PSYC 6717 Behavioral Consequences Scenario Worksheet Assignment

PSYC 6717 Behavioral Consequences Scenario Worksheet Assignment

Instructions:

In each of the following scenarios, identify the behavioral consequence being used (positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, negative punishment, extinction). Define the principle identified using the provided scenario to illustrate how the answer represents that principle.

1. Benny does not like to do homework, but he does like to eat pizza. His parents promise to give him pizza on the weekend if he does all of his homework for that week. Benny finishes all of his homework and gets a pizza on the weekend.

This would be positive reinforcement. The pizza is added in response to Benny finishing all of his assignments.

2. Melissa is a 10th-grade student. At the beginning of the year, she raises her hand to answer a question, and the teacher calls on her. Melissa gives a wrong answer, and the teacher makes a comment about Melissa not being very smart. Melissa does not raise her hand the rest of the year.

Negative punishment, something is being taken out to diminish a specific conduct. Melissa’s certainty is taken out, and she no longer wants to participate in class.

3. Jose is a student in the same class as Melissa. When he raises his hand to answer a question, the teacher ignores him. He continues to raise his hand a number of times during the first week of class, and his teacher never calls on him. He gives up and does not raise his hand again the rest of the year.

Negative punishment, not recognizing Jose is being removed, leading Jose to no longer desire to participate in class.

4. Rosa is in the same class as Melissa and Jose. The first day of class, she raises her hand to answer a question. The teacher calls on her, and she answers correctly. The teacher compliments her on getting the answer correct. Rosa raises her hand many more times during the year and is frequently called on by the teacher.

Positive reinforcement, the joy of answering the question correctly and receiving praise from the instructor motivates Rosa to keep responding to questions in class.

5. Lyle tells her son Ryan to turn off the TV and do his homework. Ryan starts to complain, so his mother tells him to forget it. Ryan continues to watch TV. Mrs. Lyle continues to let Ryan watch TV whenever he complains. What consequence is influencing Mrs. Lyle’s behavior?

Negative reinforcement, Mrs. Lyle not being able to enforce her rules and allowing her son to continue ignoring her requests to turn off the television only encourages her son to get away with it. Making him not take her seriously.

6. Josh doesn’t care if he gets into trouble and has to stay after school. However, none of his classmates share his fondness for detention. When Josh tries to make his peers laugh by making rude noises and silly faces during class, his teacher starts to write the names of those students who are laughing and encouraging Josh on the blackboard under the word “detention.” Josh’s peers quickly stop attending to him. After several futile attempts to get their attention, Josh gives up this behavior. What might have weakened Josh’s disruptive behavior? What might have weakened Josh’s peers’ behavior of attending to him?

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Negative punishment, Josh’s desire for attention is being removed by the teacher because those students who are encouraging the behavior will be in trouble too, causing those students to stop their actions. Also, causing Josh to no longer behave the way he was.

7. When Maya answers a question in class, her classmates often laugh at her speech impediment. When this happens, Maya usually puts her head down and sobs, to the delight of her peers. After a while, Maya stops speaking altogether. What might have strengthened Maya’s peers’ teasing behavior? What might have weakened Maya’s speaking behavior?

Positive punishment, what helped Maya’s peers would be realizing that they are causing her distress by making her cry. Maya no longer wanted to speak in front of the class because she didn’t want to get laughed at. The students laughing at Maya have led her to stop speaking in front of the class.

Assignment: Application of Behavioral Theory

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To effectively determine best methods for behavior change, the professional behavior analyst needs to develop a strong understanding of how to analyze the situation, including the target behavior, antecedent conditions, and consequences for the behavior. Understanding the terms and phrases used in applied behavior analysis is critical to appropriately evaluate a situation and determine effective methods for behavior change.

One of the most frequently misused terms in psychology is “negative reinforcement.” Many people use this term to describe punishment because it “sounds better.” In behavioral psychology, terms are sometimes used differently than they are in everyday language. For example, the term “reinforcement” means that the rate of a behavior is increased. The term “punishment” means the rate of a behavior is decreased. The term “positive” means a stimulus is presented, and the term “negative” means a stimulus is removed. Therefore, negative reinforcement occurs when an aversive stimulus is removed, which results in an increase in the probability of the behavior it followed.

For this Assignment, you will explore the application of behavioral theory. You will review a set of scenarios, analyze and identify the applied behavioral characteristic involved in the scenario, and explain how the scenario meets the definition of the characteristic you identified.

To Prepare

Review the Learning Resources for this week, including the required weekly media programs.
Review the “Behavioral Consequences Scenario Worksheet” found in the Learning Resources. You will use this worksheet to complete the Assignment.

Assignment (1–2 pages)

Complete the Behavioral Consequences Scenario Worksheet. To complete the worksheet, do the following for each scenario:

Identify and define the following consequences used in applied behavior analysis in each scenario (i.e., positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, positive punishment, negative punishment) PSYC 6717 Behavioral Consequences Scenario Worksheet Assignment.
Explain how each scenario meets the definition of the applied behavior analysis characteristic you identified. Within your explanation, identify each of the components of the definition within the scenario.

Be sure to support your Assignment with specific references to behavior-analytic theory and research. In addition to the Learning Resources, search the Walden Library and/or the internet for peer-reviewed articles to support your Assignment. Use proper APA format and citations, including those in the Learning Resources.

By Day 7 of Week 1

Submit the Behavioral Consequences Scenario Worksheet.