Behavior modification is a psychological practice used to shape a subject's actions by altering the antecedent events, which occur just before the target behavior, or consequences, events immediately following the behavior. Manipulating the antecedent or consequence events can increase or decrease the frequency and strength of the target behavior. The goal is to increase appropriate, desired behaviors and decrease or extinguish inappropriate behaviors. Proactive behavior modification techniques and incremental interventions often reduce escape-motivated behaviors.
Avoiding an Unpleasant Task
Behavior modification techniques can help when a subject seeks to avoid an unpleasant task, such as attending school or riding the school bus. To escape this task, a child might feign an illness prior to the bus arriving in the morning. Behavior modification techniques encourage the child to use alternatives to the escape behavior, such as verbalizing fear of the bus rather than feigning illness or riding the bus accompanied by a caretaker.
In another example, an immigrant might habitually pretend not to understand English in order to avoid using the new language. Educational researcher SangEun Kim of Ball State University, found that verbal encouragement or positive reinforcement resulted in higher motivation for individuals to practice a new language instead of avoiding the uncomfortable task.
Avoiding an Individual or Setting
A person may avoid contact with one specific individual--for example, the client who will not interact with the physical therapist but readily interacts with the physician. The tasks presented by the physical therapist may be too difficult for the patient to accomplish. When tasks are too difficult, modifications may help subjects overcome avoidance or escape behaviors. Having the physician work through the tasks and modify expectations along with the physical therapist may encourage the patient to work with the physical therapist seeking her assistance when future tasks are too difficult.
The setting may also trigger the need to escape for some clients, such as the individual who becomes verbally aggressive and agitated when he must enter a confined space, such as an elevator. The Area Special Education Collaborative points out that maladaptive behaviors may result from the individual's need to feel in control. Allowing the individual to press the buttons on the elevator may decrease his anxieties and encourage him to replace his aggressive behaviors with less volatile responses.
Escape to a Preferred Location, Individual or Task
Escaping to a safe, non-demanding environment is a preferred action for many individuals. A child may break a window with a baseball hoping to get his father to return home or increase physical complaints in order to leave the classroom and visit the school nurse. Some individuals behave inappropriately to gain participation in a preferred task. A young child not ready to give up afternoon naps may intentionally become physically aggressive with peers in order to receive a time out in a quiet corner of the room. B.F. Skinner demonstrated that consequences preferred by the subject actually encourage and strengthen maladaptive behaviors, acting as positive reinforcers. The use of time out in this example serves as a positive reinforcer for the the maladaptive behavior. Contingency contracts are useful in altering this form of escape, presenting the subject with a less desirable task to complete before gaining the desired activity.
References
- Ball State University: Behavior Modification Through Reinforcement in Studying Other Languages
- Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders: Mathematics Instruction and Behavior Problems: Making the Connection
- B.F. Skinner Foundation: A Brief Survey of Operant Behavior
- Area Special Education Collaborative: Addressing Challenging Student Behavior
