Janice B.

Baranda

MAED in Special Education

Behavior Modification

Behavior modification is defined as "the alteration of behavioral patterns through the use of such
learning techniques as biofeedback and positive or negative reinforcement."

Behavior modification is psychological methods for treating maladjustment and for changing
observable behavior patterns. In the behavior modification process, the procedures used are
monitored so that changes can be made when necessary. Physical and mental coercion, brain
surgery, brainwashing, drug use, and psychotherapy are often considered methods of behavior
modification because they try to, and frequently do, change behavior. None of them, however,
is behavior modification as the term is used in present-day psychology.

Behavior modification refers to the techniques used to try and decrease or increase a particular
type of behavior or reaction. This might sound very technical, but it's used very frequently by all
of us. Parents use this to teach their children right from wrong. Therapists use it to promote
healthy behaviors in their patients. Animal trainers use it to develop obedience between a pet
and its owner. We even use it in our relationships with friends and significant others. Our
responses to them teach them what we like and what we don't.

Purpose

The goal of behavior therapy is to reduce or eliminate undesirable behaviors and teach or
increase acceptable behaviors. This is accomplished through the use of behavioral techniques
and strategies such as systematic desensitization, modeling, reinforcement, and aversive
conditioning. Unlike psychoanalysis and other more psychodynamic approaches to therapy,
behavior therapy relies on these conditioning techniques to help people make desired changes,
rather than focusing on unconscious processes that may play a role in unhealthy or unwanted
behaviors. These techniques can be used in all age groups, and can be applied to a wide
range of settings.

History

The foundation for behavior modification was laid at the beginning of the 20th century in the
experimental laboratory of the Russian physiologist Ivan P. Pavlov. A dog was being trained to
salivate when a circle was projected on a screen and not to salivate when an ellipse was
shown. The shape of the ellipse was gradually modified to resemble the circle. When only a slight
difference between the circle and the ellipse could be perceived, the dog became agitated
and no longer displayed the conditioned response it had acquired. This type of disturbance was
called an "experimentally induced neurosis."

A second landmark event for behavior modification took place when Pavlov's conditioning
principles were extended to humans. In 1920 the American psychologists John B. Watson and
Rosalie Rayner reported an experimental study in which an 11-month-old baby who had
previously played with a white laboratory rat was conditioned to be fearful of the rat by
associating a loud noise with the animal, a process known as pairing. The psychologist Mary
Cover Jones later performed experiments designed to reduce already established fears in
children. She found two methods particularly effective: (1) associating a feared object with a
different stimulus capable of arousing a positive reaction, and (2) placing the child who feared
a certain object with other children who did not.

Behavior modification techniques were used in the 1940s and '50s by psychologists in South
Africa, England, and the United States. Joseph P. Wolpe, a South African physician, questioned
the effectiveness of psychotherapy for treating disturbed young adults, especially those with
disabling fear reactions. To deal with anxiety disturbances, Wolpe devised treatment procedures
based on Pavlov's classical-conditioning model. At about the same time, a group of
psychologists in London, headed by Hans J. Eysenck and M. B. Shapiro, launched a new
program of research on the development of treatment techniques, basing their investigations on
the learning theory of the American psychologists Clark L. Hull and Kenneth W. Spence.

In the U.S. two kinds of investigations helped to establish the field of behavior modification. One
was a further extension of the classical-conditioning principles to clinical problems such as bed-
wetting and alcoholism. The other was the application of the operant-conditioning principles
developed by B. F. Skinner to the education and training of handicapped children in schools
and institutions and to the treatment of adults in psychiatric hospitals.

By the early 1960s, behavior modification had become a clearly identifiable applied psychology
movement with two components: behavior therapy and applied behavior analysis.

Contributors to the development of behavioral therapy:

Ivan Pavlov (1849 — 1936)

Pavlov’s contributions to behavioural therapy were accidental. He was originally studying the
digestive process of dogs when he discovered that associations can develop when pairing a
stimulus (food) that has a response (dog salivates) with a stimulus that has no response (bell). The
stimulus with no response (bell) eventually develops the same response (dog salivates) as the
stimuli that has the response (food). This type of learning is known as classical conditioning
(Seligman, 2006).

John B. Watson (1878 — 1958)

Watson has been described as the “father” of behaviourism (McLeod). He used Pavlov’s
principles of classical conditioning as well as emphasizing that all behaviour could be
understood as a result of learning. Watson’s research involved the study of a young child called
“Albert”. “Albert” was initially not scared of rats. However, Watson paired the rat with a loud
noise and this frightened “Albert”.

After this was repeated numerous times, “Albert” developed a fear of rats. He also developed a
fear of things similar to a rat such as men with beards, dogs, and fur coats. This fear was
extinguished after a month of not repeating the experiment (McLeod, n.d.a).

B.F. Skinner (1904 — 1958)

Skinner developed the theory of operant reinforcement theory which is the notion that how
often a behaviour is executed depends on the events that follow the behaviour (Seligman,
2006). For example, if the behaviour is reinforced, the behaviour is more likely to be repeated. He
emphasised observable behaviour and rejected the notion of “inner causes” for behaviour
(McLeod, n.d.a)
John Dollard (1900 — 1980) & Neal Miller (1909 — 2002)
Dollard and Miller provided more understanding to behavioural theory. They believed that when
a stimulus and response are frequently paired together and rewarded, the more likely it is for an
individual to repeat the behaviour (Seligman, 2006). They identified this as a habitual response.
Dollard and Miller also identified four elements in behaviour: drive, cue, response, and
reinforcement (Seligman, 2006)

Joseph Wolpe (1915 — 1977)

Wolpe described a process known as reciprocal inhibition which is when “eliciting a novel
response brings about a decrease in the strength of a concurrent response” (Seligman, 2006).
Wolpe also developed the therapeutic tool of systematic desensitization which is used in the
treatment of phobias (to be discussed further down).

Albert Bandura (1925)

Bandura applied the principles of classical and operant conditioning to social learning. Basically,
people learn behaviours through observation of other’s behaviour, also known as modelling
(Seligman, 2006).

Importance or Benefits

One of the greatest benefits of behavior therapy is that it helps people improve the quality of
their life. For example, someone who’s been unable to quit smoking or who has suffered for
years due to a debilitating phobia can often learn to overcome the problem by working with a
skilled behavioral therapist. This can be life-changing. It can also help the person gain
confidence and use newly acquired skills to make other desired changes in his or her life.

Behavior therapy can help people learn to manage and reduce aggressive impulses,
compulsive behaviors, and anger outbursts. It can help them improve their current coping skills
or learn new ones so that they’re more equipped to handle challenging or unfamiliar situations.
This type of therapy can also teach people to become more socially adept.

Compared to many other types of psychotherapy, one of the primary advantages of behavior
therapy is that it’s a relatively short-term treatment. As mentioned earlier, treatment goals can
often be reached in several weeks, rather than several months or a few years. This makes it a
more cost effective treatment approach than longer-term therapies. The techniques and
strategies used in behavior therapy are also fairly straightforward and easy for most clients to
understand and learn.

https://www.verywellfamily.com/what-is-behavior-modification-1094788

https://www.addiction.com/a-z/behavior-therapy-behavior-modification/

http://www.counsellingconnection.com/index.php/2010/02/05/historical-background-of-
behaviour-therapy/

http://autocww.colorado.edu/~toldy2/E64ContentFiles/PsychologyAndPsychologists/BehaviorM
odification.html

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-behavior-modification-definition-techniques-
examples.html