Test 1 Flashcards
behavioral assignments
Home practice activities that clients perform on their own as part of an integrated therapeutic intervention for behavior modification.
contingency contracting
A procedure in which an individual forms a contract with another person, such as a therapist, detailing what rewards or punishments are contingent on the performance or nonperformance of a target behavior.
Modeling
Learning gained from observing another person performing a target behavior.
Self-reinforcement
Systematically rewarding or punishing oneself to increase or decrease the occurrence of a target behavior.
self- control
A state in which an individual desiring to change behavior learns how to modify the antecedents and the consequences of that target behavior.
Cognitive restructuring
A method of modifying internal monologues in stress-producing situations; clients are trained to monitor what they say to themselves in stress-provoking situations and then to modify their cognitions in adaptive ways.
operant conditioning
The pairing of a voluntary, nonautomatic behavior with a new stimulus through reinforcement or punishment.
classical conditioning
The pairing of a stimulus with an unconditioned reflex, such that over time the new stimulus acquires a conditioned response, evoking the same behavior; the process by which an automatic response is conditioned to a new stimulus.
cognitive- behavior therapy (CBT)
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.
Stimulus-control interventions
Interventions designed to modify behavior that involve the removal of discriminative stimuli that evoke a behavior targeted for change and the substitution of new discriminative stimuli that will evoke a desired behavior.
discriminative stimulus
An environmental stimulus that is capable of eliciting a particular behavior; for example, the sight of food may act as a discriminative stimulus for eating.
self-monitoring
Assessing the frequency, antecedents, and consequences of a target behavior to be modified; also known as self-observation.
Self-determination theory
The theory that autonomous motivation and perceived competence are fundamental to behavior change.
theory of planned behavior
Derived from the theory of reasoned action, a theoretical viewpoint maintaining that a person’s behavioral intentions and behaviors can be under- stood by knowing the person’s attitudes toward the behavior, subjective norms regarding the behavior, and perceived behav- ioral control over that action.
self-efficacy
the belief that one can control one’s practice of a particular behavior
health belief model
According to this model, whether a person practices a health behavior depends on two factors: whether the person perceives a personal health threat, and whether the person believes that a particular health practice will be effective in reducing that threat.
fear appeals
Approach assumes that if people are afraid that a particular habit is hurting their health, they will change their behavior to reduce their fear. However, this relationship does not always hold.
What are the risk factors for the leading causes of death in the U.S.? (Heart disease, cancer, stroke, accidental injuries, chronic lung disease)
Heart disease; Tobacco, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, physical inactivity, obesity, diabetes, stress
Cancer; Smoking, unhealthy diet, environmental factors
Stroke; High blood pressure, tobacco, diabetes, high cholesterol, physical inactivity, obesity
Accidental injuries; On the road (failure to wear seat belts), in the home (falls, poison, fire)
Chronic lung disease; Tobacco, environmental factors (pollution, radon, asbestos)
According to Belloc and Breslow what are the important health habits?
• Sleeping 7 to 8 hours a night • Not smoking • Eating breakfast each day • Having no more than one or two alcoholic drinks each day • Getting regular exercise • Not eating between meals • Being no more than 10 percent overweight
What are the two general strategies of primary prevention?
There are two general strategies of primary prevention.
The first and most common strategy is to get
people to alter their problematic health behaviors, such
as helping people lose weight through an intervention.
The second, more recent approach is to keep people
from developing poor health habits in the first place.
What is an educational appeal?
Educational appeals make the assumption that people will change their health habits if they have good information about their habits. Early and continuing efforts to change health habits have focused heavily on education and changing attitudes.
What are important aspects to an effective educational appeal?
• Communications should be colorful and vivid rather
than steeped in statistics and jargon. If possible, they
should also use case histories
• The communicator should be expert, prestigious,
trustworthy, likable, and similar to the audience.
• Strong arguments should be presented at the beginning
and end of a message, not buried in the middle.
• Messages should be short, clear, and direct.
• Messages should state conclusions explicitly.
• Extreme messages produce more attitude change, but
only up to a point. Very extreme messages are
discounted. For example, a message that urges people
to exercise for half an hour a day will be more effective
than one that recommends 3 hours a day.
• For illness detection behaviors (such as HIV testing or
obtaining a mammogram), emphasizing problems if the
behaviors are not undertaken will be most effective. For
health promotion behaviors (such as sunscreen use),
emphasizing the benefi ts may be more effective
• If the audience is receptive to changing a health habit,
then the communication should include only favorable
points, but if the audience is not inclined to accept the
message, the communication should discuss both sides
of the issue.
• Interventions should be sensitive to the cultural
norms of the community to which they are directed.
For example, family-directed interventions may be
especially effective in Latino communities
Explain the perceived health threat (one factor of the health belief model).
The perception of a personal health threat is influenced by at least three factors: general health values, which include interest in and concern about health; specifi c beliefs about personal vulnerability to a particular disorder; and beliefs about the consequences of
the disorder, such as whether they are serious.
Explain the perceived threat reduction (one factor of the health belief model).
Whether a person believes a health measure will reduce threat has two subcomponents: whether the person thinks the health practice will be effective, and whether the cost of undertaking that measure exceeds its benefits
What are some of the criticisms to attitude theories?
Attitude-change interventions may provide the informational base for altering health habits but not always the impetus to take action.
What are some reasons for relapse?
Initially when people change their behaviors, they are
vigilant, but over time, vigilance fades and the likelihood
of relapse increases. For example, people may find
themselves in situations where they used to smoke or
drink, such as a party, and relapse at that vulnerable moment.
People with low self-efficacy for the behavior
change initially are more likely to relapse. Sometimes,
people think they have beaten the health problem, and
so giving in to a temptation would have few costs.
When is relapse more likely?
Relapse is more likely when people are depressed, anxious, or under stress. For example, when people are breaking off a relationship or encountering difficulty at work, they are vulnerable to relapse. Because of the high risk of relapse, behavioral interventions build in techniques to try to reduce its likelihood.
What are the stages of change in the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change?
Precontemplation Contemplation Preparation Action Maintenance
Explain the precontemplation stage:
The precontemplation stage occurs when a person has no intention of changing his or her behavior.
Many people in this stage are not aware that they have a problem, although families, friends, neighbors, or coworkers may well be. An example is the
problem drinker who is largely oblivious to the problems
he creates for his family. Sometimes people in the
precontemplative phase seek treatment if they have been pressured by others to do so. Not surprisingly, these people often revert to their old behaviors and so make poor targets for intervention.
Explain the contemplation stage:
Contemplation is the stage in which people are aware that they have a problem and are thinking about it but have not yet made a commitment to take action. Many people remain in the contemplation stage for years. Interventions aimed at increasing receptivity to behavior change can be helpful at this stage
Explain the preparation stage:
In the preparation stage, people intend
to change their behavior but have not yet done so
successfully. In some cases, they have modified the target behavior somewhat, such as smoking fewer cigarettes than usual, but have not yet made the commitment to eliminate the behavior altogether.
Explain the action stage:
The action stage occurs when people modify
their behavior to overcome the problem. Action requires
the commitment of time and energy to making real behavior change. It includes stopping the behavior and
modifying one’s lifestyle and environment to rid one’s
life of cues associated with the behavior.
