Behaviour Modification Prof Dr John Arul Phillips Dean

Behaviour Modification Prof. Dr. John Arul Phillips Dean, School of Education & Cognitive Science Asia e University Kuala Lumpur Email: john. arul@aeu. edu. my http: //www. aeu. edu. my

What is Behaviour Modification? n Behaviour modification is a general term used to describe efforts to change behaviour patterns.

Origin of Behaviour Modification Behaviour modification - principles of operant conditioning, which were developed by B. F. Skinner. Operant conditioning, through which behaviour could be shaped by reinforcement or lack of it.

Behaviour Modification Technique Positive Reinforcement, which encourages certain behaviours through a system of rewards. n Negative Reinforcement is when a behaviour is enhanced with its removal. n Punishment is the application of an aversive or unpleasant stimulus in reaction to a particular behaviour. n

Example: A Weight Loss Plan for Obese Children Reasonable weight-loss goal Initially, 5 to 10 lb, or a rate of 1 to 4 lb per month. Dietary management Dietary prescription specifying total number of calories per day and recommended percentage of calories from fat, protein and carbohydrates. Physical activity Begin according to child's fitness level, with ultimate goal of 20 to 30 minutes per day (in addition to any school activity).

Behaviour modification Self-monitoring, nutritional education, stimulus control, modification of eating habits, physical activity, attitude change, reinforcements and rewards. Family involvement Review family activity and television viewing patterns; involve parents in nutrition counselling.

Social Learning Approach Attention Perceive and attend to the significant features of the modelled behaviour. E. g. children must attend to what the aggressor is doing and saying in order to reproduce the model’s behaviour.

Retention In order to reproduce the modelled behaviour, individuals must encode the information into long-term memory so that it can be retrieved. In the Bobo doll experiment, the children imitated the aggression they witnessed because it was encoded and stored in their memory.

Reproduction The observer must be have the ability to reproduce the model’s behaviour. For example, a person who observes a monkey swinging from tree to tree may wish to do the same; but does not have the motor capabilities to do so.

Motivation or Reinforcement In this process, the observer expects to receive positive reinforcements for the modelled behavior. In the Bobo doll experiment, the children witnessed the adults being rewarded for their aggression. Therefore, they performed the same act expecting the same rewards.

Cognitive Approach Deals with the cognitions (thinking), metacognition, interpretations, beliefs and responses, with the aim of modifying behaviour and bringing about learning Identify errors in thinking, assumptions and distorted thoughts influencing behaviour.

Constructivist Approach Learning is the Construction of Knowledge Learning should be viewed an active process in which learners receive information and constructs meaning out of the information received. The learner needs to do something, because learning involves the learners engaging with the world.

n Learning is a social activity. Our learning is closely related with our connection with other human beings (our teachers, our peers, our family, etc).

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