A technique used in behavior therapy that focuses on negative habits or behaviors and aims to reduce or eliminate them by the use of reinforcement (e.g., rewarding a desired behavior or punishing an unwanted one).
Relating, associating, and connecting observable responses and actions to antecedents and subsequent events and stimuli.
Self-monitoring techniques useful in weight control that provides individuals with new methods to apply to current overeating situations.
A teaching and guiding technique used to mold and change behavior by rewarding desired actions and ignoring (that is, withholding reward from) unwanted actions. Such rewards are sometimes material but often are simply recognition and warm praise, and they are not offered only when a child has complete success at a task but also when the child has made honest effort or has come a step closer to success (what psychologists call successive approximation). The underlying principle of behavior modification is that positive reinforcement—rewards, including praise for effort— encourages children (and adults!) to continue to improve their skills and learn new ones, while punishment and criticism tend to discourage them from making the effort to improve and try new things. Behavior modification is also widely used with teenagers and adults in programs that focus on changing behavior, such as smoking, regardless of its causes.
Technique for changing undesirable behavior into acceptable behavior generally by rewarding appropriate responses and ignoring or punishing inappropriate behavior (compare biofeedback).
The use of the methods of behaviorist psychology (see behaviorism), especially operant conditioning, to alter people’s behavior. Behavior modification has wider applications than behavior therapy, since it is also used in situations in which the client is not ill; for example, in education.
The use of techniques to enhance awareness or consciousness about a behavior and then to alter the behavior. For example, a behavior modification technique for weight management would be refraining from grocery shopping while hungry.
A therapeutic approach characterized by the utilization of rewards to reinforce desired behaviors is known as a form of therapy. An illustrative example of this method involves offering a child a piece of chocolate as a reward for practicing appropriate self-grooming habits.