Discussion Post

In this discussion, you will identify the controlling variables of target behaviors in the following scenarios, focusing on looking at antecedent variables. Then, you will discuss modifications to the antecedent to affect behavior change. Scenario #1 Brian is 7 years old. He had a great time at recess and was settling back in his desk in the classroom when Mrs. Jenkins directed the students to take out their math worksheets and complete problems 1–15. Math is Brian's worst subject, and he is behind in his math grades. Brian immediately throws his pencil toward the front of the room, slides out of his desk, and begins screaming, "I won't do it!" at the top of his lungs. Mrs. Jenkins walks to Brian's desk and tells him that he must settle down and do his work — and not disturb his classmates. Brian screams louder and begins banging the heels of his shoes against the floor. Mrs. Jenkins tells Brian to come with her, takes his arm, and leads him out of the class to "Brian's time-out desk" in the hallway. Suddenly, Brian settles down and stops screaming. He doesn't come back to class until it is time for reading. The next time Mrs. Jenkins directs the students to take out their math worksheets, Brian begins screaming. The next day, Brian has a substitute teacher, Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones is known as a strict teacher. After recess, Mr. Jones instructs the students to take out their math worksheets and complete problems 1–15. Brian again throws his pencil and starts screaming. Mr. Jones stands at Brian's desk and repeats his instruction to Brian until he starts the worksheet. The next time Mr. Jones subs, Brian doesn't scream. For Scenario #1, discuss the variables involved in Brian's target behavior. Please answer the following: What is the antecedent that triggered Brian's target behavior? What is the probable function of the target behavior? What is the motivating operation? What is the discriminative stimulus? What is the discriminative delta? How would you use motivating operations to decrease the effectiveness of the current consequence? Discuss how you would implement one of the following antecedent strategies: non-contingency reinforcement, functional communication training, and high probability response sequencing. Scenario #2 Jenny hates to do homework. Fifth grade is too hard. The teacher gives her hours and hours of homework every night. She is sick of it! That afternoon, Mr. Griffin phoned Jenny's mother and reported that Jenny had not turned in her homework for the last 2 weeks. He was concerned that there might be something wrong preventing her from completing her assignments. Jenny's mother thinks that Jenny is having a difficult time adjusting to the new workload and is concerned that if she doesn't do something soon, Jenny will fall behind in class. Jenny loves video games. Her mom currently allows her to play video games for 30 minutes in the morning and 1 hour after dinner. She also gets unlimited access to video games on the weekends. Her mom decides to change video game access during the week, and she will only allow Jenny to play video games after dinner if she has completed her homework. This rule works for 1 week, but then Jenny reverts to avoiding completing her homework. For Scenario #2, discuss the variables involved in Jenny's target behavior. Please answer the following: What type of consequence did Jenny's mother design (e.g., positive or negative reinforcement, positive or negative punishment)? Why do you think her strategy is not working? How could you use motivating operations to increase the effectiveness of this consequence? Scenario #3 Joanna was assessed for attention deficit disorder (ADD) just 2 months ago. She had trouble completing her work and following the teacher's instructions throughout second grade and her mother decided to seek a doctor's guidance before she began school again in the fall. The doctor ran some tests and had Joanna's parents and second grade teacher fill out some questionnaires regarding Joanna's behaviors. Dr. Palmer said that she might be borderline ADD, but he would not recommend medication. He felt that the teacher should first use some behavioral approaches to maintain Joanna's focus. Then, if that did not seem to help, he would prescribe something. Joanna's mother began doing some research on applied behavior analysis and found a study done several decades ago about a device that could be placed on a student's desk that could be controlled remotely by the teacher. This device acts as a prompt when the student's attention wanders and brings the student back to the current task. When the teacher notices the student's attention wandering from the task, they use the remote control to turn on the light on the small device on the student's desk. This makes the task more noticeable, and the student returns to work. Joanna's mother thought she would send a copy of the study to Joanna's teacher. Perhaps that would be all the help Joanna would need to maintain her focus. For Scenario #3, identify the type of prompt (response or stimulus prompt) Joanna's mother read about that could be used in the classroom. Address the following in your discussion: Explain how this type of prompt influences behavior. Discuss how you would transfer stimulus control from the remote-controlled prompt to more natural contingencies. Sources https://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=R442B5RdncA https://www(dot)youtube(dot)com/watch?v=MopjSXfs_cI Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., Heward, W. L. (2019-06-10). Applied Behavior Analysis, 3rd Edition. Miltenberger, R. G. (2023-03-06). Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures, 7th Edition.