Chapter 6: Stimulus Control and Reinforcement Therapy

1. Chapter 6:Stimulus Control andReinforcement Therapy CBT Chapter 6

2. Stimulus Control: Antecedents • Prompting • Cues that remind or instruct you to behave in a particular way • Verbal, environmental, physical, and behavioural prompts • Fading: with repeated reinforcement, prompts become unnecessary CBT Chapter 6

3. Stimulus Control: Antecedents 2. Setting Events • Complex environmental conditions that influence the likelihood of behaviour occurring • Manipulation of setting events is often sufficient to produce behaviour change • Easy, efficient first intervention • Coupled with planned activity scheduling for desirable behaviors in old setting CBT Chapter 6

4. Reinforcement: Consequences • Arranging the consequences of a behaviour so that it is more likely to be performed again in the future • Not a reward, technically • rewards may not affect future behaviours • what a reinforcer is a priori is unknown • Behavior therapy usually relies on positive reinforcement CBT Chapter 6

5. Positive Reinforcers • Tangible: material objects, “stuff” • Social reinforcers: attention, praise, approval, acknowledgement • Powerful natural reinforcer • Token: symbolic items • Activities • Everyday tasks CBT Chapter 6

6. Premack Principle • Use of any high frequency behaviour as a reinforcer for lower frequency behaviours • High frequency behaviours are not necessarily pleasurable CBT Chapter 6

7. Identifying Potential Reinforcers • Questioning clients • Exposure to generalized reinforcers • Catalogue method • Reinforcement Survey Schedule • Pleasant Event Schedule • Observing routine behaviours • Based on Premack Principle CBT Chapter 6

8. Pleasant Events Schedule (MacPhillamy & Lewinsohn, 1971) CBT Chapter 6

9. Pleasant Events Schedule (MacPhillamy & Lewinsohn, 1971) CBT Chapter 6

10. Identifying Potential Reinforcers • Can be created by introducing generalized reinforcers that become attractive (I.e. video game) • Social reinforcers can serve here as well (modelling, approval) CBT Chapter 6

11. Administering Reinforcers • Self-reinforcement and reinforcing agents (therapist, teacher, etc.) • Moving to self-directed change • Continuous vs. Intermittent reinforcers • Initially continuous reinforcement will be used • Moving to intermittent schedule CBT Chapter 6

12. Intermittent Scheduling • Increases likelihood of transfer, generalization, and long-term maintenance • Mimics real life schedules of reinforcement • Relies more on expectation of reinforcement than a continuous schedule CBT Chapter 6

13. Intermittent Scheduling • Interval schedule: reinforcer given during a particular time interval (if behaviour is performed) • paycheque • Ratio schedule: reinforcer given after behaviour is performed a particular number of times • gambling CBT Chapter 6

14. Reinforcement Guidelines • The contingency must be clear • Reinforcement is given immediately • Reinforcement is given consistently • Client must be aware of reinforcers • Move from continuous to intermittent reinforcement • Should be a preference for “natural” (real world) reinforcers • Maintain potency of reinforcer CBT Chapter 6

15. Shaping • Necessary for teaching relatively complex behaviours • Only components of behaviour are reinforced • Reinforce successively closer approximations to the target behaviour CBT Chapter 6

16. Ethical Considerations What motivates us to do the things we do? • Intrinsic worth • Personal freedom • Bribing clients CBT Chapter 6