Lecture Habit Reversal Procedures

Question 1

What disorders are habit reversal procedures often used for?

Answer 1

Tourettes and tics.

Question 2

What are some nervous habits in habit behaviours?

Answer 2

Nail biting, hair pulling, oral habits, thumb sucking, bruxism.

Question 3

What are some features of tic’s and Tourette’s disorder?

Answer 3

Motor tics, vocal tics, or a combination of both.

Question 4

What are some features of stuttering in habit behaviours?

Answer 4

Repetitions of words or syllables, prolongations, or hesitations in speech sounds.

Question 5

What is bruxism?

Answer 5

Grinding teeth.

Question 6

Give an example of motor tics.

Answer 6

Physical jerks.

Question 7

Give an example of vocal tics.

Answer 7

Sudden swearing.

Question 8

Tourettes usually has motor tics, vocal tics, or both.

Answer 8

A combination of both.

Question 9

What is trichotillomania?

Answer 9

Excessive pulling of hair.

Question 10

What are 3 cases in which a habit behaviour can be classified as a habit disorder?

Answer 10

1. When a habit behaviour occurs excessively (in great frequency or duration).
2. When a habit behaviour causes physical damage (such as hair loss of damage to teeth and nails).
3. A habit behaviour that causes distress, social stigma, or embarrassment.

Question 11

What are the 6 habit reversal components?

Answer 11

1. Habit inconvenience review.
2. Awareness training.
3. Competing response training.
4. Symbolic rehearsal.
5. Public display.
6. Social support.

Question 12

What is awareness training?

Answer 12

Describing responses and detecting them.

Question 13

What is competing response training?

Answer 13

Identifying a physically incompatible response. Implementing the competing response contingent on the habit behaviour.

Question 14

Give an example of competing response training.

Answer 14

Claws to paws. Hiding your nails so you can’t chew on them.

Question 15

Give an example of competing responses for motor tics.

Answer 15

Lightly tense muscles involved in the tic while holding the body parts still.

Question 16

Give an example of competing responses for vocal tics.

Answer 16

Slow deep breathing through the nose with mouth closed.

Question 17

Give an example of competing responses for nail biting or hair pulling.

Answer 17

Hands in lap or in pockets, hand grasping an object, hands under arms.

Question 18

Give an example of competing responses for bruxism or other oral habits.

Answer 18

Holding teeth slightly apart or lightly clenching teeth.

Question 19

Give an example of competing responses for stuttering.

Answer 19

Diaphragmically breathing with slight exhale before speaking.

Question 20

What is social support?

Answer 20

Involving a parent, spouse, or significant other in treatment. Praise is given for absence of the habit behaviour and for the correct use of the competing response.

Question 21

What is relaxation training treating?

Answer 21

Treating the underlying anxiety.

Question 22

What is generalization training generalizing?

Answer 22

Generalization to external contexts and situations without trainer.

Question 23

What is an example of an incompatible reaction to stuttering?

Answer 23

To discontinue speaking.

Question 24

If not speaking is an incompatible reaction to stuttering, what other methods are there?

Answer 24

Take a deep breath, consciously relax throat and chest muscles, formulate the word to be spoken, emphasize initial words, speak for short durations.

Question 25

Habit reversal is basically a ___ ___ procedure.

Answer 25

Self-management.

Question 26

What is important in habit reversal?

Answer 26

Client motivation.

Question 27

How does habit reversal work?

Answer 27

We are not sure. It could be because of increased awareness, competing responses serving as punishers, competing responses replacing the habit behaviour, or a combination of reasons.

Question 28

Does habit reversal work, even if we don’t know how it works?

Answer 28

Yes.

Question 29

What are some other treatments for habit behaviours?

Answer 29

• Awareness enhancement device.
• Response prevention and blocking.
• DRO and response cost.
• Self-administered punishers.
• HR plus self-monitoring and goal-setting.
• Cognitive behaviour therapy.

Question 30

What is an awareness enhancement device?

Answer 30

A small device that detects particular movements and sound alarms to mark the behaviour.

Question 31

When are awareness enhancement devices useful?

Answer 31

When the client is young or has an intellectual disability, because they are less aware of the things that they are usually doing.

Question 32

Give an example of how an awareness enhancement device can be used.

Answer 32

A device that detects wrist movement can be used to notify when someone is about to pull their hair.

Question 33

Give an example of response prevention and blocking procedures.

Answer 33

Mittens for nail biting or finger sucking.

Question 34

How can DRO and Response Cost be used in habit reversal?

Answer 34

Providing reinforcers for not engaging in the behaviour, or for target alternative behaviours. Removing tokens for engaging in behaviour.

Question 35

How can self-punishment be used in habit reversal procedures?

Answer 35

Elastic banding and other brief, immediate, harmless stimuli.

Question 36

What is the problem with self-punishment?

Answer 36

Can initiate feedback loops, where the frustration leads to an increasing the behaviour, leading to increasing the punisher. Person can also fail to administer the punisher, called the short-circuiting problem.

Question 37

How can self-monitoring be used in habit reversal procedures?

Answer 37

Monitoring requires awareness of the behaviour and recording the behaviour instead of continuing to engage in the behaviour. The recording itself acts as the competing response.