polite) or a behavior you would like to do less (partying, eating, drinking, being rude). Some other examples of things students have tried to change are listed at the bottom of this handout. Record the behavior on the provided behavioral checklist for one week, without attempting any change. Please note: Please know that self-monitoring your behavior is difficult, but a task that can (and will) be completed.

 

Step 1: Behavior Decision. ▪ Decide on the behavior you will increase or decrease ▪ Write a paragraph description of the behavior, being as behaviorally specific as possible; express the goal of your project in observable, quantifiable terms. ▪ These goals must be very specific, and include both long and short range (daily) goals– but most important, they must be measurable; ▪ You can select those behaviors which you wish to do away with, non-desired goals as well as desired behaviors–but it would be best if you described behaviors that you want to increase (focus on creating behaviors that are incompatible with the behaviors you want to remove)

 

Step 2: Baseline 1. ▪ Establish the baseline, the operant level: measure the frequency of both the good and the bad behavior before you try to create any changes: *Measurement is critical in self-change projects, so begin by recording your behavior on the checklist. Please note what is happing before during and after the selected behavior. *Include the information about baseline in your report (If, for example, you were trying to study more you should say something like “On day one the participant spent 2.3 hours studying, on day two the participant did not study at all, and on day three the participant spent 1 hour studying). ▪ The length of your baseline recording will be over a one-week period. ▪ You also need to indicate where the behavior occurs; for example, you might say “The researcher decided to modify smoking behavior but needed to know the situations which elicited smoking –so for 7 days the researcher kept track of how many cigarettes were smoked, when, and where.”

 

Step 3: Design Behavioral Change ▪ Select SR (Reinforcing Stimulus) and design the contingencies. ▪ Make a list of the reinforcers that you have decided are potent and controllable for and by you. ▪ List these reinforcers in your report and note which one you plan to use to control the behavior. ▪ You can also identify punishers: aversive stimuli that you would rather avoid. You will be using these to reduce behavior.

 

Types of reinforcers to consider: ▪ Physical rewards: such as candy, food, drinks, etc.: thinks you want; ▪ Social rewards: arrange for someone else to give you praise, attention, and so on if you perform the target behavior; ▪ Activities: things you like to do (such as watching TV, socializing, etc.) that you cannot do if you don’t perform the behavior;

▪ Note: It is often advisable to use a variety of reinforcers, so you will not “burn out” on one.

 

Name the Contingencies: ▪ State the exact conditions under which these consequences are applied (e.g., If I study for 1 hour I will get 5 M&M candies). ▪ If you plan to use punishment, then state those criteria as well (e.g., I did not meet my goal of studying for 3 hours and so the following day I did not permit myself to listen to any music).

 

Step 4: Intervention Stage. ▪ Institute the Program of Behavior Modification. Begin controlling the behavior through judicious use of reinforcers and punishment. This period should last one week (use another self-monitoring check list for recording behavior). ▪ Keep good records: record the behavior and the reinforcers/punishments constantly. ▪ Control the “stimulus environment”. It is essential that you can administer the reinforcers immediately after the behavior, and that you can reduce interference from reinforcers that you do not control. That means you should make changes in your routine to avoid temptations (e.g., tell other people about the project and ask them not to interfere). ▪ If appropriate, post cues in your environment that will trigger your response: if you are supposed to be exercising more, then put up a sign in bedroom that says “Today you must exercise for 1 hour.” (Describe your use of such a sign in your report).

 

Step 5: Follow up. Because of time constraints, this step is optional, but would be used in any professional behavior modification project. Once the behavior has been created, you would return to baseline by stopping the rewards or punishments. This step is not necessary for this report. However, should you decide to complete this step, record your behavior on the checklist for one week.

 

Step 6: Write up the report ▪ Please type the report. There are no length restrictions. Use the length that you feel is appropriate to exactly specify what you did. The paper will have five sections: 1. Introduction. (1-2 pages) 2. Literature review. (2 pages) 3. Methodology. (1 page) 4. Results. (1 page) 5. Discussion. (4-6 pages) ▪ The report will include charts and graphs of the behavior rates, but it should be a wellwritten narrative (with sentences and paragraphs). ▪ Add a final paragraph that draws conclusions about the project. ▪ Use appropriate terms from the lectures and text.

 

Weaknesses or omissions or something incorrect with the following areas will result in a loss of points:

 

Step 1: Behavior Decision. ▪ Define the problem in a situation in a paragraph. ▪ Clearly state, “target behavior is…”

 

Step 2: Baseline. ▪ Collect baseline data. ▪ Describe what is found. ▪ Graph the baseline data.

 

Step 3: Design Behavioral Change ▪ Self-reinforcements listed, explained. ▪ Self-punishments clearly indicated ▪ Reinforcement and/or punishments contingencies described (state contingencies, e.g., “If I exercise, then I will get a cookie).

Step 4: Intervention Phase. ▪ Behavior modification process described. ▪ Data are provided describing the behavior modification results ▪ Attempts at stimulus control are noted ▪ Final conclusion paragraph describing results

 

In Addition: ▪ All checklists turned in (must be legible). ▪ Project Not as Well Organized as it Could Have Been. ▪ Project Not as Well Written as it Could Have Been.

 

Helpful Information:

Some sample behaviors that you can modify are listed at the end of this page. Also, if you would like more information on the psychology of self-control–especially the science side of selfcontrol based on verified principles of behaviorism instead of that “pop” psychology stuff that is not really helpful at all–begin with Dr. Clay Tucker-Ladd page. He is the author of Psychological Self-help, which is available on the web at the following site: http://mentalhelp.net/psyhelp/

 

Dr. Tucker reviews, in detailed, dozens of self-change methods, including: Change the environment to change your behavior Learn new behavior (using models, self-instructions) Controlling/Conditioned response Relapse prevention Motivation training–increasing our drive level Avoid self-deception–recognize your motives and defenses Record behavior–self-monitor and check your progress Record antecedents & consequences; behavioral analysis Disrupt the unwanted habit; thought stopping Substitute new behavior to break a bad habit Satiate behavior or flooding; paradoxical intention Change defeatist attitude; quieting the internal critic; flow Develop positive expectations; building self-efficacy Increase intrinsic satisfactions Reward the desired behavior–a powerful method Negative reinforcement–an important concept for insight Self-punishment

 

Structure for Assignments 1. ALL OF YOUR WORK NEEDS TO BE UPLOADED ON CANVAS. NO WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED IN ANY OTHER MEDIUM.

2. Your papers need be organized – you should be developing a central idea in each section and the reader should be able to follow the logic of your argument. Each paragraph should have a coherent theme and paragraphs should follow each other in an organized manner. Read over your papers to be sure that there is a logical order to them.
3. Watch for grammatical errors, particularly sentence fragments and run-on sentences. You will be marked down for these errors.
4. Your papers will be typewritten, double-spaced, one-inch margins, using Times New Roman font. (APA Format) https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/18/
5. References included in your paper are to be done according to APA style as described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition, which is available in the library, the campus bookstore, and on-line. You should have at least 2 references for every paper and they will be listed on a separate page on the back of your assignment.