PSYC 320 Week 8 DB Forum 6 Example

Discussion Board Forum 6: Thread and Two Replies

PSYC 320 Behavior Modification, Discussion Board Forum 6 (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 review are real; the requirements follow Liberty's public course guide for PSYC 320.

Thread

At my church, a new youth volunteer told me she freezes when a child refuses to join a game. She either pleads or gives up. She does not need a lecture on child development; she needs a skill she can perform under pressure. Miltenberger (2015) describes behavioral skills training as exactly that kind of teaching, using four components: instructions, modeling, rehearsal and feedback.

The first step is to define the skill. For this volunteer, a calm response to refusal has five steps: kneel to the child's eye level, name the feeling ("You don't want to play right now"), offer two choices ("You can sit with me or help keep score"), praise any choice the child makes and return to the group within two minutes.

Training follows the four components. Instructions describe each step and why it matters. Modeling shows it: I would demonstrate the response with another leader playing a reluctant child. Rehearsal follows immediately, with the volunteer practicing the full sequence in a role play. Feedback comes right after each rehearsal, praising every correct step first and then correcting one missed step. Rehearsal and feedback repeat until she performs all five steps correctly three times in a row, which is the mastery criterion. To help the skill carry over, later role plays would use different children's lines and take place in the actual youth room.

Research supports this approach for people who teach others. Kirkpatrick et al. (2019) systematically reviewed studies that used behavioral skills training with teachers and found it effective for teaching a range of instructional and behavior management skills. They also noted that fewer studies measured generalization to the classroom and maintenance over time, which is why I would check her skill during real youth nights after training.

In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul pictures teaching as a relay, handed to reliable people who will hand it on in turn (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016). Behavioral skills training is one practical form of that discipleship: show, practice, encourage and correct until the skill is truly passed on.

Classmates: what skill would you most like to teach someone using these four steps?

Reply to Abby

Abby, training parents to give clear instructions at bedtime is an excellent use of behavioral skills training, because the skill is specific and the setting is predictable. Miltenberger (2015) notes that rehearsal should resemble the setting where the skill will be used, so practicing with a role-played child in the parents' own living room may help. Kirkpatrick et al. (2019) found that generalization was measured less often than acquisition, so a short check during a real bedtime would show whether the skill transferred. Proverbs 15:1 says a gentle answer turns away wrath (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016), a fitting goal for bedtime battles. Will you observe a real bedtime, or ask the parents to record one?

Reply to Elijah

Elijah, you asked how to fade your involvement after training new camp counselors. Miltenberger (2015) describes moving from frequent feedback to occasional feedback as the learner's performance stabilizes, similar to thinning reinforcement. You might observe every session the first week, then every other day, then weekly, and stop scheduled feedback once a counselor meets the checklist criterion twice in a row. Kirkpatrick et al. (2019) suggest that maintenance needs to be measured, not assumed, so a brief checklist observation a month later would help. Ecclesiastes 3:1 reminds us there is a season for every activity (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016), including a season to step back. How will you decide when to step back for each counselor?

References

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

Kirkpatrick, M., Akers, J., & Rivera, G. (2019). Use of behavioral skills training with teachers: A systematic review. Journal of Behavioral Education, 28(3), 344-361. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-019-09322-z

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