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This project will be completed throughout the eight-week course. It is designed to select a specific personal behavior the student desires to modify. This behavior must be a personal behavior you desire to modify in yourself. You are not allowed to select a behavior to modify in someone else (ex. child’s behavior, spouse behavior, co-worker behavior).

The student will research that behavior in 4 parts:   (ANY BEHAVIOR)

BMP Part 1: Research Paper – Research the behavior

BMP Part 2: Baseline Phase Report – Measure the target behavior before treatment

BMP Part 3: Treatment Phase Report – Implement a treatment and report results

BMP Part 4: PowerPoint – Present the entire project in PowerPoint form

BMP Part 1: Research Paper Instructions

You will write a 4-6-page, APA formatted, research paper that will aid you in the Behavior Modification Project. You should reference your textbook and at least 4 additional peer-reviewed journal articles. The research paper will include a title page, 150–250-word abstract, 4-6-page body, and references page. The body of your research paper will have an introduction, a section on your target behavior, a section on your treatment method, and a conclusion. You can give section I and section II appropriate APA titles for your paper. Subsections are optional.

The first section will focus on peer-reviewed research that others have already done on your target behavior, or a similar behavior. This behavior must be a personal behavior you desire to modify in yourself. You are not allowed to select a behavior to modify in someone else (ex. child’s behavior, spouse behavior, co-worker behavior). Consider how did previous research studied this behavior? What treatment did previous research use? Was the treatment effective?

The second section of your paper will require you to research the treatment you intend to use to change your behavior. Choose one of the chapters from your textbook (Reinforcement, Token Economies, Behavioral Contracts, Using Punishment: Time-Out and Response Cost, etc.). You also should cite any peer-reviewed journal articles that focus on your treatment method, or in which the authors used it to treat their target behavior.

This assignment is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 3.

BMP Part 2: Baseline Phase Report Instructions

To assess your baseline as you begin the experiment, you need to observe your target behavior before you ever treat it. Thus you will conduct a functional analysis of your target behavior as it naturally occurs. The baseline observation of your target behavior should be done for at least one week. You will submit the 1–2-page Baseline Phase Report, which will consist of a description of the following five parts with Level One headings, and a graph appropriately labeled (see chapter 3 of your textbook). This writing of the reports for Behavior Modification should be clear, measurable and concise. Write in complete sentences, but do not use “fluff”.

1.      Target Behavior: A clear and measurable behavioral definition of your target behavior (use examples if needed to clarify) should be stated. Include the necessary research and citations from the lit review section of the research paper.

2.      Experiment Narrative: Clarify the logistics, setting, and process of your experiment’s baseline observation phase (natural or analogue setting, structured or unstructured observation, recording method and instrument, etc.). Include the details of the observational period by documenting the dates (and times if relevant) of your baseline phase. [Description and on the x axis of the graph].

3.      Dimension(s): Outline the results in terms of the logical dimension(s) - Frequency - Intensity - Duration - Latency - that were observed and recorded during the baseline are clearly and consistently stated and shown. [Description and on the y axis of the graph]

4.      Target Behavior Observations: Clearly and completely, but concisely, summarize your observations of the target behavior during the baseline phase. The discussion will include descriptions should be made of triggers (settings/stress/work/conflict) that bring on the target behavior, and stimuli that support it. [Description]

This assignment is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 4.

BMP Part 3: Treatment Phase Report Instructions

Treat your target behavior, using the treatment method(s) that you have researched in this course. Use the time available to you to treat it, whether it is one week or two. Then prepare and submit your Treatment Phase Report, which will consist of the following 6 parts. Use Level One headings to differentiate the parts.

1.      Target Behavior: The target behavioral definition is clear and measurable. Examples are cited if clarification is needed. Include the necessary research and citations from the lit review section of the research paper.

2.      Treatment Method: The treatment method is described clearly and concisely. Be descriptive in how you implemented the treatment on yourself.

3.      Experiment Narrative: Described the logistics and process of the experimental treatment phase (the research design - AB or ABAB, schedules of treatment, confounding variables that may have impacted the experiment). Include the details of the treatment period by documenting dates and/or times stated in the description and labeled on the x axis of the graph. For the treatment graph, both the baseline and the treatment phases should be shown with phase lines between the two. [Description and Graph]

4.      Dimension(s): Outline the results in terms of the logical dimension(s) - (Frequency - Intensity - Duration - Latency) that were observed and recorded during the treatment phase are clearly and consistently stated and shown, labeled on the y axis of the graph.  [Description and graph]

5.      Summary of Treatment: Clearly and completely, but concisely, verbally summarize the treatment of the target behavior and show the results of the experiment. The discussion should include descriptions of what was accomplished during the treatment phase [Description and Graph]