behavior modification

(noun)

The act of altering actions and reactions to stimuli through positive and negative reinforcement or punishment.

Related Terms

  • trial and error
  • Law of Effect

Examples of behavior modification in the following topics:

  • Behavioral Psychology

    • Behaviorism is an approach to psychology that focuses on observable behaviors that people learn from their environments.
    • Its application to the treatment of mental problems is known as behavior modification.
    • In his theory, mental disorders represented maladaptive behaviors that were learned and could be unlearned through behavior modification.
    • Some behavior therapies employ Skinner's theories of operant conditioning: by not reinforcing certain behaviors, these behaviors can be extinguished.
    • This later gave rise to applied behavior analysis (ABA), in which operant conditioning techniques are used to reinforce positive behaviors and punish unwanted behaviors.
  • Basic Principles of Operant Conditioning: Thorndike's Law of Effect

    • Thorndike's law of effect states that behaviors are modified by their positive or negative consequences.
    • Once the association between behavior and consequences is established, the response is reinforced, and the association holds the sole responsibility for the occurrence of that behavior.
    • The law of effect has been expanded to various forms of behavior modification.
    • Because the law of effect is a key component of behaviorism, it does not include any reference to unobservable or internal states; instead, it relies solely on what can be observed in human behavior.
    • Initially, cats displayed a variety of behaviors inside the box.
  • Latent Learning

    • Latent learning occurs without any obvious conditioning or reinforcement of a behavior, illustrating a cognitive component to learning.
    • It occurs without any obvious reinforcement of the behavior or associations that are learned.
    • Latent learning implies that learning can take place without any behavioral changes being immediately present.
    • This means that learning can be completely cognitive and not instilled through behavioral modification alone.
    • Edward Tolman was a behavioral psychologist who first demonstrated latent learning in rats.
  • Behavior Therapy and Applied Behavioral Analysis

    • Behavior therapy is based on the idea that maladaptive behavior is learned, and thus adaptive behavior can also be learned.
    • Behavior therapy is a treatment approach that is based on the idea that abnormal behavior is learned.
    • Behavior therapy methods sometimes focus only on behaviors, and sometimes on combinations of thoughts and feelings that might be influencing behaviors.
    • Those who practice behavior therapy, known as behaviorists, tend to look more at specific, learned behaviors and how the environment has an impact on those behaviors.
    • The first use of the term "behavior modification" appears to have been by Edward Thorndike in 1911.
  • Other Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders

    • Like many forms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), people struggling with body dysmorphic disorder often respond well to behavioral therapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).
    • Finally, the behavior cannot be due to another medical condition or mental disorder.
    • Non-pharmacological interventions, including behavior modification programs, may be considered; referrals to psychologists or psychiatrists are considered when other interventions fail.
    • The person must experience distress about this behavior and repeatedly try to stop.
    • Behavioral treatments include habit reversal training, cognitive-behavioral therapy, acceptance-enhanced behavior therapy, and acceptance and commitment therapy.
  • Goals of Psychology

    • The behavioral approach to psychology emphasizes the scientific study of behavior.
    • How does the behavior contribute to reproductive success?
    • What mechanisms are involved in the behavior?
    • How does the behavior develop within the individual?
    • For example, evolutionary psychologists ask the question – which human traits are evolved modifications of either natural or sexual selection?
  • Biopsychology

    • Biopsychology is the application of the principles of biology to the study of mental processes and physical behavior.
    • The fields of behavioral neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, and neuropsychology are all subfields of biological psychology.
    • Because all behavior is controlled by the central nervous system, biopsychologists seek to understand how the brain functions in order to understand behavior.
    • Philosophers like Rene Descartes proposed physical models to explain animal and human behavior.
    • (credit “left”: modification of work by Health and Human Services Department, National Institutes of Health; credit “center": modification of work by "Aceofhearts1968"/Wikimedia Commons; credit “right”: modification of work by Kim J, Matthews NL, Park S.)
  • Social Psychology

    • Social psychology studies individuals in a social context and examines how situational variables influence behavior.
    • Social psychology typically explains human behavior as a result of the interaction of mental states and immediate social situations.
    • Thus, social psychology studies individuals in a social context and how situational variables interact to influence behavior.
    • Essentially, people will change their behavior to align with the social situation at hand.
    • (credit “signs”: modification of work by David Shankbone; credit “walk”: modification of work by "Fibonacci Blue"/Flickr)
  • Methods for Researching Human Development

    • This design points to cause-and-effect relationships and thus allows for strong inferences to be made about causal relationships between the manipulation of one or more independent variables and subsequent subject behavior.
    • In contrast to longitudinal and cross-sectional designs, which provide broad outlines of the process of change, microgenetic designs provide an in-depth analysis of children's behavior while it is changing.
    • (credit "left": modification of work by Kerry Ceszyk; credit "middle-left": modification of work by Kristi Fausel; credit "middle-right": modification of work by "devinf"/Flickr; credit "right": modification of work by Rose Spielman)
  • Habituation, Sensitization, and Potentiation

    • Long-term potentiation (LTP) is the persistent strengthening of synapses based on recent patterns of activity: it occurs when a neuron shows an increased excitability over time due to a repeated pattern, behavior, or response.
    • Because memories are thought to be encoded by modification of synaptic strength, LTP is widely considered one of the major cellular mechanisms that underlies learning and memory.
    • Habituation is the "behavioral version" of sensory adaptation, with decreased behavioral responses over time to a repeated stimulus.
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