Student Resources

Many of society’s best achievements—from democratic government to helping the less fortunate, and from great works of art to important scientific discoveries—as well as some of its most pressing health…

This chapter describes 12 major areas of application in which behavior modification has a solid foundation. Being a parent is a challenging job. In addition to meeting basic needs, parents…

After studying this chapter, you will be able to: Describe the minimal phases of a behavior modification program. Compare and contrast indirect and direct behavioral assessment procedures. Describe seven behavioral…

After studying this chapter, you will be able to: Describe the minimal phases of a behavior modification program. Compare and contrast indirect and direct behavioral assessment procedures. Describe seven behavioral…

After studying this chapter, you will be able to: Define respondent conditioning, higher-order conditioning, respondent extinction, and counterconditioning. Explain how respondent conditioning is involved in digestion, circulation, and respiration. Describe…

After studying this chapter, you will be able to: Define positive reinforcement. Discuss how we are influenced by positive reinforcement on an almost continuous basis. Distinguish between positive reinforcement and…

After studying this chapter, you will be able to: Discuss the differences between conditioned reinforcers, unconditioned reinforcers, generalized conditioned reinforcers, backup reinforcers, and token reinforcers. Describe factors that influence the…

Operant extinction is most effective when combined with positive reinforcement for some desirable alternative behavior. It is important to consider the setting in which operant extinction will be carried out…

Sometimes a new behavior develops when an individual performs some initial behavior and the environment then reinforces slight variations in that behavior across a number of trials. In a shaping…

This chapter discusses four types of intermittent schedule for increasing and maintaining behavior: ratio schedules, simple interval schedules, schedules with limited hold, and duration schedules. For a discussion of problems…

Darcy, the sister of one of the authors, was a child back in the time when there were just traditional landline telephones. Behavior that is reinforced increases. Behavior that is…

Peter, diagnosed with ASD, possessed an extensive vocal mimicking repertoire. He repeated many of the words other people said but had little other verbal behavior. He would imitate many words,…

Many behavior sequences that you perform in everyday life are behavioral chains. Behavior shaping, fading, and chaining are sometimes called gradual change procedures because each involves progressing gradually through series…

Tommy, an 11-year-old boy with a developmental disability, was judged by his teacher to be the most disruptive student in his classroom. He frequently engaged in inappropriate talking and other…

Ben, a 7-year-old boy with a developmental delay, was in a public-school program for severely disturbed children. The staff at the school noticed an increase in his frequency of hitting…

Joanne, an attendant at the Anna State Hospital, was a model employee. She was hardworking, punctual, and well-liked by the patients. Unfortunately, Joanne constantly slouched while she worked. While slouching…

Janice, a University of Manitoba student, was assigned a paper at the beginning of a course she was taking that was due by midterm. A week before the paper was…

Carole, in the last year of her BA Honors degree in psychology at the University of Manitoba, had to give an oral presentation of her honors thesis research. She had…

Mary, a 13-year-old figure skater, was standing beside her sport psychologist and coach just off the ice surface, waiting for her turn to skate her short program in a Provincial…

James, a 27-year-old man with a mild intellectual disability, had alternated between group home placement and a psychiatric hospital for many years. He preferred to live in a group home,…

Traditional psychological theories of motivation have addressed the “processes of wanting” by postulating inner drives. However, rather than taking this approach, behavioral psychologists have adopted the concept of a motivating…

Susie, a 5-year-old child with developmental disabilities, was referred for treatment of her high frequency of self-injurious behavior —banging her head and slapping her face. Functional assessment refers to three…

This chapter assumes that the reader has knowledge of the principles and procedures and it provides guidelines that should be followed when designing, applying, and evaluating a behavioral program. Implementing…

This chapter describes the typical steps used to set up and manage a token economy. In various work settings, token economies have been used to increase safety behavior, decrease absenteeism,…

One type of self-control problem consists of behavioral excesses doing too much of something. All such behavioral excesses lead to immediate reinforcers e.g., tasty food, enjoyable programs. If a behavior…

After studying this chapter, you will be able to: Outline three stages in behavioral approaches to psychotherapy. Explain the prominent cognitive behavior therapies. Explain prominent self-regulation and problem-solving methods. Outline…

After studying this chapter, you will be able to briefly describe common behavioral treatments for: specific phobias. alcohol and other addictive substance use disorders. panic disorder and agoraphobia. eating disorders.…

After studying this chapter, you will be able to: Outline the early history of the respondent conditioning orientation to behavior modification. Outline the early history of the operant conditioning orientation…

After studying this chapter, you will be able to: Explain a behavioral view of ethics. Evaluate arguments for and against deliberately controlling behavior. Critically discuss ethical guidelines for developing and…