Behavior Modification: Techniques for Positive Behavior Change

What are the best strategies for enacting change?

Reviewed by David Susman, PhD

Behavior modification uses various motivational techniques to eliminate behavior you don’t want to see or encourage behavior you do want to see. For example, you can use positive reinforcement, like praise, to encourage behavior you want. Alternatively, you can use negative reinforcement, like nagging, to eliminate behavior you don’t want.

Behavior modification is based on B.F. Skinner’s theory of “operant conditioning.” Skinner emphasized that the best way to understand an individual’s behavior is through the consequences of that behavior.

Takeaway

If the consequences of an action were favorable, the action would be repeated, while if the consequences were unfavorable, the action would not be repeated. This is the basis of behavior modification.

In the following, we’ll look at the principles and techniques of behavior modification, explore some examples of behavior modification, and look at the ethical considerations and criticisms of behavior modification.

Principles and Techniques of Behavior Modification

Behavior modification relies on ways to develop, strengthen, maintain, stop, or modify a behavior, according to Tara M. Lally, PhD, Supervising Psychologist in the Department of Psychiatry at Ocean University Medical Center. At the center of this is a stimulus, reinforcement, and punishment.

Stimulus and stimulus control

A stimulus is a catalyst that encourages a specific type of behavior. A stimulus control is “behavior that occurs more often in the presence of a stimulus than in its absence,” Lally explains. “For example, drivers stop in the presence of stop signs and we all act differently around someone we have a crush on.”

Consequences

Consequences occur after a behavior. “A consequence can be positive or negative,” Lally says. “Positive consequences could include praise or a reward and… negative consequence[s] could include the loss of something such as free time or attention.” In behavior modification, consequences take two forms reinforcement and punishment.

Reinforcement

“Skinner noted that a reinforcer is a consequence that increases the likelihood of behavior to recur,” said Lally. Reinforcement can be either positive or negative:

• Positive reinforcement occurs when someone is encouraged to continue their behavior because they receive rewards. For instance, when a child completes their homework, they could be allowed extra time to play on their tablet.

• Negative reinforcement occurs when someone is encouraged to change their behavior because something unpleasant will be taken away. For example, when a teenager does their laundry to get their parents to stop nagging them.

Punishment

Punishment can be positive or negative as well. Lally notes that “punishment is a consequence that decreases the chance” a behavior will recur:

• Positive punishment presents a negative consequence in order to decrease the likelihood of a negative behavior. One example is corporal punishment, including spanking, but this is an unproductive form of behavior modification as it can increase aggression and other problems. A better example is something like having a child who hurt their sibling do the siblings’ chores.

• Negative punishment takes away a positive consequence to decrease negative behavior. For instance, parents may take away a child’s cell phone when they break their curfew.

Extinction

Extinction “is the gradual weakening and eventual disappearance of a learned behavior,” according to Lally. “For example, a child that [has] tantrums for candy while checking out of the [grocery] store will begin to stop this behavior when ignored and not met with reward.”

Consistency is key when applying reinforcement and punishment. When consequences happen whenever you behave a particular way, eventually the choice will either become habit in the case of a positive behavior or go extinct in the case of an undesired behavior, as long as the consequences are applied consistently.

Applications of Behavior Modification

Behavior modification has been applied across all ages and settings where behavior change is necessary. Here are some examples.

Behavior modification in children and adolescents

Children and adolescents have already been covered here. Some additional examples include taking a child out for ice cream after they finish a challenging school assignment (positive reinforcement) and taking away a child’s toy when they fail to clean their room (negative punishment).

Behavior modification in adults

Behavior modification in adults is similar to children, and can result in similarly dramatic behavior modifications. For instance, an adult could use positive punishment to prevent themselves from biting their fingernails by putting a bad-tasting nail polish on.

Alternatively, a court could use negative reinforcement by dropping a fine so a person no longer has to go to jail. The consequence is good because the person doesn't have to do the undesired behavior.

Takeaway

Adults can use behavior modification to exercise regularly, eat healthy, work more efficiently, and numerous other things that can be positively or negatively reinforced or punished.

Behavior modification in clinical settings

In clinical settings, treatment teams may use behavior modification to reinforce prosocial behavior. They can do this through positive reinforcement. For instance, a token economy uses tokens or points that have real value, such as stickers or coins, as rewards for positive behaviors.

Behavior modification in educational settings

Educational settings have been widely studied. To manage classroom behavior modification:

1. Define the problem

2. Figure out a way to change the behavior

3. Determine an effective reinforcer

4. Apply the reinforcer consistently to modify behavior

Reinforcement and punishment are both effective as reinforcers but, in the classroom, reinforcement is preferred in helping children develop better behaviors.

For example, in third grade, a teacher decided to stop Allen from tipping back his chair. Every time she looked over, he would get a tally mark as punishment if he was leaning back. But positive reinforcement, where Allen got a tally mark as a reward every time she looked over and all four legs of his chair were down, might have been better as it would reinforce the positive behavior.

Behavior modification in organizational settings

In recent years a wide variety of organizational settings have used behavior modification and most have claimed positive results. In organizational settings, behavioral modification is used as a technique for managers to motivate employees.

For example, in a field study by Luthans and Kreitner, they trained the experimental group of supervisors in the techniques of behavior modification. The trained supervisors were asked to use what they’d learned with their employees, and after 10 weeks it was found that the experimental group had reduced the frequency of complaints, increased quality indicators, and declined in individual performance problems.

Also, the group’s labor effectiveness improved significantly. The control group, whose supervisors weren’t exposed to behavior modification techniques, showed none of these improvements.

Ethical Considerations in Behavior Modification

While behavior modification has a lot of promise, there are numerous ethical considerations. The most important of these from the perspective of a therapist or counselor is informed consent. According to Lally, “behavior modification… should have clear informed consent with patient autonomy driving the behavior change.” This involves agreement between the therapist and the patient that a given behavior needs to change.

“If the individual does not want to change the behavior, they cannot be manipulated to do so,” explained Lally. “However, the rewards, punishments, and perceived benefits of this behavior engagement may shift to lessen the appeal of continued behavior.” In other words, it would be easy for an unethical therapist to manipulate the patient to change behavior.

In addition, some behavior modification can result in ethical questions, especially those involving punishment, which can result in harm or negative consequences for the individual.

Limitations and Criticisms of Behavior Modification

Behavior modification also has several limitations and criticisms. Chief among them are critiques of behaviorism, particularly that behavior modification addresses outward behavior instead of underlying psychological issues. This can lead to problems that may be suppressed and then resurface later.

In addition, Lally observes that behavior modification does not always use intrinsic motivation to get its results. For example, when using token economies, people do things for external rewards, leading to questionable long-term effectiveness, because external rewards are less reinforcing than internal rewards.

Also, Lally points out that individuals and individual differences vary, so the same intervention may have an outsized effect on one person but practically no effect on someone else.

Takeaway

Based on the work of B.F. Skinner, behavior modification uses reinforcement and punishment as ways of encouraging or discouraging behavior. Many people of all different ages can have undesired behaviors and behavior modification techniques can be used to eliminate undesired behaviors and champion desired behaviors.

Read the original article on Verywell Mind.