intro to behaviour modification Flashcards
what is behaviour modification?
field of psychology concerned with analyzing and modifying behaviour (applied behaviour analysis)
how can you increase a particular behaviour?
study for X amount of time, you can watch netflix
how can you decrease a particular behaviour?
no longer engaging in a certain activity, negative punishment
how can receiving attention become reinforcing?
harming self to receive either good or bad attention
what is behaviour?
it depends on who you ask!
what is behaviour according to a behaviourist?
overt (external) actions
- how the environment around us causes us to react and can be quantified and observed easily
skinner was a..?
radical behaviourist
what is behaviour according to a cognitive psychologist?
overt and covert (internal, hidden) actions; thoughts, feelings and emotions
what are the aspects of behaviour that matter
- actions, not labels
- measureable dimensions
- observable
- it is lawful
- impacts the environment
- overt or covert
how do “actions, not labels” describe behaviour?
- operational definitions: here is the term, here is how we are going to measure it
- describing the process we are looking for (this is the behaviour we are looking for)
what are some examples of measurable dimensions?
- frequency
- duration
- intensity
- latency (total time)
what is important when looking at extinction?
persistence!
what makes something observable?
- measured
- recorded
- documented
what does it mean for a behaviour to be lawful?
- it follows the rules of the situations it is occurring
(if pecking gets a bird food, and they continue that behaviour )
how can behaviour impact the physical environment?
pushing, pulling
how can behaviour impact the social environment?
our actions influence others, reactivity
what is target behaviour?
behaviour you want to change
what are the two subdivisions of target behaviour?
behavioural excess and behavioural deficit
what is behavioural excess?
undesirable behaviour you want to decrease
what is a behavioural deficit?
desirable behaviour you want to increase
(not doing enough of a behaviour)
what is a procedure based on the principle of behaviourism?
experimental analysis of behaviour (manipulate environment, how does behaviour change)
behaviour modification focusses on _________ environmental events
current
(not a huge focus on the past, focus on what is happening right now)
what is an antecedent?
what happens before
what is a consequence?
what happens after
how do we measure behaviour change?
short-term and long term change
what caused it to happen (was change due to learning or fatigue?)
what characteristics to we want to avoid in behaviour modification?
hypothetical underlying causes
abstract causes
the treatments and findings in behaviour modification need to be able to be implemented by?
non-professionals / average people
what are some misconceptions when it comes to behaviour modification?
- relies on punishment
- uses bribes
- simplistic
- ignores real causes of behaviour, treats symptoms
- leads to people controlling each other
- ruins intrinsic (internal) motivation
- makes people dependent on external incentives
- dehumanizes people
- only works on kids or individuals with disabilities
what was ivan pavlov known for?
what was edward thorndike known for?
what was john watson known for?
what was b.f. skinner known for?
