Behavior Change Procedures

Please include these topics in your paper:

  1. Basic Procedures, Principles, and Processes
    a. Define the 4 basic types of consequences that can be used in consequence-based interventions and the effect of each.

b. Define an extinction procedure and the resulting effect.

c. Pick 3 of the 5 procedures discussed in your answers to “a” and “b,” and explain how you could use them to reduce the frequency of talking to a peer (inappropriately) while the teacher is talking.

d. Now identify which behavioral process or principle is associated with each of the following procedures: shaping procedures, overcorrection procedures, coercive interactions, bonuses/commission, timeout procedures, response redirection, response cost procedures, and planned ignoring.
In other words, for each of the 8 intervention procedures listed in item “d,” state which behavioral process or principle it is associated with and how you know. (Hint: Your answers will always be one of the five terms you have already discussed in items “a” and “b” above.)

(Additional information to note: The related terminology of behavioral procedures, principles, and processes can understandably be very confusing. Remember that behavioral procedures describe the environmental manipulations that are made in order to demonstrate the related behavioral processes. The behavioral processes occur because of the functional relationships between the environmental manipulations and the behavior, which are referred to as the behavioral principles involved.
For example, “As a behavior change procedure, extinction provides zero probability of reinforcement. As a behavioral process, extinction refers to the diminishing rate of a previously reinforced behavior when that behavior no longer produces reinforcement. As a principle, extinction refers to the functional relation between withholding reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior and the resultant diminishing rate of response,” (Cooper et al., 2020, p.594).)

  1. Characteristics of Effective Consequences
    a. Describe several characteristics that make consequences more or less effective. Be sure to include recommendations regarding their immediacy/contiguity, contingency, and intensity (with respect to punishing stimuli).

b. Describe at least two ways to identify effective consequences for an individual. (Refer to chapter 11 in Cooper et al. (2020) and chapter 6 in Mayer et al. (2022).)

  1. Use of Reinforcement versus Punishment Procedures
    a. Describe some potential side effects of using punishing stimuli and punishment procedures.
    b. Explain how reinforcement and punishment procedures should be selected.

o Which should be prioritized and why?

Full Answer Section

           
  • Negative Punishment: The removal of a preferred stimulus following a behavior that decreases the future probability of that behavior. Effect: Decreases behavior.
 

b. Extinction Procedure and Its Effect

  An extinction procedure involves withholding reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior. For example, if a child's tantrum used to result in attention from a parent (reinforcement), an extinction procedure would involve the parent no longer providing attention when the tantrum occurs. The resulting effect is a diminishing rate of the previously reinforced behavior. This process can initially lead to an extinction burst, where the behavior temporarily increases in frequency, intensity, or duration before it begins to decrease.
 

c. Using Procedures to Reduce Talking to a Peer

  To reduce the frequency of a student talking to a peer inappropriately while the teacher is talking, I could use three of the procedures as follows:
  • Positive Punishment: The teacher could use a positive punishment procedure by giving the student a verbal reprimand or a checkmark on a public chart immediately after the student talks to the peer. This addition of an aversive stimulus would be intended to decrease the future likelihood of the student talking.
  • Negative Punishment: The teacher could use a negative punishment procedure by removing a preferred item or activity. For instance, the student could lose a few minutes of free time or recess for each instance of talking to the peer. This removal of a preferred stimulus would aim to decrease the behavior.
  • Extinction: If the student's talking to a peer is being reinforced by the peer's attention, the teacher could use an extinction procedure by instructing the peer to ignore the student's talking. By withholding the peer's reinforcement, the teacher would expect the frequency of the talking behavior to diminish over time.

Sample Answer

       

Basic Procedures, Principles, and Processes

   

a. Four Basic Consequences

  The four basic types of consequences, as defined by behavior analysis, are reinforcement (positive and negative) and punishment (positive and negative).
  • Positive Reinforcement: The presentation of a stimulus immediately following a behavior that increases the future probability of that behavior. Effect: Increases behavior.
  • Negative Reinforcement: The removal of an aversive stimulus following a behavior that increases the future probability of that behavior. Effect: Increases behavior.
  • Positive Punishment: The presentation of an aversive stimulus immediately following a behavior that decreases the future probability of that behavior. Effect: Decreases behavior.