Behavior Therapy Flashcards
Stimulus-response theory (S-R)
- Operant conditioning principle
- An environmental event directly causes a response from the organism
Stimulus-organism-response theory (S-O-R)
- What’s going on inside the organism determines the response
Operant conditioning
- Founded in 1911
- Assumes a behavior is controlled by the environment
- Introduced the ideas of reinforcement and punishment
Classical conditioning
- Founded in the 1920s
- A neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response through repeated pairing with another stimulus
Little Albert experiment
- Example of classical conditioning
- Took a once neutral stimulus (rabbit) (NS) and paired its presence with a loud noise (US) which was frightening (UR)
- Albert then learned to associate the rabbit (CS) with the loud noise (US) and would become upset (CR) just from the rabbit
Temperament
Biological dispositions that express themselves in environmental responses/behaviors
Do pure behaviorists worry about internal experiences?
- No
- Behavior is explained in terms of variables in the environment: learning, situational cues, and temperament
Reinforcement
Should increase the likelihood of a behavior
Positive reinforcement
- Adding something to increase the likelihood of a behavior
- Giving candy to a child after they behave at the doctor
Negative reinforcement
- Taking something away to increase the likelihood of a behavior
- Removing a child’s chores if they do well on a test
- Procrastination; removing the stress by putting off studying
Punishment
Should decrease the likelihood of a behavior
Positive punishment
- Adding something to decrease a behavior
- Giving an alcoholic medicine that will make them throw up if they drink alcohol
Negative punishment
- The removal of something to decrease a behavior
- Taking away a cat’s favorite toy because they threw up on the carpet
Discrimination learning
Learning a behavior that is particular to one or a few specific situations
Generalization
Learning a behavior that can be used everywhere
Vicarious learning/observational learning
Learning behavior through examples/watching
- Bobo doll experiment
Rule-governed behavior/instructional learning
Learning behavior without directly seeing it or experiencing it; learned through contact with rules/teaching
- Not running into a busy street
How can operant conditioning be a source of distress?
- Negative reinforcement in procrastination: taking away stress by not doing work, but eventually you’ll be swamped!
- Positive reinforcement in tantrums: rewarding a child so they will stop actually reinforces their tantrums!
How can classical conditioning be a source of distress?
- Insomnia: the bed (US) used to induce sleepiness (UR) as you’re only supposed to sleep in bed. But, with repeated pairings to your phone, food, or work in bed, these (CS) become paired with the bed (US), and then paired with wakefullness (CR)!
Goals of behavior therapy
- Change behavior by…
- Correcting maladaptive learning experiences
- Introducing adaptive learning: learning behavior for certain contexts
Behaviorists believe…
- That all behaviors make sense in the context of their environments because there is something in the environment maintaining it
- That all behaviors have a function
Exposure
Gradually exposing a person to their fears in a safe environment
- Therapist demonstrates the behavior to show transparency and trust
Stimulus control
- Control the stimuli in the environment
- Extinguish the stimuli with inappropriate control
- Develop adaptive conditioning (break the learned behavior and learn a new one)
- Ex) cleaning your car so it isn’t paired with smoking anymore
Extinction (operant conditioning)
When a behavior is no longer reinforced; “putting it on extinction”
Extinction (classical conditioning)
The gradual weakening or disappearance of a conditioned response when the unconditioned stimulus is no longer presented
- Ex) pavlov’s dogs no longer salivating (CR) at a bell (CS) because food (US) is no longer presented with the bell
Shaping
Not expecting the exact behavior change the first time new contingencies are introduced, gradual
Describe the therapeutic style for behavior therapy.
- Directive and transparent
- The therapeutic relationship can help bolster motivation but is not emphasized in traditional BT
Treatment structure
- Will look unconventional and can take place in real world settings
- May take longer per session
- Ultimate goal is to leave therapy
Treatment development
- Set treatment goals (specific and measurable)
- Select appropriate treatment (changing reinforcement/cues)
- Develop treatment contract with clear goals and expectations
Behavioral excess
Behaviors that occur too often and are marked down to be reduced; maladaptive
Behavioral deficits
Healthy, adaptive behaviors that need to be increased or learned
Information sources
- Talking to close others, school, other doctors to get a full picture on what is triggering the maladaptive behaviors
- Diaries, self-reports
Functional analysis
- Looking at the situations in which the maladaptive behaviors occur and figure out the function of those behaviors
ABCs of functional analysis
- Antecedent (A): what happens before the behavior
- Behavior (B)
- Consequence (C): what happens after the behavior/what is maintaining the behavior
Differential reinforcement
Put the unwanted behavior on extinction and simultaneously identify a wanted behavior to take its place; reinforce the wanted behavior
Token economy
Positive reinforcement where someone receives tokens and the tokens lead up to a reinforcer
- Can lead up to classical conditioning; the tokens can become directly reinforcing!
Contigency management
Directly getting reinforcement each time
- Ex) getting money after a negative drug test
Aversive conditioning
Punishment in response to behavioral excess
- Not as effective as reinforcement techniques
In-vivo exposure
Behavior therapy/exposure in the relevant environment
Imaginal exposure
Thinking through the exposure, not in real life
Interoceptive exposure
Exposure to feared bodily experiences (ex. nausea, dizziness, increased heart rate)
Response prevention
Preventing safety behaviors so the client can fully learn a new behavior (ex. preventing dissociation)
How can stimulus control be used to treat insomnia?
- Extinguish inappropriate conditioning (bed can only be used for sleep and sex, if you can’t sleep then get out of bed)
- Condition appropriate stimuli (set consistent sleep/wake times, avoid napping, establish a bedtime routine)
What is the evidence base for Behavior Therapy?
- Exposure is the “gold standard” for phobia and anxiety
- Effectiveness shown for anxiety disorders, depression, substance use disorders, and schizophrenia (in conjunction with antipsychotics)
What are some cultural considerations for Behavior Therapy?
- What one culture find reinforcing another culture might not
- Therapist must be aware of their own biases
