Topic 21: Habit Reversal Procedures Flashcards
Habit Reversal
a procedure for treating habit disorders
its component procedures include awareness training, competing response training, social support, generalization strategies, and motivational strategies
research has shown that awareness training and competing response training are the most crucial components for treatment effectiveness
Habit Disorder
a repetitive behavior that is distressing to the person
habit disorder include nervous habits, motor, and vocal tics, and stuttering
Habit Behaviors
a repetitive behavior in one of three categories: nervous habits, tics, and stuttering
Nervous Habit
repetitive, maladaptive behaviors that are most likely to occur when a person experiences heightened tension
nervous habits do not typically serve any social function for the individual
Motor Tics
repetitive, jerking movements of a particualr muscle group in the body
Vocal Tic
a repetitive vocal sound or word uttered by an individual that does not serve any communicative function
Tourette’s Disorder
a tic disorder involving multiple motor and vocal tics that have occurred for at least one year
Stuttering
a speech disfluency in which the individual repeats words or syllables, prolongs a word or sound, and/or block on a word (makes no sound for a period of time when trying to say a word)
Awareness Training
a component of the habit reversal procedure in which the person is taught to identify each instance of a particular habit as it occurs
Competing Response
an alternative behavior that occurs in place of another target behavior
typically, the competing response is physically incompatible with the target behavior, so its occurrence competes with the occurrence of the target behavior
Competing Response Training
a component of the habit reversal procedure in which the client is taught to engage in a competing response contingent on the occurrence of the habit behavior or contingent on the urge to engage in the habit behavior
Social Support
a component of the habit reversal procedure in which a significant other praises the client for correct use of the competing response and prompts the client to use the competing response when the habit behavior occurs
in general, social support occurs when significant others are involved in implementing contingencies in the natural environment to help a person reach a self-management goal
Motivation Strategy
part of the habit reversal procedure used to increase the likelihood that the client will use the competing response outside the treatment sessions to control the habit
Regulated Breathing
the competing response that is used in the habit reversal treatment for stuttering
Diaphragmatic Breathing
a type of relaxation exercise in which one engages in slow, rhythmic breathing, using the diaphragm muscle to pull air deep into the lungs
What are habits?
(bad) habits are repetitive or stereotyped behaviors (persistent postural, gestural, or verbal responses) that serve no useful purpose and tend to be an annoyance
occur automatically/subconsciously
are cued by aspects of the performance context (i.e. environment, preceding actions)
are learned though a process of repetition, so that they are stored in procedural memory
involve the striatum of the basal ganglia, which is associated with voluntary motor control and procedural learning
are often maintained by automatic reinforcement
What is procedural memory?
memory subsystem that supports minimally conscious control of skilled action
What conditions allow a behavior to be characterized as a disorder?
is distressing to the person
occurs with sufficient frequency or intensity to cause the person to seek treatment
has adverse physical or social effects on the person
What are nervous ahbits?
repetitive, manipulative behaviors that are assumed to occur when a person experiences heightened nervous tension
e.g. fingernail biting, teeth grinding, thumb sucking
also called body-focused repetitive behaviors (BFRB)
originally believed to reduce nervous tension or anxiety; are known to be induced by boredom, frustration, or stress, or serve as self-stimulation
are associated with perfectionism (which causes frustration and stress)
What are motor tics?
repetitive, jerking movement of the body
e.g. facial tics, head jerking
may be due to increased muscle tension
a certain movement may produce relief to injured area, but tic persists even after injury has healed
What are vocal tics?
repetitive nonspeech vocal sound that does not convey information or serve a social function
e.g. excessive throat-clearing, or uttered sounds
What is Tourette’s?
includes multiple motor tics and at least one vocal tic
only a small minority of those with Tourette’s utter obscenities, socially inappropriate or derogatory remarks
caused by interaction of genetic and environmental factors
often presents with other comorbid factors, such as ADHD or OCD
typically not treated with medication, but with behavioral therapies
What is stuttering?
speech dysfluency in which a person repeats syllables or words, prolong the length of a syllable or word, or experiences blocking (inability to produce the sound)
many behavioral therapeutic treatments exist, including breathing exercises, fluency shaping, and stuttering modification therapy
What are habit reversal procedures?
an approach for decreasing a behavior that does not concentrate on providing or withdrawing reinforcers and is implemented by the target person, usually under the supervision of a behavior analyst or other therapist
What is habit reversal training?
comprised of two main components: awareness training and competing response training
competing response both prevents the target behavior and provides an alternative behavior
competing response may serve as punisher when it is performed after the target behavior
usually, the response is unobtrusive
may also apply social support and motivation strategy
What is awareness training?
person is taught to describe the problem behavior, and the to watch for it and notice when it occurs (or is about to occur)
What is competing response training?
person is taught to perform a behavior that is incompatible with the target behavior
What is social support?
family members or friends who spend significant time with the target person: point out when the target behavior occurs, prompt the use of a competing behavior, and reinforce the competing response or a desirable behavior
What is motivation strategy?
behavior analyst works with client to determine situations and antecedents for the target behavior, as well as consequences
includes review of the drawback of the behavior
may include self-administered consequences
used to increase compliance with competing response
What are the steps of applying habit-reversal training?
- client learns to describe and identify the problem behavior
- client learns and practices a behavior that is incompatible with or competes with the problem behavior
- for motivation, client reviews adverse effects of the disorder, records and graphs the behavior, and has someone provide reinforcement for engaging in the treatment
What is generalization training?
practice focuses on how to control tics in everyday situations
first, person practices tic-control procedures in session until done correctly
covert rehearsal: person imagines common and tic-eliciting situations and then performs the tic-control exercise
finally, the person tries controlling tics in real-world situations
What is aversion therapy?
a form of respondent conditioning which involved the repeated pairing of a troublesome reinforcer with an aversive event
has been applied to alcoholism, cigarette smoking, nail-biting, substance abuse, homosexuality, “sexual deviancy”, and pathological gambling
uses aversive stimuli like electric shocks, elastic/rubber bands snapped on the wrist, and covert sensitization (imagined aversion)
therapy often uses symbolic representations (e.g. pictures or videos) to replace the troublesome reinforcer itself
often has a high dropout rate
may work better in conjunction with a behavioral counseling program/behavior therapy
implementation requires special expertise
How can alcoholism be treated using aversion therapy?
disulfiram (US) given with alcoholic drinks (NS) interact to cause nausea and other extremely unpleasant reactions (UR)
repeated pairing of alcohol with disulfiram may cause the person to avoid alcohol (CS)
What is massed negative practice?
a punishment procedure that requires the person to repeat the undesired target behavior for a predetermined time period contingent on the occurrence of the target behavior
e.g. after a vocal tic, the person would have to force him or herself to make vocal tics for 2 minutes
not the same as competing response, which should prevent the target behavior
evidence indicates that massed negative practice is not as effective as HRT
