operant conditioning: behaviour modification

Question 1

what is behaviour shaping

Answer 1

develop complex behaviours by reinforcing any behaviour that resembles target behaviour
reinforcement given for successive aproximations

Question 2

give an example of behaviour shaping

Answer 2

child taught to get dressed

1.child puts arm into jacket but may be wrong arm/upside down
2. child puts arm in jacket correctly
3. child puts both arms in jacket correctly
4. child fastens buttons on jacket
5. child puts jacket on perfectly

Question 3

what are the strengths of behaviour shaping

Answer 3

Behaviour modification tends to lend itself well to forms of treatment. Behaviour modification systems have been used to treat a range of mental health disorders from Sz to ASD. Lovaas therapy involves intensive reinforcement including shaping in order to normalise some aspects of behaviour of children with ASD. This shows that behaviour modification is a practical benefit to clients

There is evidence that behaviour shaping is a successful way to help young children learn appropriate behaviours through reinforcement of small steps. Nasar et al. (2008) found that behaviour shaping was successful in supporting a child aged 11 years old with ADHD to concentrate on tasks.

Question 4

what are the weaknesses of behaviour shaping

Answer 4

Behaviour modification techniques can give therapists the power to determine the future behaviour of their clients. This is an ethical issue because this power is open to abuse. For example, behaviour modification could be used to condition a client to follow whatever behaviours the therapist considers normal. These might include wearing a suit and going to church. These things might conflict with the beliefs and preferences of the individual. This is important because clients in behavioural therapy have the human right of individual liberty within the bounds of the law.

Behaviour shaping is a time-consuming process. The process is time consuming because it requires the person to specify and reward each stage of a behaviour before only rewarding the ‘finished’ desired behaviour, once all stages have been completed. This is a weakness because it will require time and can be potentially expensive. It is not an immediate learning response.