Module 18: Practice Exercises

Module Overview

What you have learned in this textbook and course, have tremendous value to you in your daily life starting now. You have been given the power to positively change your life, or another person’s, but as the expression goes, ‘With great power comes great responsibility.’ As the author of this textbook it is imperative that I provide you with opportunities to apply these various strategies in numerous scenarios to ensure you are using them correctly. Your instructor will work with you also to ensure correct application and to address any misapplications that may arise. Take your time with each activity. Some will have you work alone while others will ask you to work in small groups. The end result is that you develop a firmer grasp on when, and how, to use each strategy. I have provided necessary documents on the next two pages. Good luck.

Overview of Activities:

• Exercise 18.1: Behavioral Principles Applied to Others Activity
• Exercise 18.2: Multiple Behaviors/Multi-faceted Treatment Plan
• Exercise 18.3: Behavior Modification Strategies Application
• Exercise 18.4: Developing a Behavior Modification Plan

Module Learning Outcomes

• Apply what you have learned in this textbook to suggest treatment strategies or to develop a plan for the individuals in the scenarios.

Key tools you need include:

Overall Process for Behavior Modification

Be sure you know and understand this process before you get to Exercise 18.4 which is the same format as Part 2 of the final exam in this class. The process or steps are listed below along with references to the modules that cover them. If you are unsure about any of these steps in the process, reread the textbook on this material. Note that though you are not developing a full plan until Exercise 18.4, this is the same exact process you have used in your behavior modification plan. So it is not new.

Planning for Change

1. Identify Target Behavior – Module 2
2. Pros and Cons Analysis with Self-Efficacy – Module 3
3. State behavioral definition – Module 4
4. Establish goals and criterion – Module 4
5. Determine plan to record data – Module 5
6. Conduct a functional assessment and baseline phase – Module 5
7. Identify strategies – Modules 6-9 for strategies and 10 for actual selection
8. Identify temptations and mistakes – Module 11
9. State plan rules – Module 12

Implementation and Behavior Change

10. Implement plan. Collect data as you go. Treatment phase – Module 14

11. Re-evaluate the plan and see if it is working. Make adjustments as needed – Module 15

12. Move to maintenance phase. Engage in relapse prevention – Module 16

Please note that MS Word and PDF formats of the Exercises can be found at the end of this module.

Without further ado……

Exercise 18.1: Behavioral Principles Applied to Others Activity

Name: __________________________________

ID#: ________________________________

Worth 25 points (2.5 points each)

Instructions: Consider each scenario below, and discuss different approaches for either decreasing the undesirable behavior, or increasing a desirable behavior. Be as detailed as possible, describing specific strategies from class.  Everything we covered in class this semester is fair game – that is, Antecedent-, Behavior-, AND Consequence-focused strategies.

You need to offer 5 strategies for each scenario.

You MAY use your notes for Activity 18.1.

1. Clarissa is an 8 year old girl in second grade. She is frequently late to school and her mother is trying to figure out a way to get her out the door on time. How might you handle this if Clarissa was your daughter?
2. The night shift supervisor at the local department store has noticed that employees are taking twice as long to complete their closing tasks. This delays everyone leaving for the night and he is concerned that this behavior will transfer over to the morning shift who have the responsibility of setting endcaps, posting sale tickets, and placing the tills in the cash register. You have been consulted with to find a solution to increase worker productivity, efficiency, and accuracy. What would you suggest to the supervisor?
3. A student in Ms. Clark’s 4th grade English class has become incredibly disruptive recently and talks out of turn, bullies other students, gets up out of his seat in the middle of instruction, and yells out loud when he does not get what he wants. What would you do about this?
4. What if you had a similar situation as described in Question 3, but in a college classroom? What would you do about it then if you were the instructor?
5. How can you use behavior modification to toilet train a cat? (That is, how can you train the cat to use a toilet, instead of a litter box)
6. To say your roommate is very messy is an understatement. She routinely leaves dishes in the sink and doesn’t even soak them. How might you use behavior modification principles to change this unwanted behavior?
7. Your friend Luisa is struggling in this class and knows you are taking it too. She comes to you for help. She is not doing well because she spends very little time studying. Every evening after supper, she spends time with her friends, talking, watching TV and videos, and playing video games. How might you help her to make better use of her study time?
8. Jessica has left home for the first time in her life so she could earn her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. Her family misses her and sends her weekly letters. Though she misses them too, she rarely writes back, and some family members have stopped writing. Jessica is busy with classes during the day and studies for a few hours in the evening, but the rest of her time, and most of her weekend, she spends watching her favorite team play football, hanging with friends, surfing the internet, and playing video games. What type of behavior modification plan might you develop to help her return letters to those who write her (and even initiate some letters of her own)?
9. Maurice is a 7-year old boy who sucks his thumb while reading during language arts instruction. His parents and teacher want to stop this behavior as some of the kids in his second grade class make fun of him. How do you suggest this be done?
10. You have recently lost your job due to the company’s downsizing. You now have intense feelings of failure and a fear of not being able to provide for your family, both of which have led to your closing yourself off from friends, family, and favorite activities. You seek the advice of a counseling psychologist. What do you think this person may suggest to you based on your understanding of behavior modification principles?

Exercise 18.2: Multiple Behaviors/Multi-faceted Treatment Plan

Name: __________________________________

ID#: ________________________________

Worth 30 points

Scenario: Alvin is a 16 year old boy who attends high school in a rural school district. He does reasonably well in school with his grades averaging in the B range. He has no cognitive impairments that would affect his ability to perform at a higher level in school. Alvin does, however, have poor time management skills and an inability to organize tasks in logical and meaningful ways. He also has a great deal of trouble with punctuality which affects multiple life domains to include home (not taking a shower on time, leaving for school late, and going to bed late) and school (showing up to classes late). At times, he procrastinates work in favor of watching NASCAR and playing Madden on his PS3. Alvin has very few friends and often states that he does not know how to talk to people. In conversations with adults, he often makes inappropriate sexual comments. Six years ago Alvin’s parents went through a divorce which was amicable and mutual. He moved in with his mother for about 8 months before she had to move to another state due to employment issues. The move was sudden and left Alvin with abandonment issues and low self-esteem and feelings of worthlessness. His mother did not return to the state when she had the chance and Alvin will not fly to see her due to an extremely debilitating fear of heights. As a child, Alvin was diagnosed with high functioning autism (formerly Asperger’s syndrome) and has frequent motor and vocal tics. Currently, he is experiencing a motor tic in which his jaw drops down and his neck jerks to the side. This has been going on for about 2 months now and leaves him feeling very self-conscious and embarrassed.

You MAY use your notes for Activity 18.2.

Part 1 Tasks:  Applied Behavior Analysis Treatment Plan Development (Individual)

1. Work alone for Part 1, as directed by your instructor.
2. After reading the scenario, identify all maladaptive/problem/undesirable behaviors present in this scenario.
3. Suggest treatments from the full list of 30 plus strategies to handle each behavior. There is no limit to the number of treatments but be sure they are applicable to that problem behavior. Give details on how each strategy will be used.
4. Worth 15 points graded on the variety of treatments you select and how well you use them. You will either turn this in during class or via a dropbox if in an online class.

Part 2 Tasks: Peer Review (Small Group)

1. Working with another student in the class, or a small group, share your response. Read another student’s.
2. Compare your treatment plan with theirs. Where do differences lie? What can be added to your plan? Make adjustments and indicate changes you made. If you did not think to add something that is fine. You are not docked for this so please indicate additions based on this peer review. This will help you learn and grow in the long run. The same goes for misused strategies.
3. Worth 10 points for participating in the peer review. You will either turn this in during class or via a dropbox if in an online class.

Part 3 Tasks: Class Review (Class)

1. Using what you learned about self-management/behavior modification, we will identify all problem behaviors and then work through a treatment plan.
2. Please make notes about what changes you would make to your plan based on the class discussion.
3. Worth 5 points for participating in the peer review. You will either turn this in during class or via a dropbox if in an online class.

Part 1 Workspace (______/15 points) 

DO NOT USE YOUR NOTES

Based on the scenario above, what problem behaviors do you see and how will you treat each?

Problem Behaviors (list them):

Treatment Plan for Each Problem Behavior or Clusters of Related PBs:

Part 2 Workspace (______/10 points)

Who was your teammate? _____________________________________________________

Based on your peer review and discussion, what changes would you make to your plan? Be specific.

Part 3 Workspace (______/5 points)

Based on the class review and discussion, what changes would you make to your plan? Be specific.

Exercise 18.3: Behavior Modification Strategies Application

Name: _______________________________________

ID#: ____________________________

Worth 25 points

(3 points each and 1 point for answering all 8 questions)

Instructions: Consider each scenario below, and discuss different approaches for either decreasing the undesirable behavior, or increasing a desirable behavior. Be as detailed as possible, describing specific strategies from class.  Everything we covered in class this semester is fair game – that is, Antecedent-, Behavior-, AND Consequence-focused strategies.

You need to offer 5 strategies for each scenario.

Ideally, Exercise 18.3 should be completed WITHOUT the use of notes.

This will help you to know if you are ready for the final exam.

1. You love the taste of soda, and have fallen in love with the machines that can basically deliver whatever soda you want. Of course, soda is not good for you due to the sugar and empty calories. You want to cut down to no more than four sodas a day at the beginning of your plan, and eventually to no more than one soda a day. How do you do this?
2. Though you love your professor and she delivers many excellent lectures, she has the bad habit of wandering around the classroom while she talks. The constant movement is distracting, and as a class, you have decided to modify her behavior. How will you get her to move less?
3. Your friend can no longer participate in contact sports due to several injuries in the past year. As such, he wants you to teach him how to golf. How will you do this?
4. You love going to the movies with your kids but when you do, they tend to act out by laughing really loudly at even the stupidest jokes, throwing popcorn at each other (and occasionally other people), and getting out of their seats. Though their parents do deliver punishers for doing this, the children only briefly stop this disruptive behavior. How would you teach the parents to eliminate this problem behavior in movie theaters?
5. In an effort to gain admittance into graduate school, you have decided to apply for a research position in Dr. Smith’s comparative psychology lab. She is currently studying foraging behavior in rabbits and you are expected to be able to handle the rabbits as part of your responsibilities. One problem. You have an intense fear of rabbits. You are not comfortable with picking the rabbits up but want to overcome the fear. You consult an applied behavior analyst for help. What might they suggest to you?
6. You wish to engage in prosocial behavior on a regular basis and found that you only participate in such acts 1-2 times a month. If your end goal is to make such behavior 7-10 times a month, how might you go about doing this?
7. Traffic in Los Angeles is bad at almost any time of the day, but worst at rush hour. Your co-worker, Arney, becomes very frustrated and engages in aggressive behaviors such as honking his horn, tail-gaiting, cutting other drivers off, yelling obscenities, and flipping the bird at his fellow man. How might you help him to better control or decrease his anger and aggressive behavior while driving home from work?
8. Money does not grow on trees, and Alex has found that his late night obsession with eating Taco Bell is beginning to shrink his monetary funds all while growing his waistline. Something needs to be done fast, and he goes to his university’s counseling center to seek help. The counselor he talks to (that is you) has training in behavior modification and helps him to develop a plan. What do you think are components of that plan?

Exercise 18.4: Developing a Behavior Modification Plan

Name – ____________________________________

ID – ____________________

Worth 20 points

Ideally, Exercise 18.4 should be completed WITHOUT the use of notes.

This will help you to know if you are ready for the final exam.

Scenario: Mikayla has been complaining over the past two weeks that she cannot finish homework on time. Though she attempts to study everyday she becomes bored and seeks other sources of stimulation. She also tells you that she studies in her dorm room in the evening with the TV on. Often her friends visit unannounced while she is trying to study and they all end up watching their favorite reality show together. It has gotten to the point that she does not even try to study and spends time with friends instead. As you might expect, her grades have dropped off considerably leading to feelings of worthlessness and low self-esteem and efficacy.

Directions: Using what you learned about self-management, suggest a plan for Mikayla to study more effectively, raise her grades, and still have time to watch that reality show with her friends. Be advised that all aspects of the plan must be present to be eligible to receive full credit. Your strategies should include A, B, and C-focused strategies.

To be clear, you are developing a full plan using all of the steps in the behavior modification process.

End Module 18 Exercises

It may make it easier to have the exercises in another format but this one, so MS Word and PDF are offered below:

• 26 – Module 18 – Practice Exercises
• 26 – Module 18 – Practice Exercises