Select a behavior that you would like to increase or decrease; describe how you would set up a behavioral self-management program for this behavior; and explain why self-recording is so important

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer will include the seven steps in the behavioral self-management program and the importance of self-recording. The seven steps consist of the following: (1) Choose a target behavior, such as increasing the number of hours to spend studying. (2) Record a baseline, that is, record how much time you currently spend studying, such as 25 minutes a day. (3) Establish realistic goals, daily and weekly. For example, increase study time to 40 minutes per day or establish a weekly goal of five hours of total study time. (4) Set up a daily reward for reaching goals daily and one for reaching the weekly goal. For example, watching a favorite TV show might be a daily reward, while going to the movies might be a weekly reward. (5) Keep accurate records of the amount of time spent each day on the desired activity or the number of times you make the desired response. Recording one's progress is important as a source of feedback and motivation. (6) Reward your successes honestly. If you meet your daily goal, collect your reward. If you fall short, be honest with yourself and skip the reward. Do the same for your weekly goal. (7) Adjust your plan as you learn more about your behavior. Overall progress will reinforce your attempts at self-management. Even if a person has difficulty giving and withholding rewards, self-recording, which involves keeping records of response frequencies, can make a difference all by itself. This is because people tend to react to being observed, even when they are the ones watching their own behavior. In general, when people systematically (and honestly) observe themselves, they are more likely to engage in desired behaviors and less likely to perform undesired behaviors. So, it is important to keep track of the number of times that one exercises, arrives late to class, eats vegetables, smokes a cigarette, studies, watches TV, or whatever behavior one is interested in changing. A simple tally on a piece of paper will do, or one can get a small mechanical counter like those used to count calories. Record keeping helps break patterns, and the feedback can be motivating as a person begins to make progress.