Stimulus control
Stimulus control is a type of phenomenon relating to operant conditioning. It occurs when organisms behave in some particular way in the presence of some particular stimulus. Also, the organisms tend to behave in another different way in the absence of the said stimulus. In simple stimulus control is a situation in which behavior depends on the presence or absence of a certain stimulus. For instance, if one always writes while listening to music, it means that their behavior is under the control of the stimulus listening to music. Therefore, in the absence of music, it means they may not be in a position to write, and they may not do it normally. It is possible to establish stimulus control in a person, especially in children, where parents can apply it to improve their behavior. Guardians and teachers may also use the same means to learn about stimulus control to ensure they can improve the learners’ behaviors or keens they handle. So, they can create stimulus control through differential reinforcement. However, the method is common for kids with autism as it is helpful in their discrete class lessons (Schreibman, 2019). Therefore, differential reinforcement may apply in the classroom and outside the school, so it is possible to use it to change kids’ behaviors.
Stimulus control may apply in three methods. They include modeling, physical guidance, and verbal instructions. Therefore, the methods are crucial to apply to individuals to improve their behaviors. Physical guidance is an example of an actual stimulus applied to help in a behavior change. Verbal instructions are stimulus controls that may also apply through evoking behaviors in the listeners. Modeling also is an essential behavior control method applicable in stimulus control. Video modeling is one important method that can help increase several skills in children, especially those with autism (Schreibaman, 2019). Video modeling is also a vital method to eliminate some behaviors in a person or children. However, the technique works best for children with high imitation skills and low baselines for disruptive behaviors. Therefore, it is essential to develop specific and valuable guidelines to build video modeling into actual teaching situations.
Teaching complex behaviors
Learned behavior relies on various forces that include the presence /absence of punishing and rewarding stimuli, the avoidance of motivations, and the intrinsic approach, among other forces (Van der Lans et al. 2018). Therefore, an animal’s behavior relies on these forces to maximize access to rewards while also minimizing the punishments that it may endure. Learning is a process; that never comes to an end. It implies that learning is continuous and gives caregivers or teachers room to learn and prepare to help their kids or other persons in behavior change. Understanding the behavior change process is also essential because it is essential to understand it to manage behavior change successfully. Humans’ behaviors are complex and therefore require robust methods to handle them. Human complex behaviors result from several small behaviors that form chains of complex associated behaviors.
Consequently, it is impossible to acquire or learn a complex behavior at once (Van der Lans et al. 2018). For instance, a baby does not learn to walk in a single day or just once. They have to go over tedious processes such as crawling, learning to flex their muscles, etc. The process of a baby walking reveals a successive approximation process. Thus, the more the target behavior becomes closely approximated or achieved as both learning and time progress.
Therefore, from the understanding of teaching complex behaviors, one should not expect results at once. Instead, they should be patient and persevering to attain what they want. Also, they should accept that the process is also complex, and it will only be fruitful for those who work hard to achieve success. Parents, teachers, and caregivers are good examples of those who should learn complex teaching behaviors. Therefore, they should not tire because the change they want may not come automatically or is in a short while. When dealing with kids, it is also possible to collaborate. For instance, teachers can collaborate with parents to ensure kids acquire good or helpful behavior. For example, both parents and teachers may intervene to ensure kids learn good mannerisms such as eating behaviors, among other essential behaviors.
Shaping new behaviors
Shaping behavior belongs to variant operant conditioning. Shaping behavior is essential to exhibit a particular desired behavior instead of waiting (Losinski et al. 2019). In that case, any behavior leading to the expected or target behavior goes with some rewards. Simply, it means molding or shaping the subject’s behavior into the best or desired one. Shaping is vital because it allows building the desired behavior through steps while rewarding behaviors that go progressively to the final goal. Shaping behavior applies to kids to attain certain desired behaviors. For instance, giving kids the most or best attention when they behave well is safe. Also, ignoring their mild behavior is crucial in attaining the best for the kids. That also applies when you want the kid to grow up with good manners. It will require giving them positive attention where they portray good manners and ignoring them for bad manners. Therefore, it implies that positive reinforcement as being crucial to shaping behavior.
Shaping applies to various places, including homes, nursing homes, schools, and any environment where children are under the care of someone (Losinski et al. 2019). For school-going kids or elsewhere kids interacting with different caregivers, collaboration is essential to ensure they shape up early enough and have the desirable behaviors. Therefore, it requires the effort of the caregivers to provide the best positive reinforcement that will help the kids adopt positive behaviors. Shaping may also apply in the classroom. Teachers have a significant role in ensuring learners acquire the desired successive approximation at any given time. Therefore, it will require teachers to reward the kids who improve on acquiring a particular skill that is crucial to learning. So, shaping is an essential process, especially in teaching, because no behavior can attract rewards if it does not occur. Thus, it is the same way that caregivers and parents should also ensure that their kids achieve the best behaviors.
Operant contingencies
Skinner, a behavioral scientist, believed that to analyze animal and human behaviors experimentally requires dividing the behavioral act into three significant parts. The parts include operant response, discriminative stimulus, and punisher/ reinforcer. For instance, in the behavior analysis operation, leaving class when the day goes off can be divided into three parts that represent the three-term consistency (Saini et et al. 2021). As applicable in behavior change, operant contingency is the condition whose response brings consequences. For instance, some features may also vary in an environment where a response changes.
Therefore, it is possible to say that changes are contingent upon responses. It is thus clear the relation between change and response. Each may lead to the other depending on their magnitude. For example, a response may be a result of a change, whereas a certain response may lead to a certain change in a situation (Saini et al. 2021). The probability levels of each affecting the other are also a way to measure which leads to the other response or change. It is crucial to select a behavior based on response-consequence contingencies and the properties under which the behavior may turn sensitive. Therefore, with the many issues discussed on contingency and operant, it is clear that contingency is the condition causing the response to cause a consequence.
Finally, it is possible to apply operant contingency in various fields and environments to create the desired response or consequence. In several professional environments, operant contingency is applicable to influence people to respond to issues in certain preferable ways (Saini et al. 2021). Teachers and trainers may find it crucial to apply it to kids to have the best change or response from them. It will also require them to have sufficient knowledge of the probability of change or response acquiring to the best of the expectations. It is crucial to note that without determining and specifying the probabilities, it cannot be possible to differentiate the contingent relations from those incidental temporal ones and reinforcers that happen independently. Therefore, it is essential to learn about contingency operants to achieve the best in behavioral change.
Using prompts to facilitate learning
Prompting is an essential instructional strategy that uses several cues like gestures, photographs, illustrations, and other essential means. A prompt is crucial before a student gets into performing an ability to prevent making errors. Prompting is essential in behavior shaping or skill acquisition (Naykki et a. 2017). In learning, it provides learners with helpful assistance that increases the probability of attaining the desired behavior. Touching or pointing an object is an essential gestural prompt that may apply to many, including toddlers. Thus, an instructor may physically touch or guide the toddler in assisting them in using the target skill or behavior. For instance, they may tap a toddler’s hand that lies on a car to cue it (the toddler) to push the car. It is also important to realize that prompting requires some technique to attain the desired behaviors. One must not only initiate prompts but should have the right skills applicable to each prompt they want to use. For instance, when applying prompting procedures, it is important to have your cues consistent for the learners to understand how they should be handling something or a situation.
Also, it is crucial to apply the various prompts as they apply. For example, where a verbal prompt is more applicable, the instructor must use it to ensure they attain the results they aspire to achieve. Also, where the modeling prompt seems appropriate, it will be important t apply it. A situation may also demand the combination of the verbal and modeling prompts, and so it will require an instructor to use both if that is what fits a situation. Finally, parents, teachers, and various caregivers are good examples of persons to help attain the desired behaviors through the use of prompts. Therefore, their collaboration and determination in understanding and delivering the needed knowledge are vital to achieving the desired behavior. Thus, it is no reason to ignore any prompt because it may lead to attaining the best behaviors as expected.
Behavior Generalization and Maintenance
Maintenance refers to the process of retaining skills through practicing. Generalization is different but also applies almost the same with maintenance. Therefore, generalization is using a skill in various settings. Stimuli generalization is a behavior that happens in response to a different stimulus (Pennington et al. 2019). It is important to note that both generalizations and maintenance are essential and applicable in day-to-day work activities. For instance, it is possible to accomplish some tasks every day in different settings and situations because of the generalization of the skills required. It is possible to promote maintenance in several practical ways. One such way is the withdrawal consequence. Thus, that is the action of doing away with the negative stimulus or action. The method serves as a reward for acting a behavior. It is also possible to withdraw from a behavior due to some reasons. Some of those reasons include being depressed when one is sad or other causes leading to withdrawing.
Also, it is essential to learn the good about negative reinforcement. Negative reinforcement is most necessary and effective in amplifying certain desired behavior. Therefore, there shall be less time taken where negative reinforcement applies significantly. So, if it means taking a lot of time, the response is not effective. Therefore, it is essential to apply reinforcement effectively because of the need for behavior generalization and maintenance. Parents, teachers, guardians, and various caregivers have a significant role in enhancing positive behaviors in kids and in any other person whose behavior change may work. Applying several important ways that lead to positive results would also be crucial. Such practices include using negative reinforcement as it is responsible for effective change (Gunning et al. 2019). Professions may also apply maintenance and generalizations means to ensure the best behaviors remain in an individual. Teachers or trainers may do that by subjecting the trainees to repeating an action severally while also practicing an essential skill or behavior in different ways and situations.
References
Gunning, C., Holloway, J., Fee, B., Breathnach, Ó., Bergin, C. M., Greene, I., & Ní Bheoláin, R. (2019). A systematic review of generalization and maintenance outcomes of social skills intervention for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. Review Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 6(2), 172-199.
Losinski, M., Ennis, R., Katsiyannis, A., & Rapa, L. J. (2019). Schools as change agents in reducing bias and discrimination: Shaping behaviors and attitudes. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 28(10), 2718-2726.
Näykki, P., Isohätälä, J., Järvelä, S., Pöysä-Tarhonen, J., & Häkkinen, P. (2017). Facilitating socio-cognitive and socio-emotional monitoring in collaborative learning with a regulation macro script–an exploratory study. International Journal of Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, 12(3), 251-279.
Pennington, B., Simacek, J., McComas, J., McMaster, K., & Elmquist, M. (2019). Maintenance and generalization in functional behavior assessment/behavior intervention plan literature. Journal of Behavioral Education, 28(1), 27-53.
Saini, V., Andersen, A. S., Jessel, J., & Vance, H. (2021). On the role of operant contingencies in the maintenance of inappropriate mealtime behavior: An epidemiological analysis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Schreibman, L. (2019). The study of stimulus control in autism. In Environment and behavior (pp. 203-209). Routledge.
Van der Lans, R. M., Van de Grift, W. J., & van Veen, K. (2018). Developing an instrument for teacher feedback: using the rasch model to explore teachers’ development of effective teaching strategies and behaviors. The journal of experimental education, 86(2), 247-264.
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