NOTE:  It has been several years since this course has been offered at Longview. It was, however, one of the most practical courses I have taught, and it was modelled upon the training I gave to new Psychologists at the Hogan Regional Center in Massachussets. If the opportunity arose to teach this course again, I would jump on it.


BEHAVIOR MANAGEMENT
HUMS 166 / CRJU 166
SPRING 1997

INSTRUCTOR: Matthew Westra
OFFICE: LA 202 C
PHONE: 672-2374 (with voice mail)
e-mail: matthew.westra@mcckc.edu
OFFICE HOURS: TBA

REQUIRED TEXT: Behavior Modification: What it is and How to Do It.
                                6th Ed. by Garry Martin & Joseph Pear
Return to Westra's Home Page


COURSE OBJECTIVES:

To the degree the student participates and succeeds in this course, the student will:
    recognize the role of environmental effects on behavior.
    be able to use and apply terminology related to behavior modification and behaviorism.
    be able to design a behavior modification or management program for submission to clinical professionals.
    be familiar with a process of review for proposed plans from
        A: Presenting one's own proposal.
        B: Reviewing others' proposals.
    understand the ethical issues involved in behavioral control.
    apply the concept of "least intrusive method" in one's proposals and in reviews of others' proposals.
    be able to identify potential reinforcements which maintain behaviors.
    possess a repertoire of behavioral methods including: Positive and Negative Reinforcement, DRO, DRI, Extinction,
        Punishment, Shaping, Chaining, Classical (Respondent) Conditioning, and others.
    be able to find and understand research on behavioral techniques.

A S S I G N M E N T S

I. EXAMS - There will be 3 exams, each worth 50 points. Each will consist of multiple choice and essay questions. The first two exams will come early in the semester due to the distribution of lecture and application units in this course. The exams emphasize concepts and application of material and you should prepare for them carefully.

II. PROJECT - 200 points.
The Project is the main part of the grade because it represents the "hands on (almost)" part of the course and the bulk of the work.
The Project involves identifying a behavioral situation which could benefit from modification and developing a plan to increase, decrease, or otherwise alter the behavior.
The Project consists of 3 parts. Each part is described fully in a separate assignment sheet and is presented briefly below.

    A. Functional Analysis - 75 points.

Identification, description (operational definitions), baseline, constellation of consequences maintaining current behavior and preventing alternative behaviors.
    B. Behavior Plan Proposal - 75 points.
Proposed plan including explanations & justifications. 3 copies of the plan will be distributed to class members for the Peer Review process.
    C. Peer Review Summary - 50 points.
Collected written notes of review committee, with your responses and alterations to you plan proposal with the reasoning behind these changes.
Participation in 2 PEER REVIEWS of others' proposals.
Read another student's proposal, write a review including a critique of both the strengths and weaknesses, logical progression of reinforcement, potential backfires and whether they are anticipated by yourself and the proposer, how the proposal addresses ethical issues, etc. 15 points each. Graded as Excellent (15), Pass (12) or Fail (0).
QUALITY of WRITTEN WORK
It is expected that all written works produced outside of class will be completed in a fashion which reflects professional competence. This means, specifically, that Semester Projects and any other written assignments (other than exam essays) will be typed, double spaced, 1 inch margins, be presented on white paper with black ink which is dark enough to read easily, use standard capital and small letters, cite sources and quotations in APA or MLA form, use paragraphs properly, demonstrate thoughtful consideration of your topic and sources, be clean and aligned with a single staple (no paper clips) in the upper left corner. Papers will be free from spelling errors and grammatical errors. Pages are to be numbered, preferably in the bottom center or top right corner. Any typo's which escape your watchful eye while typing will be corrected in pencil or pen prior to being turned in. There may be no more than 3 corrected typos, and no uncorrected typos per page. If you discover too many typos, re-type the page or fix them on your word processor and re-print.

Quality and Appearance will be counted in the grade. Don't embarrass yourself with shoddy work. Part of professional competence lies in the conveyance of a message, as well as in the message itself.

Deviations from requirements will prevent papers from being accepted.

TAPE RECORDERS
Tape recorders are not allowed. Please do not bring them or use them. If you have a documented "special need" requiring use of one, please bring me certification from the Special Needs Office.

ASSIGNING THE GRADE                                         GRADE DISTRIBUTION
150      3 EXAMS                                                             342 - 380 = A
200      PROJECT                                                             304 - 341 = B
 30       PEER REVIEWS                                                  266 - 341 = C
380      TOTAL POINTS POSSIBLE                         
     228 - 265 = D

SCHEDULE
 

CHAPTERS                                 TOPICS
 Jan 16 1 & 2  Intro to Course, "Harry" film
    History & Philosophy of Behavior Mod.

Jan 23             3, 5, 14             Techniques to increase behaviors

Jan 30             6, 11              Techniques to increase behaviors (cont)

Feb  6 ***   EXAM 1  (Chs 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 11, 14)
                      4, 7, 13          Techniques to decrease behaviors

Feb 13             20, 21           Intervention I - Selection of Behavior, Baseline, Functional Analysis, etc.

Feb 20             18, 19            Data Collection

Feb 27 *** EXAM 2 (Chs 4, 7, 13, 20, 21, 18, 19)
                    no reading          Intervention II - Considerations for Changing Behaviors
 
Mar 6          no reading           Intervention III - the Proposal
                    DUE Section 1 of Project

Mar 13             Happy St. Patrick's Day & Spring Break

Mar 20         no reading            Intervention IV - Reasoning & Justification of Proposed Plan

Mar 27         8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17         Stimulus Discrimination, Fading, Cond. Reo's,  Respondent Cond., Short Cuts, to
                                                            Training, etc.
 
Apr 3                 24                    Review "Harry" film, Discussion
                    DUE Group 1 Proposals (Project Section 2)
 
Apr 10             26                     Group 1 Peer Review
                    DUE Group 2 Proposals (Project Section 2)

Apr 17             27                     Group 2 Peer Review
                    DUE Group 3 Proposals (Project Section 2)
                    DUE Group 1 Review Notes (Project Section 3)

Apr 24         no reading             Group 3 Peer Review
                    DUE Group 2 Review Notes (Project Section 3)

May 1             29                     Ethics
                     DUE Group 3 Review Notes (Project Section 3)

FINAL EXAM DATE: May 14, 7:40 - 9:40pm (Chs 8, 9, 10, 15, 16, 17, 21, 24, 26, 27, 29)