Final: BEHAVIOR THEORY

Question 1

BEHAVIOR THEORY: Reinforcement vs. punishment (negative and positive)

Answer 1

■ Positive: adding something to increase behavior (praise, attention, money, good) ++
● Positive reinforcement involves providing a ​reward​ to a client upon completion​ of a desired behavior (i.e. Giving Joe a cookie after he aces this exam) ​(chocolate chip please)

■ Negative: subtracting something to increase behavior (waking up before the alarm b/c you want to avoid the alarm) -+
● Negative reinforcement involves the removal of an already active aversive stimulus

○ Punishment (decreasing behavior):
■ Positive: adding something to decrease behavior (time-out after child misbehaves)+-
■ Negative: removing something to decrease behavior (taking t.v. away from a child
that misbehaves) - -
■ Aversive stimulus: the opposite of positive reinforcement (might be unpleasant, such
as shocking a poor little mouse) ouch!!!

Question 2

BEHAVIOR THEORY: Techniques/Interventions

Answer 2

○ SMART goals- Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Timely

○ Therapeutic relationship
■ Active and directive; formulates goals; core conditions are necessary but not sufficient
■ The overriding goal of behavior therapy is to help clients become more ​flexible and sensitive​ in their reactions to ​change in their environment​ and to establish tools that are effective for the individuals needs.
● Goal setting is an important part of treatment in behavior therapy.

○ Assess for behavior; establish baseline: frequency, intensity, duration, onset, triggers
○ Aversion Therapy: linking undesirable behaviors with negative experiences to motivate
change (ex. Satiation: giving excessive exposure to a negative stimulus/behavior)
○ Behavioral Rehearsal: practicing a challenging task/behavioral modification, i.e. through
role-play in session
○ Modeling
○ Time Out
○ Natural Consequences
○ Biofeedback: using instruments to monitor bodily functions in order to modify behaviors
○ Contracting: establishing an agreement about goals and roles within the therapeutic process
○ Diaphragmatic Breathing: deep breathing to induce calm, increased self control and
mindfulness
○ Exposure: repeated contact with feared/avoided stimulus resulting in adaptation
○ Assertion training
○ Acting as if
○ Activity scheduling

Question 3

BEHAVIOR THEORY: Behavioral ABCs

Answer 3

○ A​ ​Antecedents​–event that cues or elicits certain behavior (When does the problem usually
arise?)
○ B​ Behavior– (What happens?)
○ C​ Consequences– events ​that maintain the behavior​ in some way, either by increasing or
decreasing it (what happens around you once the problem occurs?)

Question 4

BEHAVIOR THEORY: View of Psychopathology

Answer 4

○ Psychosocial dysfunction is considered to be the result of learning maladaptive behavior and persists because there is some reward for that behavior (p. 333)
○ Behavior is learned and acquired largely through modeling, conditioning and reinforcement.
○ Behavior has a purpose

Question 5

BEHAVIOR THEORY: Types of conditioning–classical vs. operant

Answer 5

○ Classical conditioning​: what happens ​prior​ to learning that creates a response through pairing
■ Ex: pavlov’s dog: salivation > food; bell > food; bell> salivation
■ This pairs two stimuli, is often involuntary responses, passive, ​response​ is after
stimulus
■ Stimulas discrimination:​ The ability to distinquish amoung similar cues

○ Operant​: learning in which behaviors are ​influenced by the​ consequences​ that follow​ them
■ Ex: A rat gets goodies when it pushes a button. So it pushes the button in order to
get the goodies.
■ Usually voluntary behavior but can be involuntary as well
● Operant conditioning refers to ​the schedules of reinforcement​ responsible for
producing the new behavior. ​P. 326.
○ schedules of reinforcement: ​Continuous, fixed ratio, fixed interval, or
variable

Question 6

BEHAVIOR THEORY: Social Learning Theory​: (Dollard, Miller)

Answer 6

*​Social Learning Theory is the study of c​ ircumstances​ under which a ​response and a cue​ stimulus
become connected​. P. 327

○ Bobo Doll: Modeling–if I see someone being violent as a child, I am more likely to manifest
that behavior
○ Reciprocal determinism: our behavior influences our environment and our environment
influences our behavior
○ Self-efficacy theory: our cognitions about our abilities
○ Dollard & Miller identified four elements in behavior
■ Drive, cue, response, and reinforcement

Question 7

BEHAVIOR THEORY: Treatment Goals​:

Answer 7

■ Seeks to extinguish maladaptive behaviors and help people learn new adaptive ones. see- p. 333
■ Improve self-efficacy (the belief that you are capable of doing something)
● Reduction in use of, or abstinence from drugs, and alcohol
● Reduction of undesirable habits
● Improved social skills