5 behavior modification techniques

Psychologists can use different strategies to change our behavior.

Behavior, which is the connection established between the organism's response and a specific environmental situation, can sometimes be maladaptive.

In order to increase its functionality (by eliminating, reducing or changing it) it is common to apply learning principles, known in psychology as behavior modification techniques..

Techniques for the creation and increase of behaviors

There is a Wide range of strategies that can be used to increase or promote desirable behaviors, or to reduce or eliminate dysfunctional ones. Among them are the following.

1. Reinforcement of behaviors

There are different types of reinforcement: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement.

The first consists of increasing the probability of occurrence of a behavior by following it with a satisfactory event. For example, congratulating your child for the good grades obtained in an exam will encourage his or her subsequent effort in studying.

The second is the increase in the probability of occurrence of behaviors that stop unpleasant events. For example, in the case of a person with claustrophobia, going up the stairs instead of the elevator, to avoid the anxiety it produces, will tend to be repeated.

How to use reinforcers?

Positively reinforced behaviors are better learned and maintained over time. However, not just any reinforcer is useful; it is necessary to know how to choose them well depending on each case, so that they adapt to the needs of the plan and do not go against their own logic. How to use reinforcers correctly?

First of all, they must be properly chosen. To this end, we must bear in mind that they must be proportional to the effort of the behavior to be developed. Likewise, it is preferable that they have an intrinsic nature (whose reinforcement value is defined by the person himself) and are issued by the natural contingencies of the activities performed, i.e., that it is the environment that reinforces.

As for when to apply them, the time interval between the emission of the behavior and the obtaining of the reinforcer must be taken into account. Reinforcers applied immediately are more effective in quickly acquiring the desirable behavior, among other things because it is clearer when the reinforcer is applied.The reinforcers applied immediately are more effective in quickly acquiring the desired behavior, among other things because it is clearer what action has caused them to appear.

However, for its consolidation and maintenance in the long term, it is preferable that this interval increases progressively. In this way, little by little, one becomes less dependent on this reinforcement plan, until the behavior is assimilated and becomes part of one's habits.

2. Shaping

Shaping is defined as the systematic reinforcement of small steps that lead to the desired behavior.. An example is the learning of writing: we do not learn directly to write sentences, but first we know the letters, we practice calligraphy, we associate letters forming syllables, words...

For a good application of the same, both the final behavior (to know what behavior is intended to emit once the process is completed) and the initial behavior (to know the baseline from which the person starts), the steps to follow during the process and the pace of progress must be specified.

Sometimes, to facilitate the application of the technique, shaping is accompanied by other support methods, such as prompts (verbal indications that guide the behavior to be emitted: "the G and the I have a U in the middle to write GUIDE"), physical guidance (motor assistance at each level of shaping: take the learner's hand to help him/her achieve the shape of the O) or exemplification (in which the "teacher" acts as a model to be imitated: he/she draws the letter himself/herself).

On the other hand, the approach of behavior modification through shaping has a lot in common with the concept of scaffolding with which Lev Vygotsky worked.

3. Learning

Learning by modeling (also known as modeling or learning by imitation) is acquired by observing the behavior of another person.

The learner sees the reinforcement that the model gets for performing his or her action and will try to imitate it whenever the same reinforcement is desired. An example is the learning of prosocial and cooperative behaviors.

The modeling process consists of a learning phase and an execution phase, which can occur to a greater or lesser degree.These can be more or less effective depending on variables such as the characteristics of the model, the observer and the situation, in the first phase, or the motivation, the quality of execution and generalization, in the second phase.

Behavior reduction and elimination techniques

These are techniques to make certain behaviors disappear.

1. Extinction

Extinction consists in the withdrawal of the reinforcers that previously sustained a behavior.. In this way, a gradual process of weakening of the behavior is initiated until it finally disappears.

For example, a teacher who pays attention to children who ask questions without raising their hand in class, when deciding to pay attention only to those who comply with the established rules, will reduce the spontaneous speaking behaviors of his students.

For its application, it is necessary to previously identify the reinforcer that maintains the dysfunctional behavior and its nature (it is not enough to eliminate any reinforcer that accompanies the behavior, but the one that is maintaining it).

It should be borne in mind that, on occasions, the undesired behavior may be increased initially in the process. This increase may be maintained for long periods of time (especially if the behavior has been maintained by an intermittent reinforcer, which implies greater resistance to extinction), but will subsequently weaken until it is eliminated.

2. Satiation

Satiation (the opposite technique to deprivation) consists of the massive presentation of a reinforcer in order to weaken its reinforcing value: its excessive administration in a short period of time ends up being aversive to the person, so that in the end he/she avoids certain behaviors.The excessive administration of a reinforcer over a short period of time ends up being aversive to the person, so that he/she eventually avoids certain behaviors.

For example, a child who never eats vegetables because he always wants pasta. If he is fed only macaroni for several days in a row, he will end up loathing the dish, finding it unpleasant.

Two modalities can be distinguished in this technique: satiation of the stimulus and satiation of the response.

In order to apply them, it is necessary, first of all, to detect the undesirable behaviors. Once identified and the satiation modality chosen, we must offer an alternative behavior to the person (to substitute for the dysfunctional one) and achieve its maintenance.

Bibliographical references:

• Mairal, J.B. (2014). Behavior modification techniques: a guide to their implementation. Synthesis.