PSYC 320 Week 1 DB Forum 1 Example

Discussion Board Forum 1: Thread and Two Replies

PSYC 320 Behavior Modification, Discussion Board Forum 1 (thread and two replies)

Thread by [Student Name]

The prompt, the writer's example and the classmates' posts are composites standing in for the course's own forum; the textbook, Scripture and peer-reviewed article are real; the requirements follow Liberty's public course guide for PSYC 320.

Thread

A parent says, "My son is lazy." That statement describes a frustration, not a behavior. No one can count laziness, and two people might disagree about whether it happened on a given day. The label also suggests a fixed trait, which can discourage both parent and child, when the real concern is a pattern of behavior that can change. Miltenberger (2015) explains that behavior modification begins by defining the target behavior in observable terms: what the person says or does, described clearly enough that independent observers would agree.

Here is a better definition. Homework completion is the number of minutes the son spends seated at the kitchen table with his assignment open and his pencil or keyboard in use, between arriving home and dinner. Looking out the window for more than a minute or leaving the table ends a bout of homework time. With that definition, a parent can record duration with a timer each afternoon. Duration fits better than frequency, because the concern is how long he works, not how often he starts. The parent could record the total each day on a simple data sheet, and after a week or two the numbers would show a baseline against which any later change could be judged. The textbook also describes latency, the time between a cue and the start of a behavior, which might matter if the real problem is how long he takes to sit down.

That kind of definition reflects the standards of the field. Baer et al. (1968) described applied behavior analysis as applied, focused on behavior that matters to the person; behavioral, measuring what people actually do; and analytic, showing that a procedure caused the change. A clear operational definition serves all three, because it focuses on a socially important behavior, makes it measurable and allows a later change to be traced to the treatment.

Galatians 6:7 reminds believers that whatever one sows, that will one also reap (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016). Habits are a kind of sowing. Defining the behavior precisely is the first step toward helping someone sow differently, and it treats the person with more respect than a label does.

Classmates: what label do you hear most often that hides a measurable behavior?

Reply to Brooke

Brooke, worry is hard to observe, so your idea of recording your sister's worrying is challenging, though I think it can work with one adjustment. Miltenberger (2015) notes that covert behaviors can be self-recorded when the person agrees to monitor them. Your sister could tally each time she asks for reassurance, which is observable, while she records worry episodes privately on her phone, noting the time and situation. Baer et al. (1968) insisted that behavior analysis measure what people actually do, and reassurance seeking fits that standard because anyone in the room could count it. Philippians 4:6 invites believers to bring anxieties to God in prayer (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016), which might pair well with her tally. Would she be willing to self-record for two weeks?

Reply to Tyler

Tyler, your definition of your roommate's late-night gaming is clear, with a start time and an end time, but you mentioned only your own observations, which may be biased by being kept awake. Miltenberger (2015) recommends a second observer who records independently, so that interobserver agreement can show the data are reliable rather than colored by your own frustration. Baer et al. (1968) called applied behavior analysis technological, meaning procedures are described well enough for someone else to repeat them, and agreement between observers is part of that, since it shows the definition works for anyone who uses it. Proverbs 15:22 notes that plans succeed with many advisers (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016). Could another roommate record on a few nights so you can compare totals?

References

Baer, D. M., Wolf, M. M., & Risley, T. R. (1968). Some current dimensions of applied behavior analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 1(1), 91-97. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1968.1-91

English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)

Miltenberger, R. G. (2015). Behavior modification: Principles and procedures (6th ed.). Cengage Learning.