Behavior Therapy Techniques Lesson 18 Behavior Therapy Behavior

Behavior Therapy Techniques Lesson 18

Behavior Therapy Behavior Modification 1. Clarifying the clients problem 2. Formulating initial goals for therapy 3. Designing a target behavior 4. Identifying the maintaining conditions 5. Designing a treatment plan 5. Data collection 6. Implementing the treatment plan 6. Evaluation ~ 7. Evaluating the success of treatment 8. Conducting follow-up assessment ~ 1. 2. 3. 4. Goal setting Behavioral Definitions Functional Analysis Objective measurement

Changing Behavior Acceleration Target Behaviors l Increase behavioral deficits l Primarily positive reinforcement n Deceleration Target Behaviors l Punishment behavior l “Dead” person rule l Include acceleration behaviors ~ n

Deceleration Techniques Differential RFT (DRO & DRI) n Direct Deceleration Therapy l Consequential deceleration l Aversion therapy n Token Economies l Pos RFT & response cost n Exposure therapies l Brief / graduated l Prolonged / intense ~ n

Counter-Conditioning: Joseph Wolpe Reciprocal inhibition n Buzzer sounded when cat was eating l Buzzer (CS) : eating (US) pos CER l Buzzer (CS) : shock (US) fear n Substitution of competing responses l Respondent Learning l Can also replace fear with pos CER ~ n

Mary Cover Jones & “Peter” Treatment of phobias l Peter fearful of white rabbit n Counterconditioning l Pairing favorite food & rabbit n Exposure therapy l Gradually moved rabbit closer l Peter watched another child play with rabbit ~ n

Inhibitory learning Conditioned Inhibition l Learning to withhold conditional response n CS-: US will not occur l no US for period of time l US must be a significant event n Occurs only if there is an excitatory context ~ n

Standard Procedure Some trials: CS+ --- US n Other trials: CS+ / CS- --- No US n Example: traffic light l CS+ (red) CR? l CS- (police officer) / CS+ CR? n Respond differently under different circumstances ~ n

Negative CS-US Contingency Similar to standard procedure l Some trials: CS+ & US l Other trials: CS- & no US n CS- no response n Example: Traffic light l Red (CS+) – Danger (US) l Green (CS-) – no Danger (no US) ~ n

Inhibitory Conditioning & Stress n Panic attacks extreme stress u. Carter, Hollon, Carson, & Shelton (1995) triggered by CS+ for aversive stimuli n Panic attack experimentally induced l accompanied by trusted friend l or alone ~ n Friend acted as CS- for stress l stress compared the alone group l trusted friend was a safety signal ~ l

Exposure Therapies For fear/anxiety & other negative CERs l Intense, maladaptive, or inappropriate l Some strong fears adaptive n Based on Extinction l Fear-provoking events (CS+) l Safe environment (no US) ~ n

Exposure Therapies Models Brief/graduated exposure therapy l Short exposure periods l Gradually increase intensity of CS n Prolonged/intense l Lengthy exposure periods l Immediate exposure to intense CS n Mode of exposure on continuum l Imaginal ----------- in vivo ~ n

Systematic Desensitization Brief/Graduated Exposure Therapy n Relaxation Training l Tense then relax muscle groups n Fear Hierarchy l Rank fear-provoking situations n Graded Pairing l CS for fear with muscle relaxation l Thru hierarchy: lowest highest ~ n

Systematic Desensitization: Theoretical Explanations Counterconditioning l Substitution of competing response n Reciprocal inhibition l Neurophysiological processes l Parasympathetic vs Sympathetic n Extinction l Cues present but no danger (US) ~ n

Flooding Prolonged/Intense Exposure Therapy l Also called implosive therapy l In vivo or imaginal n Treatment for l Phobias l Obsessive-compulsive disorder l Post-traumatic stress disorder l Agoraphobia ~ n

Flooding Aversive CS escape/avoidance l Limits opportunity for extinction n Confront individual w/ fearprovoking situations/ images l No relaxation l Not graded l Extinction process n Potential for intensifying fear ~ n

Aversive Therapy Punishment of target behaviors l Instrumental conditioning l R aversive stimulus l E. g. , chronic vomiting shock n Problems l Avoidance of therapy (drop out) l Disruptive CERs l punishment of others l Ethics concerns ~ n

“More Acceptable” Punishers Punisher Target Behavior n n n Trichotillomania (Pulling out hair) Compulsive eating Nail biting Face slapping n Bruxism Biting other children n n Snap rubber band on wrist Cigarette smoke Bitter substance Water mist sprayed in face Loud noise Mild mouthwash

Aversive Therapy: Covert Sensitization Classical & instrumental conditioning n Use of imaging l Therapist describes behavior l & aversive outcome n Advantages l Safe & more acceptable to clients l Clients can self-administer in vivo n Effectiveness equivocal ~ n