1. +
Behavior Modification:
What Is It, And How Do We Use It?
Keith E Lyons
Walden University
2015

2. + What Is Behavior Modification?
✜ A therapeutic approach designed to change a
particular undesirable negative behavior. 1
✜ By using a system of positive or negative
consequences, an individual learns the correct set of
responses for any given stimulus. 2
✜ It is structured learning in which new skills and
behaviors are learned, undesirable habits are reduced,
and the client becomes motivated for change.
✜ Behavior Modification can not eliminate genetic,
hereditary, physical, or psychological struggles –
but it can help the individual live the most fulfilling
life possible no matter his/her current struggles.
”The
consequences
of an act affect
the probability
of it occurring
again. "

3. +
Other Common Clinical Approaches
 Abnormal behaviors are viewed
as symptoms of basic
underlying causes within the
psychological system 1
 Medication may be prematurely
or incorrectly applied for
behaviors.
 Disempowering to individual
 May feel they can not change
because it is pathological 2
 Implies defect in individual, and
can ignore environmental
influences.
 States it is our thinking that
causes us to feel and act the way
we do, if our mind is healthy.
 Psychotherapy approach,
requires focus on the disruptive
or maladaptive thoughts an
individual has, behavior is a
result of this thinking.
 Can be combined with Behavior
Modification as Cognitive
Behavior Therapy.
 This works well with individuals
that have typically developed
cognition abilities.
Medical Model Cognitive Therapy Approach

4. +
✜ Ivar Lovaas is referred to as the
“Grandfather” of ABA.
✜ Dedicated nearly half a century to
researching how to improve the lives
of individuals with Autism and their
families
✜ In 1965 he published a series of
articles on therapeutic approaches:
✜ Researched effective ways to teach
nonverbal children to speak,
establishing social (secondary)
reinforcers, procedures for teaching
children to imitate, and several
studies on interventions to reduce
life-threatening self-injury and
aggression

5. + Applied Behavior Analysis
 Process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles
of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful
degree, and to demonstrate that the interventions employed are
responsible for improvement of behavior
 Contrary to popular belief, the science of behavior must be a natural
science, not a social science (Marr, 2009)2
 Behavior analysts focus on the observable relationship of behavior to the
environment, including antecedents and consequences; without
hypothetical constructs (Thompson, 1984)3
 ABA differs from traditional behavior modification because it analyzes what
is prompting a behavior (the antecedent), establishes replacement
behaviors, and then develops consequential strategies to instill change4
What is it?

6. +
How do we use it?

7. + Applied Behavior Analysis
 When a behavior is followed by some sort of reward, the
behavior is more likely to be repeated.
 Techniques for instructions are research based, and behaviors
are measurable through operational definitions.
 Behavior is tracked and measured in order to analyze what
approaches and schedules of reinforcement are resulting in an
actual positive change in behavior.
Why does it work?

8. +
Behavior is learned through
motivation. The stronger the
motivation, the easier to
increase or reduce behavior

9. +
Motivation
 There can be no discriminative stimulus without motivation, which
is created through reinforcement 1
 Motivating Operations (MO) are the change in motivation, and include:
• Establishing Operations (EO): Increase in value of a consequence
as a reinforcer
• Abolishing Operations (AO): Decrease in value of a consequence as
a reinforcer
 MOs vary all the time in strength
• Must change MO all the time to maintain interest 3
 As well as asking what maintains a behavior, it is equally important to
ask, “Why is this consequence acting as an effective reinforcer for this
person now?” (McGill, 1999)
This is what we try to figure out using cognitive therapy, and talk therapy

10. + What do
we do
here and
now?
What behavioral
deficits currently
exist?
What currently elicits and
maintains undesirable
behaviors?
In the moment it
does not matter
how the individuals
got where they are
or acquired certain
problems.
Historical and psychological
information are still used, but
only to help determine current
variables affecting behavior 1

11. +

12. +
Co-occurring Disorders
 Behavior could be the result of a co-occurring disorder1
 Be aware, the behavior may or may not be a result of drug use
 The solution is not to block or remove access to substance abuse
treatment
 Giving the addictive disorder and the co-occurring disorder, including any
problem behaviors, the same level of attention and care is imperative
 A co-occurring disorder can help to explain some behaviors, but the client
should never be allowed to use it as an excuse.
 Do not dismiss a co-occurring disorder, but also do not allow it to
become a crutch

13. Current Strategy Process
Result: Behavior Reinforced
Increased attention to problem behavior(s)
Removal of aversive setting (Gets to leave)
Missed therapeutic opportunity/learning moment
Stimulus: Aversive Setting / Advantageous Situation
(i.e. Group)
Response: Disruptive Behavior (Glorify drugs, disrupt group)
Consequence: Removed from Therapy / Asked to Leave
the Facility1

14. +
“A person who has been
punished is not less inclined
to behave in a given way; at
best, he learns how to avoid
punishment.” – B.F. Skinner1

15. Proposed Strategy Process
Stimulus: Aversive Setting / Advantageous Situation
(i.e. Group)
Response: Disruptive Behavior (Glorify drugs, disrupt
group)
Consequence: Behavior Module: Process 1
Behavior Module: Process 2
Result: Negative behavior not reinforced, Other
options presented

16. +
Behavior Module
Leave
Group1
Complete
Behavior
Module
Speak with
Counselor
Complete
Behavior
Module
Return to
Group2
Speak with
Counselor

17. +
Staff Tools and Resources
 Behavior Contract: Can include behavior in group and sessions.
Does not allow for manipulation or confusion as an excuse.
Clearly outlined expectations for client
 Aftercare Contract: Client can “step-down” in services, but still
have a behavior contract to refer to and maintain solid and clearly
defined expectations
 Process Flowchart: Reference sheet for staff to clearly define
steps to be taken without deviation1
 Behavior Module: Worksheet to help client identify maladaptive
behavior and encourage insightful thought and discussion

18. +
Staff Training: It works!

 Typically used restraint and medication
 After receiving training on proper use of these techniques both went up in
occurrence
 Staff received Positive Behavior Tools training utilizing ABA1
 Post training results:
 Positive statements were more likely to occur
 Less interaction and attention to “junk” behaviors
 Overall there was a decrease in behavior for all patient areas2

 Utilizes behavior theory to improve performance on an organizational level
 Tools to monitor behavior producing work outputs that contribute to business
results.
 Analyze and improve human performance
 www.sixboxes.com

19. +
Scenarios Workshop

20. +
Overview and Conclusion
 Look for antecedent or stimulus to understand what may have
“triggered” the behavior
 Be aware of what behavior you are reinforcing when responding
 Are you allowing client to gain control and reinforcing negative behavior?
 Be consistent, do not argue, stick to procedure1
 Be patient, it took a long time to learn negative behaviors
 Pay attention to what the client is really trying to achieve with
behavior
 Are they crying out for help?
 Are they trying to take control?
 Are they uncomfortable and trying to avoid situation?
 Is there a co-occurring issue?

21. +
Definitions
 Stimulus:
 Conditioned Stimulus: A stimulus that acquires the ability to invoke
the same response as another stimulus that naturally invokes the
response (Pavlov)
 Discriminative Stimulus: A stimulus in the presence of which a
particular response will be reinforced (Malott, 2007)
 Shaping: The reinforcement of successive approximations of a
target behavior
 Reinforcement
 Positive: Adding a reinforcing stimulus or consequence
 Negative: Removing an aversive stimulus
 Punishment
 Positive: Adding an aversive stimulus
 Negative: Removing a desired stimulus

22. +
Definitions
 Generalize: Teaching ability to engage in social
communication, self-initiation, self-management, and to be
responsive to multiple cues across multiple settings.
 Respondent Conditioning: Also known as “classical
conditioning”, behavior that is a response to an antecedent.
 Operant Conditioning: Behavior that is an operation of the
environment. Behavior that is determined by antecedents and
consequences.
 Extinction: Systematically removing the reinforcer(s) to a
behavior in order to minimize and eventually extinguish
targeted behavior. Often results in an extinction burst.
 Extinction Burst: Temporary increase of behavior targeted
for extinction, as a response to the removed reinforcer(s).

23. +
References
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). (n.d.). Retrieved March 9,
2015, from https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/
treatment/applied-behavior-analysis-aba
Baer, D.M., Wolf, M.M., & Risley, T.R. (1968). Some current
dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of
Applied Behavior Analysis, 1, 91–97.
Langthorne, P., & McGill, P. (2009). A Tutorial on the Concept of
the Motivating Operation and its Importance to
Application. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2(2), 22–31.
Marr, M (2009). The natural selection: Behavior analysis as a
natural science. European Journal of Behavior Analysis,
10(2), 103–118.

24. +
References
Sundberg, M. L. (2013). Thirty Points About Motivation From
Skinner’s Book Verbal Behavior. The Analysis of Verbal
Behavior, 29(1), 13–40.
Skinner B. F. (1936). The verbal summator and a method for the
study of latent speech. Journal of Psychology, 2, 71–107.
Skinner B. F. (1938). The behavior of organisms: An experimental
analysis. New York, NY: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Skinner B. F. (1954). The operational analysis of psychological
terms. Psychological Review, 52, 270–277.
Skinner B. F.(1953). Science and human behavior. New York, NY:
Free Press.
Skinner B. F. (1957). Verbal behavior. New York, NY: Appleton-
Century-Crofts.
Skinner B. F. (1974). About behaviorism. New York, NY: Knopf.

25. +
References
Thompson, T. (1984). The examining magistrate for nature: A
retrospective review of Claude Bernard’s An
Introduction to the Study of Experimental Medicine.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 2(41),
212–13.