The founder of radical behaviorism, the psychologist and philosopher B.F. Skinner, believed that, "No science of behavior can change the essential nature of man," but could instead "yield technologies with a vast power to manipulate the subject matter." Behaviorism focuses on trying to modify a person's actions rather than looking at any underlying psychoanalytical causes for them. Stanford University professor Dr. John D. Krumboltz outlined activities for behavior modification in his landmark 1972 book, "Changing Children's Behavior."
Develop a New Behavior
According to Dr. Krumboltz, behavior modification works best to correct disruptive, inappropriate or unhealthy behaviors in childhood.
The first step in behavior modification, says Krumboltz, is a technique known as shaping. Shaping requires teaching a child a new, desirable behavior and then immediately rewarding him for achieving positive steps toward that goal. In the next step, known as the continuous reinforcement principle, the child is rewarded for each correct behavior.
Following continuous reinforcement is the negative reinforcement principle. Negative reinforcement allows the child to escape adverse situations by behaving correctly. The final step in developing a new behavior is called the cuing principle. Cuing gives the child a cue to behave correctly in advance, thus avoiding the chance to behave poorly.
Strengthen the Behavior
Strengthening a desired behavior begins with the decreasing reinforcement principle. According to Krumboltz, decreasing reinforcement encourages a child to continue performing the new behavior with few or even no rewards and then gradually requires more correct responses before the desired behavior is rewarded.
The variable reinforcement principle is next in the strengthening process. In variable reinforcement, intermittent rewards are given for correct behaviors.
Maintain the Behavior
The substitution principle is used to maintain the desired behavior. When a previous reward no longer controls the behavior, a new, hopefully more enticing, reward is used to replace the old one.
Stop Bad Behavior
Stopping an inappropriate behavior begins with satiation, says Krumboltz. The satiation principle allows--and sometimes even encourages--the child to continue an undesirable behavior until he becomes bored with it. The extinction principle dispenses with any rewards following inappropriate behavior.
With the incompatible alternative principle, the child is rewarded for behaving in a way that is either inconsistent or incompatible with the undesirable act. The response cost principle removes a pleasant stimulus immediately after the undesirable act. Response cost can result in aggression and, therefore, should be used sparingly and only in conjunction with reinforcement.
Modify Behavior
Modifying emotional behavior begins with the avoidance principle. In order to teach a child to avoid certain situations, present him with a representation of the undesirable situation along with its adverse outcomes.
In the fear-reduction principle, the child is gradually presented with a situation that he is afraid of until he is secure and comfortable with it.
References
- Valdosta State University
- B.F. Skinner Foundation: A Brief Biography of B.F. Skinner
- School Psychology: B.F. Skinner Quotes
- "Changing Children's Behavior"; Dr. John D. Krumboltz; 1972
