Purpose: The purpose of this assignment is to apply learning principles to bring about a behavioral change.
Based on what you have learned in chapter 5, you are to create a strategy of intervention to eliminate one of your negative behaviors. By using learning principles, you can engage in behavioral modification. This is the premise of many therapeutics.
This assignment addresses learning outcome #2 in which students can identify the theories of learning and learning outcome #7 in which students can learn about how psychological principles can change lives, organizations or communities in positive ways.
Task: Your task is:
(1) Think of a negative behavior that you want to change. For example, maybe you eat too much junk food, you do not exercise, you use your phone and social media too much, you procrastinate, you do not study enough, you drink too much pop, or you needlessly check door locks.
(2) Answer the following questions with a 2-4 complete sentence response. Number the questions with your responses and reach out to me if you are not sure. Each question is worth 2-points, #2 is worth 3-points and responding to a classmate is worth 3-points..
- What is your negative behavior that you want to change? (Be specific and realistic. Instead of “I want to quit smoking”, state the specific goal such as “I need to smoke only 1 cigarette a day”).
- Record that negative behavior for 3 days to establish a baseline of occurrence. (For example, for smoking, count the number of cigarettes smoked per day over 3 consecutive days. The goal is by being mindful of this negative behavior, you will see a decrease in the number of cigarettes smoked).
Day 1: _______________________________
Day 2:ÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂÂ _______________________________
Day 3:_______________________________
- What is reinforcing that negative behavior for you? (For example, some people smoke cigarettes while drinking coffee, or eating, or driving or watching tv).
- Name a positive reinforcement that could be used for you every time you show improvement regarding that negative behavior? (For example, at the end of the day when you have smoked less cigarettes than the day before, you get the positive reinforcement of talking on the phone to a friend or going for a walk).
- Name one person who could be your social support to help change your negative behavior and to keep you committed to your plan. (For example, at the end of the day you will check in with you mom, significant other or best friend to tell them if you have smoked less cigarettes today than the day before. If you have, they may put $5.00 in a jar for you or if you have not, you may put $5.00 in a jar for them).
- Could you see this working, did it work for you? Please explain with at least two sentences why or why not. (Keep in mind that changing behavior takes time. The idea is to eventually no longer be influenced by positive reinforcement or social support)
- Think back, was your negative behavior initially formed due to classical, operant or observational learning? Please explain.
- Now that we are half way through the semester,go to https://images.google.com/ and upload the image that best suits how you now feel about your behavior modification exercise. Here is are two examples
Criteria for Success: Your assignment will be graded based on the following criteria: (a) Did you answer the questions with a 2-4 complete sentence response? (b) Did you number the questions with your responses? (c) Did you respond to a classmate with the same negative behavior that you both wish to change?