Behavior Modification
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Modificatio
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Definition
• Behavior modification is
a psychotherapeutic
intervention primarily
used to eliminate or
reduce maladaptive
behavior in children or
adults.
Maladaptive behavior is defined as behavior that interferes with an individual's activities of daily
living or ability to adjust to and participate in particular settings.
• Certain variables can be manipulated via reinforcers and
punishments to change problem behavior(s). The goal is to
eliminate or reduce maladaptive behavior.
• This activity reviews the indications and contraindications for
behavior modification and highlights the role of the inter
professional team in the management of patients with
behavioral disorders.
Manipulate: control. Indication: a symptom that suggests certain medical treatment is necessary.
Contraindications: a condition (a situation or factor) that serves as a reason not to take a certain
medical treatment due to the harm that it would cause the patient.
• While some therapies focus on changing thought processes that can
affect behavior, behavior modification focuses on changing specific
behaviors with little consideration of a person’s thoughts or
feelings.
• The progress and outcome of the intervention can be measured and
evaluated. First, a functional analysis of the antecedents and
consequences of the problem behavior(s) must be identified. This
allows for the determination of specific target behaviors that will
become the focus of treatment.
Affect: influence. Antecedent: a thing that existed before.
Objectives
• Identify the indications for behavioral modification therapy.
• Describe the contraindications to behavior modification therapy.
• Outline the clinical utility of behavioral modification therapy.
• Explain inter-professional team strategies for improving care
coordination and communication to advance the use of behavioral
modification therapy and improve patient outcomes.
Clinical Utility: A term that refers to the likelihood that a test will, by prompting an intervention, result
in an improved health outcome.
Behavior modification is generally thought of as the process of
changing patterns of human behavior using various motivational
techniques, such as negative and positive reinforcement, extinction,
fading, shaping, and chaining.
It can be a useful tool to encourage desirable behaviors in yourself,
your children, or your employees. There are strategies that may
improve the effectiveness of behavior modification, and a therapist
may help you determine the best ones to achieve your desired change.
Behavior Modification Techniques
Positive Reinforcement
In psychology, you can think about the concepts of positive and
negative as mathematical symbols. You might keep in mind that
taking something away is considered negative, and adding
something is seen as positive.
Generally, positive reinforcement adds a stimulus that
reinforces good behavior. For example, you could positively
reinforce the behavior of a student by awarding them a prize
for doing well on their exam.
Stimulus: something that causes an action.
Positive Punishment
Positive punishment, on the other hand, describes an added
stimulus that decreases the likelihood of an undesired behavior
occurring.
For example, putting lemon juice (a stimulus) on your fingernails
may discourage you from biting your nails (an undesired behavior).
Positive punishment also includes corporal punishment, such as
spanking, which is often seen as a harmful and unproductive form
of behavior modification.
Negative Reinforcement
As mentioned above, negative typically means that a stimulus is
removed. Negative reinforcement can occur when you remove a
stimulus to increase a desired behavior.
For example, an infant’s cries (a stimulus) may be removed when a
parent picks the infant up (the desired behavior). As a result, the
parent may be encouraged to pick up their infant more often when they
cry.
Negative Punishment
Negative punishment can occur when a stimulus is taken away to
reduce the frequency of an undesired behavior occurring.
For example, a teenager’s cell phone (the stimulus) could be taken away
when they stay out past their curfew (the undesired behavior).
Extinction
The word extinct means “gone out” or “not existing”. A behavior can
become extinct when a stimulus or reinforcer is removed.
For example, if your child becomes accustomed (normal) to getting a
new toy (stimulus) every time they throw a tantrum (undesired behavior),
you might refrain (stop oneself) from buying your child a toy when they
throw a tantrum.
When done consistently, your child is likely to learn that the behavior
never produces the desired outcome, and the behavior may become
extinct.
Shaping
The process of shaping can reinforce behaviors that are closer to a
desired behavior. It is a technique that teaches a complex behavior by
reinforcing the small steps towards completion of the behavior.
For example, a child learning to walk typically involves several stages
(sitting up, crawling, standing, walking). Parents might reinforce a child
learning to walk through shaping by giving a child encouragement when
they engage in new steps in this process.
Fading
Fading is usually thought of as the process of gradually shifting from one
stimulus to another.
For example, if a parent encourages their child to get good grades on report
cards with a positive stimulus, such as rewarding money for good grades, they
may eventually seek to find a more sustainable (maintain overtime) stimulus to
maintain good academic performance.
Fading removes the old stimulus, getting money in exchange for good
grades, and replaces it with a new stimulus, such as satisfaction in learning
new material.
Slowly removing reinforcement.
use to initiate behavior.
once the desired behavior is achieved, remove the reinforcement
slowly.
For example, helping a child riding a bicycle by holding the seat and the
individual at the beginning but slowly let him go without holding him.
Chaining
Behavior chains can link
individual behaviors to form a
larger behavior. By breaking
down a task into its simplest
steps, a complex behavior may
become more consistently
achievable.
Applications
Behavior modification is often thought of as a parenting tool. However, while
commonly used for children and adolescents, behavior modification can be
effective for many demographics.
For example, many adults use behavioral therapy to quit smoking, eat healthily,
exercise regularly, and work more efficiently.
Because no two people are alike, behavior modification plans and programs
are usually not one-size-fits-all. You may need to tweak (change slightly) or
substitute elements of one plan or another to best suit your situation and your
ultimate goals, and behavior modification therapy may work best in
conjunction with other types of therapy.