Behavior Modification Cases
Behavior Modification Cases
1
Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior (DRA)
Andi Mamat is 7 year old boy in first grade and he exhibited the desirable
behavior to completing school work at least sometimes during the day. The undesirable
behavior (climbing, hitting his desk, rocking his chair) was negatively reinforced.
Sometimes he cries and and pleads to go back home when teachers ask him to do his
school work.
Therefore, I decided to use Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior
(DRA) to increase the desirable behavior of completing school work and decrease the
undesirable behavior of climbing, slamming his desk, rocking chair and crying.
Because escape from school work was the reinforcer for the out bursts, I decided
to use it also as a reinforcer for doing school work. The first step is to provide the
reinforcer every time Andi Mamat completed a workbook problem. This meant letting
him get up and sit in the chair in the back of the classroom by himself for a few minutes.
Initially, I will ask Andi Mamat to complete only easy workbook problems. At the same
time when Andi Mamat had an outburst, I will use extinction.
Because escape from his school work was renforcing his outbursts, I should did
not him let him escape. Andi Mamat could not get out of his seat and sit in the back of the
classroom when he has an outburst. Instead, he has to stay in his chair and, when he calm
down, he still has to do the workbook. In this way, doing his workbook resulted in
reinforcement and having outbursts did not result in reinforcement.
Once if Andi Mamat was completing workbook problems consistently and not
engaging in undesirable behavior, the final steps in using differential reinforcement we to
switch to an intermittent reinforcement schedule and to program for generalization.
Initially, Andi Mamat got to sit in the back of the classroom after every workbook
he completed. After completing consistently (both easy ones and hard ones) and was no
longer having outbursts, the teacher started to provide the reinforcer after every two
problems he completed. Eventually, Andi Mamat will complete three problems before
getting the reinforcer, then four and five.
It will satisfy to let Andi Mamat sit by himself if every five problems he complete.
It will not too disruptive to the class and certainly less disruptive than having outbursts
many times everyday.
2
Using Punishment: Time-Out