Operant Conditioning: Behavior Modification

Your goals for this operant conditioning activity are to plan, perform, and report on an exercise in behavioral modification. You will apply what you have learned about principles of operant conditioning to change the behavior of a participant, carefully recording what you do and how your participant responds.

In preparation of your Behavior Modification Plan, please thoroughly explain each of the following points using appropriate terminology:

1. Who is the participant? (Preferably this will be someone (else), it could be a pet. Consider whether you will need to seek informed consent.

2. Identify the Target Behavior: Describe the behavior that you would like to change. (This could be something the participant already does or something you would like him or her to do. Select a behavior which is interesting to you, but it is important that the behavior is also one which you can easily observe and quantify because you will have to objectively measure how the frequency of the behavior changes. Please make sure that your choice is legal, moral and ethical.

3. Discuss what will you use as "consequences," that is reinforcers and/or punishers? (Reinforcers are generally preferable. You want to identify consequences which you believe will work for your participant, and explain why you believe they will work).

4. How will you deliver the "consequences" once you have determined what they will be? (You will need to consider in practical terms how you will be able to do this with your participant and what "schedules of reinforcement" you will use).

5. After addressing all of the 4 steps above, you'll need to submit your plan to me for approval.

6. After I notify you of your Proposal Approval, you may start working on your behavioral modification exercise. (Follow the plan outlined in your Proposal and keep careful notes of everything you do and all the data you collect.)

7. Produce a Behavior Modification Report of your behavioral modification. Be as objective as possible, including both the strengths and limitations in your work.

Your Report should include the following:

a) Title

b) Introduction explaining what your project was about, give background on the techniques you are using.

c) Description of the procedures you implemented.

d) Detailed account of the data you gathered (describe what you observed happening and include specific "numbers" quantifying how much the behavior changed over what length of time (you may use visuals, such as charts or graphs).

e) Discussion of any conclusions you can draw about behavioral modification and operant conditioning from your experience.

f) Evaluation (or critique) of your behavioral modification, mentioning any problem areas where you feel you could have improved your results.

Make sure to cite your sources using APA Style.