propose a program for changing a behavior.
Identify a target behavior to be modified, either an undesirable behavior that you would like to eliminate or a desirable behavior that they would like to strengthen. (study habits, sporting skills, health habits, or personal interaction skills)
Examples of potential undesirable behaviors to eliminate include
? eating fatty food OR
? procrastination before exams or papers.
Examples of desirable behaviors to be increased include
? spending more time doing homework, OR
? increasing a skill in sports (e.g., using a left foot in soccer, increasing free-throw percentage in basketball).
2. After identifying the target behavior, you will monitor your behavior and try to generate a plausible explanation for why the problem exists. What is reinforcing the behavior? You should also describe why you want to change the behavior and what benefits change will bring.
3. Next, carefully design a program for modifying the behavior. Provide yourself with a positive reinforcer that is contingent on specific improvements in the target behavior. You can use the same reinforcer that now maintains your undesirable behavior. Tokens could be used, for every hour of homework = 1 token. 1 token = 1 hour of TV!
