Contingency Contract and Token Economy
**** I need you to use the following books:
-Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2019). Applied Behavior Analysis (3rd ed.).
-Miltenberger, R. G. (2015). Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures (6th ed.). Cengage Limited.
For this week’s Assignment, you will apply the theories, behavior change techniques, and research that you have covered so far this term to hypothetical case studies. Your answers to the questions should consist of information from the text and supplemental readings. You also may use sources from the Library or other credible Internet sources, but your primary sources should be the readings assigned for the course.
Your narration should be consistent with the culture and characteristics of behavior analysis. The language you use should be behavioral and you should avoid mentalistic wording and explanations. Relate your understanding of how behavior analysts perform in the work setting through your slides and tone.
Please make sure to provide proper credit for those sources used in your case study analysis in proper APA format.
Case Scenario #1: Jimmy Hates Homework
A family has contacted you, a Behavior Analyst, to help their son Jimmy be more consistent in completing his homework. His parents are specifically concerned about reading and math. Jimmy’s parents want him to read for 20 minutes per weeknight and practice multiplication for 10 minutes per weeknight. Jimmy is currently reading once a week for 20 minutes and practicing multiplication once a week for 10 minutes. He is a typically developing child with normal intelligence and has the capability to read and complete math at grade level. He is choosing not to read and practice math and is instead choosing to watch television, play video games, and chat with friends online. You have decided that a contingency contract is the best plan to change Jimmy’s behavior. Before you write the contingency contract, though, you need to determine what Jimmy’s preferences are and what would likely be an effective reinforcer. You will prepare a narrated PowerPoint that covers the following topics:
Compare two types of preference assessments and identify which would be best to use with Jimmy. Describe how you will conduct the preference assessment.
Explain to the parents what a contingency contract is, summarizing the purpose and justifying its use by explaining how contingency contracts have successfully been used in research.
Develop a contingency contract for Jimmy, including all necessary components:
Define the target behaviors by writing a 1–2 sentence operational definition that meets all of the following criteria:
Observable
Passes the “Dead Man’s” test and the “stranger” test
Uses no labels or hypothetical constructs
State how the behaviors will be measured.
State when the behaviors will be performed.
Identify the contingency used to change the behavior.
Identify who is responsible for implementing the contingency.
Defend why you expect this procedure to be effective. Include a description of the applicable behavior principles that explain why contingency contracts work.
Case Scenario #2: Group Home Chaos
You, a Behavior Analyst, have been contacted by the program director of a group home for 11-15-year-old boys. He describes the current environment in the group home as “chaos.” The boys are refusing to do household chores, complete homework, or clean their rooms. Staff members are having problems with “non-compliance” and “rowdy behavior” exhibited by the boys. You have been asked to develop a plan to bring order to this chaotic home. You have decided that a token economy is the best choice.
Choose an appropriate preference assessment to assess the preferences of this group of boys. Describe how you will conduct the preference assessment.
Begin by explaining to the program director the purpose of a token economy and justify its use by explaining how it has been successfully used in prior research.
Develop a token economy for this group of boys, including all of the required components:
Define 5 target behaviors by writing a 1–2 sentence operational definition that meets all of the following criteria:
Observable
Passes the “Dead Man’s” test and the “stranger” test
Uses no labels or hypothetical constructs
Identify the token to be used.
Identify a list of 10 backup reinforcers.
Identify the schedule of exchange (i.e., how many tokens are given for each target behavior).
Identify the token exchange rate (i.e., how many tokens are required to acquire each backup reinforcer).
Establish the time and place for token exchange (e.g., daily, weekly).
Identify whether you will include a response cost procedure. Include your rationale.
Defend why you expect this procedure to be effective. Include a description of the roles of tokens and backup reinforcers.
Case Scenario
Student's Name
Institutional Affiliation
Instructor's Name
Date
Case Scenario #1: Jimmy Hates Homework
Preference assessments are essential in determining the most effective reinforcement for a given behavior. Two types of preference assessments often used with children are the self-report and direct observation preference assessments (Miltenberger, 2015). The former involves asking the child questions about what they prefer, such as which activities they most enjoy or the type of food they like the most. Comparatively, the direct observation preference assessment entails observing the child to see what activities they engage in or the foods they eat when given a choice. In this case, the direct observation preference assessment would be the best choice for Jimmy. To conduct the evaluation, Jimmy is given several activities, such as watching television, playing video games, reading, practicing multiplication, and observing which activities he chooses to engage in. He is also offered a variety of food and other reinforcers, such as snacks and toys, and observes the ones he chooses.
A contingency contract is an agreement between two or more people. It outlines a specific behavior and its consequence (Grünke, 2019). The purpose of a contingency contract is to change a person's behavior by providing reinforcement when the behavior is performed and withholding reinforcement when the behavior is not performed. Contingency contracts have been successfully used in research to change many behaviors, including academic performance, job performance, and task completion (Cooper et al., 2019). In this case, a contingency contract is given to help Jimmy become more consistent in completing his reading and math tasks. The contingency contract's target behaviors comprise reading each evening for 20 minutes and working out multiplication questions for 10 minutes. Jimmy will engage in the behaviors on weeknights when he has schoolwork. He will receive a reinforcer, like a snack or a toy, after he completes the reading and math exercises. This is the contingency employed to change the behavior.
Parents are responsible for implementing the contingency. It is expected that this procedure will be effective because it is based on the principles of operant conditioning. The contingency contract involves reinforcing a behavior, which enhances the probability that the behavior will recur in the future. By providing reinforcement when Jimmy completes his reading and math tasks, it is reinforcing the behavior and raising the chances of completing the tasks more consistently in the future. The use of a contingency contract also allows people to control the environment, increasing the probability of success. Setting specific goals and expectations and providing reinforcement when those goals are met increases the chances of Jimmy being successful in completing his reading and m...