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Behavior Change Intervention

Throughout the term you have explored the ways in which applied behavior analysis is grounded in practical and philosophical foundations of natural science. This week your readings and activities will prepare you to examine the ways in which that foundation continues to support professional practice in applied behavior analysis. For this discussion, review the (Behavior Analyst Certification Board, 2018) video on areas of professional practice in ABA. Then, please create a brief scenario in which you imagine yourself as a behavior analyst who is developing an intervention to help an individual change a socially significant behavior by creating a simple system of reinforcement to increase a desired behavior. For instance, you might develop an intervention where time spent in-seat at school is reinforced with teacher praise or tokens or an intervention to improve productivity in a factory by offering incentives. For best results, keep your scenario simple!

Please respond to the following:

• Provide a brief description of a simple behavior change intervention.
• Describe a simple plan of reinforcement to increase the desired behavior.
• Taking into consideration readings throughout the term on goals of science, philosophical assumptions of science, and the seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis, describe how the plan you are proposing is grounded in a scientific foundation.
• Finally, describe the scientistpractitioner model and discuss how it will guide your hypothetical intervention.

Review two of your classmates’ responses, using the following ideas as a guide and asking follow-up questions that promote further analysis and development:

• Does the plan presented appear to be an effective means to improve the behavior of interest?
• Is it important to change the behavior? Why or why not?
• Evaluate whether the behavior for change meets the Baer et al. (1968) definition of “socially valid”.
• Provide feedback on how the plan support the scientistpractitioner model.

Reply to Antonhy Vazquez: A simple behavior change intervention can be designed to increase a students on-task behavior during independent work time in a classroom. In this scenario, a behavior analyst collaborates with the teacher to support a student who frequently leaves their seat and becomes distracted during assignments. The target behavior is remaining seated and engaged with the assigned task during a 15-minute independent work period. Because on-task behavior is directly observable and measurable, it can be clearly defined and monitored over time.

To increase the desired behavior, a simple reinforcement plan can be implemented using a token system. Each time the student remains seated and works for a five-minute interval, the student earns a token accompanied by brief teacher praise. After earning three tokens, the student can exchange them for a preferred activity, such as drawing for a few minutes or choosing a small classroom privilege. Over time, the reinforcement schedule can gradually be thinned as the student demonstrates more consistent engagement in academic tasks. This reinforcement system is designed to increase the likelihood of the desired behavior by providing immediate, meaningful consequences.

The intervention is grounded in the scientific foundation of applied behavior analysis. Behavior analysis is based on the goals of science, which include describing, predicting, and controlling behavior (Cooper et al., 2020). By defining the target behavior clearly and measuring it over time, the intervention enables an accurate description of behavior patterns. As reinforcement is introduced and data are collected, practitioners can observe predictable changes in behavior and make adjustments that support effective behavior change. The plan is also consistent with key philosophical assumptions of science, such as determinism and empiricism, which emphasize that behavior is lawful and influenced by environmental variables that can be observed and measured.

In addition, the intervention reflects the seven dimensions of applied behavior analysis described by Baer, Wolf, and Risley (1968). The intervention targets a socially significant behavior, making it applicable. The behavior is observable and measurable, supporting the behavioral dimension. Data collection allows the intervention to remain analytic, as decisions are based on measurable outcomes. The use of reinforcement procedures reflects a conceptually systematic approach grounded in behavioral principles. The intervention is designed to produce effective improvements in classroom engagement, and the procedures can be described clearly enough to be technological and replicated by others. Finally, gradual thinning of reinforcement promotes generality, increasing the likelihood that the behavior will occur across settings and over time.

The scientistpractitioner model further guides this intervention. Within this model, practitioners use scientific knowledge to design interventions and collect data to evaluate their effectiveness in practice. The behavior analyst continuously monitors the students progress and adjusts the reinforcement schedule if needed. By combining scientific principles with ongoing data-based decision making, the intervention remains both evidence-based and responsive to the individuals needs.

Overall, this simple reinforcement system illustrates how behavior analysts apply scientific principles to produce meaningful changes in socially significant behavior.

References

Baer, D. M., Wolf, M. M., & Risley, T. R. (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1(1), 9197.

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2018). Reply to David Perez: Throughout this term, I have not only gained knowledge on how I can improve and bolster my practice, but I have also learned of the foundations that make my intervention relevant. Relevant is a relative term, and in this post, I use it in leu of our 7 dimension, and scientific assumptions. The area in which I seek to impact socially significant change, and make a difference, is the aid of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). I have already learned so much, about how reinforcement strategies create new skills. The example I would like to use in this post centers around potty training. This comes from personal experience with a client, in my current role as an RBT.

The clients baseline data, in this example, has shown the bathroom as a conditioned aversive stimulus. They, fortunately, have not shown issues with the sensory aspect of underwear, and frequently change into them out of diapers. The largest area of task refusal comes from entering the bathroom itself, to administer any type of consistent potty-training schedule. In this situation, I lean on the tenants of radical behaviorism (Cooper, 2020). I recognize the validity of a potential private event in the clients view of that bathroom as a conditioned stimulus, but base my intervention on the antecedent-behavior-consequence model. The client is exhibiting behaviors of eloping, and crying outside of the bathroom door, while physically and verbally pushing back against entry. The client does, however, enjoy playing with water-based toys, and watching paw patrol (a preferred tv show).

Upon assessing this situation, and my use of those items, I have come up with a potential intervention plan. My first step is to alter the value of the water-based toys and tv show as a potential reinforcer. I will accomplish this by depriving them of the items throughout other parts of the session. I will them drive them into the bathroom in a toy car they prefer to ride in, and place the water toys in the sink. Upon entry, the client sees an already filled water bucket with the toys. Through a first-then statement, the client will be prompted to use the toilet. Upon toilet use, verbal praise is given, and the water toy reinforcer is accessed. While playing with the water toys, I will also show the client a couple minutes of paw patrol. These potential reinforcers are now used for prompting in future bathroom trips, and tacted when it is time to use the restroom.

This example meets tentpoles of the seven dimensions of ABA, philosophical assumptions of science, and goals of science. It meets important markers of the seven dimensions in that the behavior is socially significant, effective, based on success data, and physically observable (Cooper, 2020). The intervention meets the goals of science, because we have arranged the situation in a way where we have made the behavior more likely to occur. That exercise of control, and its success, has allowed us to predict it as a future behavior when conditions are unchanged. And finally, it is descriptive because the repetition of this example has consistently correlated with the same result.

My intervention also matches with the core philosophical assumptions of science, in that we have experimented with the three-term contingency, practiced objective observation, and replicated our process every time the client needs to use the restroom (Staddon, 2021). In addition, we have exercised parsimony by trying a simple reinforcement model first, and not taken its success for granted, by noting the reinforcers effectiveness during every visit (Staddon, 2021).

I also believe this intervention has perfectly integrated the scientist-practitioner model, in my use of experimentally successful processes to applied settings. My intervention perfectly utilizes Skinners stimulus-response-stimulus (S-R-S) model, and uses positive reinforcement consequences to shape the clients behavior (Skinner, 1938). Its use is the scientific application of research derived from the experimental branch of behavior (EAB). This guided my intervention, and should guide the intervention of any behavior analyst assessing an intervention plan.

References

Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.

Staddon, J. E. R. (2021). The new behaviorism: Foundations of behavioral science (3rd ed.). Routledge.

B. F. Skinner. (1938). The behavior of organisms: An experimental analysis. Appleton-Century-Crofts.

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Understanding Behavior Reduction Strategies

Think about a past personal experience in which a behavior (either your own or that of someone in your environment) was met with punishment contingencies. First, describe the behavior, explaining whether you think the behavior was a rule-governed or contingency-shaped behavior.

Then, explain how either a positive or negative punishment contingency was used and the resultant effect on the problem behavior.

Finally, review that same experience from a behavior analytic perspective and discuss whether the use of punishment may or may not have been an appropriate strategy to use. Explain how you might modify the prior approach to decrease the problem behavior using positive punishment, negative punishment, or extinction, being sure to identify how motivating operations and the use of reinforcement would play a role in increasing an alternate behavior.

Review two of your classmate’s responses using following ideas as a guide:

• Do you agree with the explanation of rule-governed vs. contingency shaped behavior provided? Why or why not?
• Provide feedback on the modification of the strategy discussed to decrease the problem behavior, and one suggestion for additional modifications.
• Ask at least one thoughtful follow up question. Reply to Kaylah Healy: I would like to discuss a situation which I have personally observed when commuting to work. A bus driver failed to come to a complete stop at a four-way stop sign, resulting in a collision and injury. The driver had previously gone through safe driving training and was fully aware of state traffic laws and transit specific policies requiring a complete stop at all stop signs. Compliance with this expectation would likely have been rule-governed behavior, meaning it was controlled by verbal descriptions of contingencies provided during training (Wulfert, 2013). However, over time, repeated contact with natural contingencies may have changed behavioral control. Lets say that the driver had previously rolled through stop signs without immediate consequences and experienced reinforcement in the form of avoiding complaints due to tardiness, the behavior would then be contingency-shaped. In this case, immediate reinforcement for saving time may have exerted stronger control than delayed disciplinary consequences (Cooper et al., 2020). In this case, the immediate reinforcement for saving time and avoiding complaints would have stronger control than delayed disciplinary consequences. Following the incident, the transit supervisors issued a two-week unpaid suspension (this knowledge was received via communication from the transit company) as it was their first “proven” incident. This shows the use of negative punishment, as a valued stimulus, ability to work and earn money, was removed contingent on the unsafe driving behavior (Cooper et al., 2020). The immediate effect of this contingency would be suppression of rolling stops, due to both financial loss and increase of maintaining the job. In occupations involving public safety, consequences may be ethically justified to protect passengers and other individuals. However, from a behavior analytic view, punishment alone may reduce the likelihood of the behavior happening again but does not teach or increase safe alternative behaviors. Furthermore, it would not directly change the motivating variable that caused the unsafe stopping behavior (Cooper et al., 2020; van Haaren, 2020). A better, function-based approach could improve long-term behavior change. A functional assessment could identify if rolling stops were maintained by escape from passenger complaints, positive reinforcement from staying on time, or a habit formed from past intermittent reinforcement. To modify the behavior, the transit authority could implement differential reinforcement of alternative behavior (DRA) by providing recognition or incentives for safe stops and incident-free routes (Cooper et al., 2020). Antecedent modifications, such as adjusting route schedules to reduce time pressure, would decrease the establishing operation for rushing and make safe stopping more likely (Michael, 1993). Behavioral skills training (BST), including instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback, could strengthen the drivers ability to consistently stop safely under realistic route demands. Finally, any inadvertent reinforcement for unsafe efficiency should be placed on extinction to reduce the likelihood that rolling stops are maintained (van Haaren, 2020). Motivating operations play a large role in shaping unsafe and safe behavior. If being behind on schedule functions as an establishing operation, it would temporarily increase the value of saving time and evoke rolling through stop signs (Michael, 1993). By restructuring contingencies to increase reinforcement for safe driving and reducing reinforcement for unsafe driving behaviors, the probability of safe behavior increases while decreasing reliance on punishment as the main behavior management strategy. Overall, the suspension (negative punishment) may have been an effective consequence for immediate consequence due to the severity of the incident, however, lasting behavior change requires reinforcement-based strategies, antecedent changes, and extinction procedures to support socially significant and safe driving behavior.References:Cooper, J., Heron, T., & Heward, W. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.Michael, J. (1993). Establishing operations. The Behavior Analyst, 16, 191206.van Haaren, F. (2020). Extinction revisited: Implications for application. Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, 20(1), 3642.Wulfert, E. (2013). Rule-governed behavior. Salem Press Encyclopedia of Health. Reply to Natasha Fields: An example of punishment contingencies in my life recently, involved staying up too late texting someone I had just met and getting to know more. I had to wake up early for work, to get my kids ready for school, to school and then myself where I needed to be. The behavior was constantly staying up past midnight on my phone instead of going to sleep at a time that would allow me to get enough sleep and still get up early enough to do all the adulting I needed to do. My behavior was mostly contingency-shaped (Cooper, 2020). I feel it was reinforced by the conversations and attention I received from the person I was getting to know. As a single mom, its hard to make time for yourself, and add in additional life stressors, its almost nonexistent. The immediate reinforcement of good and witty banter and conversation, make it very unlikely that I would stop this even though it meant I would be very tired and even sometimes grumpy in the morning because of it.The punishment contingency would happen the next morning when I of course was extremely tired and overwhelmed with everything needed to get our days going.Feeling exhausted and stressed was as positive punishment, a negative condition was added after the habit and behavior of staying up too late.As a result, I realized that because I was staying up later than reasonable, I was tired, I was grumpy with my kiddos and myself, and it wasnt something that was going to make my day better.From a behavior analytic perspective, punishment did reduce the behavior, but it was not the most effective strategy as a long-term fix or change. The fatigue and stress helped me decrease the behavior, but it didnt give me an alternate option or behavior. A better strategy could involve adjusting the time we spoke and reinforcing a more sustainable routine.For example, I could set a timer and only allow myself to talk or communicate during those timeframes, and ultimately have the behavior reach extinction. Ultimately, once being able to determine if getting to know this person could lead to a more consistent routine in communication or getting to know each other assisted in being able to eliminate that behavior altogether. Cooper, J., Heron, T., & Heward, W. (2022). Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.