Midterm 1- Lesson 1-8 Flashcards
List two steps in self-observation.
The first step in self-monitoring (or self observation) is to learn to discriminate the target behavior. An individual may be trained to monitor internal sensations closely so as to identify the target behavior more readily.
The second is to record and chart the behavior. Techniques range from very simple counters for recording the behavior each time it occurs to complex records documenting the circumstances under which the behavior was enacted as well as the feelings it aroused.
Give an example of how classical and operant conditioning can be used to change health behavior
Classical conditioning: Antabuse (unconditioned stimulus) is a drug that produces extreme nausea, gagging, and vomiting (unconditioned response) when it is taken in conjunction with alcohol. Over time, the alcohol (conditioned stimulus) will become associated with the nausea and vomiting caused by Antabuse and will elicit the same reactions (conditioned response) without the Antabuse being present.
Operant conditioning: Any behavior modification technique that changes the frequency of a voluntary behavior by linking it to a specific consequence can be considered a form of operant conditions. For example, suppose that Mary smokes 20 cigarettes a day. She can reduce the number of cigarettes she smokes by administering a specific reinforcement to herself, such as going out to dinner seeing a movie, whenever certain goals are met, such as a reduction to 15 cigarettes a day. The next step might be reducing smoking to 10 cigarettes a day, at which time she would receive another reinforcement. The target behavior then might be cut progressively to 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and none.
Identify the conditions under which modeling is most effective in reducing fear.
When modeling is used to reduce fear or anxiety, it is better to observe models who are also fearful but are able to control their distress rather than models who are demonstrating no fear in the situation. Because fearful models provide a realistic portrayal of the experience, the observer may be better able to identify with them than with models that are unrealistically calm in the face of the threat. This identification process may enable the person to learn and model the coping techniques more successfully.
Explain how stimulus-control interventions can be used to treat obesity.
As an early step in the treatment of obesity, individuals might be encouraged to reduce and eliminate these discriminative stimuli for eating. They would be urged to rid their home of rewarding and enjoyable fattening foods, to restrict their eating to a single place in the home, ad to not eat while engaged in other activities, such as watching television. Other stimuli might be introduced in the environment to indicate that controlled eating will no be followed by reinforcement. For example, people might place signs in strategic locations around their home, reminding them of reinforcements to be obtained after successful behavior change.
Summarize the findings of Mahoney (1974).
In an article entitled “Self-reward and self-monitoring techniques for weight control, published in Behavioral Therapy, M. J. Mahoney reported the findings of a study that examined the effects of positive self-reward on weight loss. Two self-reward conditions and two self-monitoring conditions were tested experimentally. The two self-reward conditions produced greater weight loss than the control or self-observation condition. Interestingly, of the two types of self-reward, the self-reward for habit change (that is, altered eating behavior) produced more weight loss than did the self-reward for weight loss. This result appears to have occurred because self-reward for habit change led these obese individuals to modify their eating habits, whereas self-reward for weight loss was associated only with losing weight and not with the behavior change that produced weight loss.
Identify two conclusions concerning the use of self-punishment.
- Positive self-punishment works somewhat better than negative self-punishment.
- Self-punishment works better if it is also coupled with self-rewarding techniques.
Give examples of contingency contracting and cognitive restructuring.
Contingency contracting is a procedure in which an individual forms a contract with another person specifying the rewards or punishment contingent upon the performance or non-performance of a target behavior. For example, a person who wanted to stop drinking might deposit a sum of money with a therapist and arrange to be fined each time he or she had a drink and to be rewarded each day that he or she abstained.
Cognitive restructuring is a procedure for modifying internal monologues in stressful situations; clients are trained to monitor what they say to themselves and then to modify their self-talk. If a smoker’s urge to smoke is preceded by an internal monologue that she is weak and unable to control his smoking urges, these beliefs are targeted for change. The smoker would be trained to develop a more positive form of self-talk that would support her in her effort to quit smoking.
List three goals of social skills programs.
Social skills training is a set of techniques that teach people how to relax and interact comfortably in social situations. These programs are based on the assumption that some health-compromising behaviors are the result of social anxiety. The three goal of social sills programs are:
- To reduce anxiety that occurs in social situations.
- To introduce new skills for dealing with situations that previously aroused anxiety.
- To provide an alternative behavior for the poor health habit that arose in response to social anxiety.
Identify the relapse rates for addictive disorders.
The relapse rate for addictive disorders such as alcoholism, smoking, drug addiction, and obesity are 50 to 90%.
Explain why relapse occurs.
Genetic factors may be implicated in alcoholism, smoking, and obesity. Withdrawal effects occur in response to abstinence from alcohol and cigarettes and may prompt a relapse, especially shortly after efforts to change behavior. Conditioned associations between cues and physiological responses may lead to urges or cravings to engage in the habit. For example, people may find themselves in a situation in which they used to smoke, such as at a party, and relapse at that vulnerable moment. Relapse is more likely when people are depressed, anxious, or under stress. For example, when people are moving, breaking off a relationship, or encountering difficulties at work, they may have greater need for their addictive habits than is true at less stressful times. Relapse occurs when motivation flags or goals for maintaining the health behaviors have not been established. Relapse is less likely if a person has social support from family and friends to maintain the behavior change, but it is more likely to occur if the person lacks social support or is involved in situations that involve interpersonal conflict.
List the positive and negative consequences of relapse.
Negative consequences: Relapse produces negative emotions, such as disappointment, frustration, unhappiness, or anger. Even a single lapse can lead a person to experience profound disappointment, a reduced sense of self-efficacy, and a shift in attributions for controlling the health behavior from the self to uncontrollable external forces. A relapse could also lead people to feel that they can never control the habit that it is simply beyond their efforts. Relapse may be a deterrent to successful behavior change in other ways as well.
Positive consequences: Relapse can lead people to perceive that they can control their habits, at least to some degree. With smoking for example, multiple efforts to stop often take place before people succeed, suggesting that initial experiences with stopping smoking may prepare people for later success.
Describe three interventions used to reduce the rate of relapse.
- Booster sessions following the termination of the initial treatment phase. Several weeks or months after the end of a formal intervention, smokers may have an additional smoking-prevention session or dieters may return to their group situation to be weighed in and to brush up on their weight-control techniques.
- Adding more components to the behavioral intervention. These can includes relaxation therapy or assertiveness training, although it is important to note that the addition of components does not appear to increase adherence rates and, under some circumstances, may actually reduce them.
- Treating abstinence as a lifelong treatment process. This approach is used in programs such as Alcoholics Anonymous. Although the approach has been effective, it can leave people with the perception that they are constantly vulnerable to relapse, potentially creating the expectation of relapse when vigilance wanes. Moreover, the approach implies that people are not in control of their habit, and research on health-habit modification suggest that self-efficacy is an important component in initiating and maintaining behavior change.
cognitive-behavior therapy
The use of principles from learning theory to modify the cognitions and behaviors associated with a behavior to be modified; cognitive-behavioral approaches are used to modify poor health habits, such as smoking, poor diet, and alcoholism.
self-monitoring
Assessing the frequency, antecedents, and consequences of a target behavior to be modified; also known as self-observation.
classical conditioning
The pairing of a stimulus with an unconditioned reflex, such that over time the new stimulus acquired a conditioned response, evoking the same behavior; the process by which an automatic response is conditioned to a new stimulus.
