BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION

INTRODUCTION

• Learning is a relatively permanent change in knowledge or observable behavior that results from practice or experience.

• Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior (or behavioral tendency) that occurs as a result of a person’s interaction with the environment.

•Behavior modification can be define as a theory that explains learning in terms of the antecedents and consequences of behavior.

• It is also known as operant conditioning and reinforcement theory.

• It represents the application of reinforcement concept to individuals in the work setting.

WHAT IS BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION?

CONTINUED..

The objective of behavior modification is to change behavior (B) by managing its antecedents (A) and consequences (C)

•Antecedents (A): It is an event prior the behavior. For example is that employees before this are not motivated to do their job, then the manager informs that there will be bonus this month to employees who performs. Here, we can see that when the consequences of that particular action is attracting, it can attract people to change their behavior.

CONTINUED…

• Consequences (C) : It is an event following a particular behavior that influence its future occurrence. • Basically, people tend to repeat behaviors that are followed by pleasant consequences that are less likely to repeat behaviors that are followed by unpleasant consequences or no consequences at all.

BASIC PRINCIPLES OF BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION

Behavior modification identifies four types of consequences, called the contingencies of reinforcement, that increase, maintain, or reduce the probability that behavior will be repeated.• Positive reinforcement : occurs when the introduction of a consequence increases or maintains the frequency or future probability of a specific behavior.

• Punishment :occurs when a consequence decreases the frequency or future probability of a behavior.

CONTINUED…•Negative Reinforcement : occurs when the removal or avoidance of a consequences increases or maintains the frequency or future probability of a specific behavior. •Extinction : occurs when the target behavior decreases because no consequence follows it. In this respect, extinction is a do-nothing strategy.

SITUATIONS TO APPLY WITH BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION

•Behavior modification can be used to reduce absenteeism, improve task performance , healthy lifestyle and etc. •In Arkansas, for example, the North Little Rock School Board introduced an absenteeism reduction plan in which teachers can receive $300 after every six months with perfect attendance. •Another example, Reinforcing the Long (and Healthy) Walk- For many Horton Group’s 350 employees, the best parking spots aren’t closest to the building. The Chicago- based insurance broker reinforces the healthy lifestyle of walking by rewarding staff who take at least 7000 steps each day. •The more steps taken, the higher the rewards in the form of cash cards that can be used at popular retail stores.

CONCLUSION

 Behavior modifications can be apply to a certain situations. Maybe the situation is the same, but sometimes it is not suitable to apply behavior modification. It is because the behavior of a person is different from other person.