Assume you are treating two patients: Betina, who has anorexia, and Sebastian, who has anger management issues. Using operant conditioning techniques, like token or contingency techniques, suggest a plan to treat them?
What will be an ideal response?
Students' examples may vary.
One example of the systematic application of operant conditioning principles is the token system, which rewards a person for desired behavior with a token such as a poker chip or some kind of play money. Although it is most frequently employed in institutions for individuals with relatively serious problems and sometimes with children as a classroom-management technique, the system resembles what parents do when they give children money for being well behaved-money that the children can later exchange for something they want. The desired behavior may range from simple things such as keeping one's room neat to personal grooming and interacting with other people. In institutions, patients can exchange tokens for some object or activity, such as snacks, new clothes, or, in extreme cases, sleeping in one's own bed rather than in a sleeping bag on the floor.
Contingency contracting, a variant of the token system, has proved quite effective in modifying behavior. In contingency contracting, the therapist and client draw up a written agreement, known as a contract. The contract states a series of behavioral goals the client hopes to achieve. It also specifies the positive consequences for the client if the client reaches those goals-usually an explicit reward such as money or privileges. Contracts frequently state negative consequences if the client does not meet their goals.
Behavior therapists also use observational learning to systematically teach people new skills and ways of handling their fears and anxieties. Observational learning occurs through observing the behavior of others. For example, for clients who are socially fearful, a therapist may model and teach basic social skills, such as maintaining eye contact during conversation and acting assertively.
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In terms of physical abuse, which of the following is true?
a. Girls are more likely to be hit than boys. b. More parents have hit their children with their fists than have spanked them. c. Fathers are more likely to be the aggressors than mothers. d. none of these
You see a sign soliciting research participants for a study involving a CT scan. When you call the researcher to inquire about the research, she tells you that a CT scan involves
a) multiple X-ray images of the brain. b) recording the brain's electrical activity. c) monitoring the metabolic activity of the brain. d) directing radio waves at the brain to cause hydrogen atoms to emit signals.
At what point during infancy can babies tell the difference between the scent of their own mother's milk and the scent of another woman's milk?
A. within a few days after birth B. within a few weeks after birth C. within a few months after birth D. within a year after birth