Why bans or restrictions only address one layer of the problem »

This article highlights that while you can remove the means (i.e., the discriminative stimulus) the problem behaviour can resurface if you don’t address the source of reinforcement (i.e., the function).  Addicts will substitute one vice for another in meeting their need or want for whatever reinforces their consumption.  

As with any behaviour change, both sides of the behaviour need to be analyzed and planned for.  Motivation and the means are the antecedents and the outcomes or what the person gets out of it are the consequences.

This is the same issue with gun control that people call for when ever there is a brazen shooting or gang violence. Banning guns or insisting that people carry licenses is only one part of a solution. Figuring out why a youth deems it necessary to carry one or ultimately use one and then addressing those needs is another.  There are many more layers to be found there (and with addicts) I’m sure.

My 8yrs old child is easily distracted when in public and had gone missing from me when we go out often. Using ABA to manage his behaviour, I reinforce him for good walking and punish him from running away from me. It works on a normal day but most days when there is something that may interest him which also means may distract him, nothing works, ie. the best of the reinforcers or the strictest punishments. He has ADHD/ADD tendency!! What do you suggest I do differently that may work for us? TQ

Anonymous

Thank you for your question TQ.  I should preface my response with letting you know I’m not going to answer with anything you should try to do differently.  As a behaviour analyst, I would need to engage in a functional behaviour assessment before I can make suggestions.  What I can offer are some thoughts or questions to consider in your own attempt to understand what might be going on.  This information may then inform your decision making. 

Through data and observation, I would try to understand the function of the behaviour targeted for intervention.  In this case, it is asking, “Why does your son wander off?”, “What does he get out of it?”  A few functions are possible.  He may be wandering off and gains access to other, novel stimuli.  You eluded to the possibility that he sees something of interest and goes towards it.  He may wander off to escape the current environment.  It might be too busy, loud, boring, or involve non-preferred task demands?  Another possibility might be the attention and/or chase game he gets from going missing and then being found again.  Once the function has been identified reinforcement can be planned for while teaching alternative behaviours that will also get his needs/wants met.  You can gain such valuable information by keeping detailed records of the times he wandered off - including what was happening before and after.  It’s also to gather information on the days where he did not wander - what was different about those times?  Once you have this information, you might notice a couple of trends or commonalities in your tracking which may suggest areas to intervene.

When people tell me their reinforcement/reward/punishment plans are not working, I tend to ask questions surrounding the rate, quality and delay of reinforcement.  

1) Rate of reinforcement.  You did not mention how often you reinforce good walking.  How often and when you deliver the reinforcement is just as important as the selecting the reinforcer.  Ideally, you want to deliver reinforcement before he’s likely to wonder.  You can determine this time by calculating the average time between the onset of the outing and the time he wandered away and aiming for a delivery time just below this time.  Rate of reinforcement may also have to be adjusted depending on your son’s motivation (e.g., during non-preferred outings or in places that are highly stimulating, reinforcement may need to be provided more often).

2) Quality of reinforcement: Want to ensure that what you are offering is indeed a reinforcer (i.e., good walking increases) and can compete with other sources of reinforcement.  It may be that whatever is interesting to your son cannot compete with what you have to offer.  In this case, we might make access to the novel, desired things contingent on good walking.  It may also be the case where your son has had recent or free access to the preferred item designated as the reinforcer.  This changes the value of the reinforcer where he may not be motivated at that moment for it.

3) Delay of reinforcement: Some children are okay with delaying reinforcement (e.g., when we get home, you’ll get xxxx) and other children are not; particularly children with ADD.  If there are delays in reinforcement this is often enough time to engage in undesirable behaviour which gets reinforced sooner (i.e, because of one of the functions I mentioned above).  Smaller reinforcers and/or token may be necessary as “in the meantime” reinforcement if the preferred item cannot be delivered while on your outing.  This then involves the rate of reinforcement which I discussed above (e.g., How often to give tokens? How many?)

I’m sorry I could not be more specific in my reply. I recommend being in touch with a behaviour analyst who can meet with you and your son, help gather the necessary information, analyze the data and make informed decisions.  I’ve offered a number of possible reasons why the current reinforcement plan is not working.  A behaviour analyst will be able to work with you to sort out which ones are likely involved and how to make adjustments.  I think you’re on the right track when it comes to reinforcing “good walking” but there might also be another behaviour/skill to be taught and subsequently reinforced.  You did not mention where your were located.  If you’re comfortable sending me another message with your state/province/county, I can send you information on your local professional association for behaviour analysis.  My reply to you will be in private.

Thanks again and take care,

~ Tricia-Lee

“In fact, in Zimbabwe excessive complaining is considered to be a sign of relapsing psychotic illness, whereas in America it is a normal and even valued behavior.”

Of Spirits and Madness: An American Psychiatrist in Africa by Paul R Linde

(via one-legged-piano)

It today’s North American culture complaining is normal because it is a verbal behaviour that has been reinforced.  Acts of complaining are typically followed by one of these consequences that reinforce the behaviour:

Attention - “Oh, life is hard for you right now.”, “You’ll be okay.”, “Let me help you”

Escape - “Okay, you don’t have to do X, Y and Z anymore.”

Tangible - “Here, have this instead” as a substitute item is given to them.

And, I suppose that for some people the sound of their own voice could be reinforcer enough; though, it would be hard to tease out the social aspect of complaining when there is almost always an audience.

Until our social environment is prepared to put complaining on extinction by not responding to it at all, we will remain a society where complaining is a norm.

“If the word “retarded” was strictly used in its clinical form or when meaning, “to make slow” there wouldn’t be an issue. However, we all know the word also functions as insult or to make comedic reference to people with cognitive impairments. I do not take issue with topography - a word is a word. I do however mind its function and when you use it to paint someone as inferior, that’s when the word is more than “just a word”. As with any behaviour, I care not WHAT people are doing but rather WHY they are doing it.”

My response to people who took offense to the ‘Spread the Word to End the Word’ campaign and did not appreciate being told what not to say.

Three-Term Contingency of the Day: Let’s Get Physical

An article was recently shared on Twitter by user @mindmotionpsych regarding the growing trend people exercising and mastering physical activity. You can read the article here http://bit.ly/wd7WCO  The article questioned people’s intent - whether an individual is engaging in physical activity from a weight loss perspective, a fitness perspective or a mental health perspective.  I think any one of those outcomes may maintain my physical activity. I would even suggest other reinforcing variables such as the social aspect, the task completion/mastery and leisure - “time well spent” aspect are also at work in maintaining my exercise routines.  All of those variables serve different functions depending on the circumstances before I head into the gym. On any given day, my three-term contingency for physical activity may look something like this:

Antecedent: feeling bored, unmotivated.  Have experienced a period of inactivity.

Behaviour:  Go to the gym and complete a workout

Consequence: Enjoy physical activity, muscles feel ready to work, no longer bored (sensory)

On another day, it may look something like this:

Antecedent: Eric invited me to go to the gym with him.  We haven’t spent much time together in the last few days.

Behaviour: We go to the gym and complete a workout

Consequence: Enjoy the physical activity together.  Eric checks-in on my workout and we share our progress (attention).

And perhaps, I find myself on another day like this:

Antecedent: Havn’t felt like I’ve accomplished much these past days; struggled to get tasks done.

Behaviour: Go to the gym and complete a workout routine (including increasing my weight and/or endurance)

Consequence: Feel good about what I accomplished.  Track and review my achievements on Fitocracy (tangible).  Think to myself, I did a great thing! 

Depending on my mood, my needs and the availability of reinforcement (including other competing sources of reinforcement) I am more or less likely to go to the gym.  Exercise and physical activity serve multiple functions; thus, provide a variety of reinforcers in order to keep me going.  Relying on any one of them on a given day may account for my consistent attendance and follow-through with my routines.  

What is the function of your physical activity?  What’s in it for you?

Related Posts:

Your reasons are unique:  http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/4234290869/abcs-easy-as-123-million

Feel the burn?  http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/14583008618/functions-of-behaviour-feels-good-looks-good-sounds

Take a S.E.A.T.

…and enjoy my four-part series on the functions of behaviour, Why Does He Do That? starring:

Sensory,  http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/14583008618/functions-of-behaviour-feels-good-looks-good-sounds

Escape,  http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/15250449217/functions-of-behaviour-get-me-outta-here

Attention,  http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/14654970740/functions-of-behaviour-look-at-me

and Tangible!  http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/15756234072/functions-of-behaviour-gimme-more-stuff

Functions of Behaviour: Gimme More Stuff!

The last function to be discussed in the ‘Why Does He Do That?’ series is tangible. 

On any given day, we act in ways that get us the things or activities we want and the items we need.  The behaviour can be as simple as pressing the button to turn on the TV or as complex as packing your bags, getting to the airport, boarding a plane and landing at your dream destination (though, that might be considered escape depending on the circumstances).  When we suspect the function of a behaviour is tangible, the three-term contingency might look something like this:

Antecedent: deprived of the item we want (i.e., we haven’t had it for sometime, or haven’t had enough to meet our needs) and the desired item is either in sight, has been mentioned by others or has has come to mind.

Behaviour: We reach for, or approach and take an item.  We ask for the item from someone or perform certain duties that have been asked of us.  Or, sometimes we may yell, scream at others, make demands or threats, throw ourselves on the floor and maybe even cry.

Consequence: Someone gives us what we want or the environment offers what we need (and doesn’t deny us taking it)

If it is stuff we are after, we will demonstrate a behaviour that has resulted in stuff coming into our possession.  And boy do we have a lot of stuff!  The more we have, the more we keep getting it seems.  This is due to how easy it is to be reinforced with stuff.  Our physical and social environment have evolved to make access to things even easier - drive thrus, ordering on-line, Superstores, more TV channels. It’s stuff, stuff and more stuff.  When we are so easily reinforced by stuff our tangible-getting behaviour increases and we acquire even more stuff. Soon, we come to expect this new level of stuff; rarely do we try to scale back. And when we do, it is hard work!  Ask the people who are trying to lose weight, quit smoking or need to live on a limited income (as a side note, applied behaviour analysis can be of assistance in these areas of behaviour change).

I say it’s time to put ourselves on a thinner schedule of reinforcement when it comes to accessing our ‘want’ tangibles. We can demonstrate some form of restraint by delaying gratification.  I don’t need to eat that cookie right now.  Or we start offering people just a little bit less in their environment.  No, I don’t need the supersize humongous gulp size. I’ll take a small thank you very much!  Too bad our environment has so much to offer for our ‘wants’ and the people who profit from delivering such ‘wants’ are not going to start limiting their supply for society’s benefit any time soon.  

We are definitely a tangible-obsessed society, but we can live a life of less is more.

Related Posts:

Baking got me this tangible:  http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/7056349014/this-reinforcement-is-bananas-banana-bread-the

Got game?  http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/5758647085/three-term-contingency-of-the-day-new-videogame

How about some pie?  http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/4281903290/ive-been-waiting-for-key-lime-pie-all-week

Functions of Behaviour: Get Me Outta Here!

I have enjoyed the sensory experiences of the holidays and engaged in plenty of attention-getting exchanges thanks to the invitations from family and friends. During the holiday season, I also enjoyed a break from my usual routine and escaped to a winter wonderland for a few days.  We all need a little escape from the things we don’t like. We often avoid the things we would rather not do. Escape/avoidance is another purpose or function of our behaviour.  

Why does he do that?  

Well, sometimes when he or she is faced with unpleasant situation, they will do certain things to get out of it.  We all have behaviours in our repertoire that work to escape or avoid aversive, unsafe or unlikable situations, people, places or things.  The behaviour(s) “work” because of negative reinforcement, where the removal or escape from the present condition increases the likelihood of us engaging in that behaviour again (in similar situations).

Some of these escape/avoidance related behaviours are seemingly mundane, requiring very little effort. For example, turning down the volume of the TV or radio station when the sound is too loud, or stepping out on to the road when walking by a lawn sprinkler that is reaching out onto the sidewalk.  Other escape/avoidance behaviours can be quite clever and well-planned (I’m sure teachers and employers can attest to this). The increase in crowd and chaos in the malls during Christmas led me to plan my shopping excursions so that I would not only be more efficient (i.e., quicker) but also avoided peak busy times.  I have learned this from past years. Others avoided the malls altogether and did most of their shopping on-line - another escape/avoidance available to us this day in age!  

We have also learned various forms of escape-related behaviours as a survival or safety mechanism. We walk on sidewalks not because it provides us with anything positive but because we avoid harm from being mixed in among vehicles. We learn to tread water because it functions as escape from the deep waters below. Wearing oven mitts helps us avoid burning ourselves. We don’t often give these actions credit in functioning as an escape/avoidance behaviour. I say this because escape/avoidance should not be regarded as a “good” or “bad” thing; rather the ways in which we go about escaping or avoiding should be questioned. The person who seeks therapy and the person who chooses to drink excessively may be escaping the same unpleasant feelings.  Both behaviours are successful in achieving escape. If escape is the need (or the reinforcer) then we must help others find more suitable ways to get there. Without addressing the need, other forms of escape-related behaviours may emerge which can be even less favourable (e.g., self-injury). This is why in applied behaviour analysis, there is more emphasis on determining the function (i.e., the why) of behaviour than on the form (i.e., the what).

Today, on my last day of vacation I have successfully avoided getting dressed much less doing anything else productive. There is laundry to be done and I should probably get ahead in my readings but writing this blog may have functioned as a means to avoid having to face the realities of the day’s work ahead. I wonder what else I can write about?    

Related Posts:

Escaped getting a ticket here: http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/12343709447/three-term-contingency-of-the-day-parking-ticket

Avoided some noxious odours here: http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/11600398732/three-term-contingency-of-the-day-hold-your-breath

Escaped a cold here: http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/10163779147/four-term-contingency-of-the-day-cold-remedy

Got rid of some garbage here: http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/6963811693/four-term-contingency-of-the-day-garbage-pee-yew

Functions of Behaviour: Look At Me!

Continuing on with, “Why does he do that?”…today’s featured function is attention. 

The function of attention exists when what we do results in others interacting with us.  It is commonly labelled “attention seeking”.  I dislike this term however because the negative connotation leaves people only looking for the “bad” forms of attention seeking behaviours when there are plenty of appropriate and pro-social forms being executed everyday.

This person is engaging in an attention-seeking behaviour.  Looks pretty normal to me. She has learned that raising and sticking your arm out towards the road is a reliable means of getting a cab driver’s attention.  Her arm raising behaviour is reinforced when the cab comes over.

Here is another attention-seeking behaviour.  This seems pretty functional. Haven’t we all been in situations where we needed help and called upon others to give us assistance? We have learned that even saying the word “HELP!” is a reliable form of getting others to come towards us. Once nearby, the person can offer the specific assistance we need. Thank goodness people reinforce our attention-seeking behaviours by responding to our calls for help.  

Meanwhile, this young lady had something on her mind that she wanted to share with others. The delivery of her message served the purpose of getting attention. She not only got the attention of parliament that day, but also of the nation. Perhaps her methods were unconventional or they left a bad taste in people’s mouths, but what she did worked at getting Canadians to discuss politics, free speech and the current state of affairs.

I hope you can tell from the examples I’ve highlighted that attention as a reason for behaviour is neither good nor bad.  It just is.  We need people to respond to us, to share ideas and engage us in meaningful ways. We get that interaction or maintain it by gaining the attention of others.  

As family and friends meet over the next several days, there will be plenty of exchanges of attention.  Some will be subtle (a warm touch from grandma); others may be obnoxious (your uncle’s impersonations).  Most will be reciprocated and the attention continues.  We are social beings after all.

Functions of Behaviour: Feels Good, Looks Good, Sounds Good, Tastes Good, Smells Good

Why does he do that?

If you have ever asked yourself this question, you may be interested to know that the ‘why’ of any given behaviour falls under one of four functions - or purposes. The four functions of behaviour are: 1) sensory; 2) attention; 3) escape/avoidance; and 4) tangible.  

People do what they do because it works.  All behaviour in a person’s repertoire serves a purpose even when the form of behaviour is something less desirable. Today’s featured function is sensory.

Sometimes what we do feels good, sounds good, looks good, smells good and/or tastes good.  If what we’re doing involves one of our senses or alters our inner state, then we might conclude that the function of that behaviour is sensory.  Do you twirl your hair?  Pull at your earlobes? Shake your leg when you’ve been sitting for a while? Lay on the couch after a long day at work?  Bite your nails?  These are all common examples of behaviour that likely* serves a sensory function.  

Behaviours that serve a sensory function go largely unnoticed.  Many of our day-to-day behaviours serve this purpose without us even acknowledging it. These sensory-based behaviours often help us regulate and achieve a state of equilibrium. If it feels good (or even just slightly okay), then we can say the behaviour “works” and we’re likely to do it again. Because our sensory experiences are unique to ourselves and our environment, our preferences for what does in fact feel good, look good, sound good etc. is highly individualized.  This is be beauty of human behaviour - no two people can have the exact same set of sensory-based behaviours.  One person’s “feel good” is another person’s unbearable sensation.  

The holiday season is an excellent source for examples of sensory-based behaviours.  The putting on of lights and candles, inhaling the smell of cookies baking, taste of the turkey dinner - small behaviours in our repertoire that makes us feel good.  This holiday take note of all the little things you do that satisfy your senses and appreciate how those experiences make you unique.  

*I say likely because it is possible that the same behaviour serves another one of the functions depending on the circumstances before or after - more on that in another post.

Related posts:

I love the smell of VapoRub:  http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/5511146131/three-term-contingency-of-the-day-vaporub

Hot Hot Hot!   http://behaviouristatplay.tumblr.com/post/9820107406/three-term-contingency-of-the-day-hot-hot-hot