Behavioral Modification Course
Offered Spring 2017
Have you wondered why you keep losing your keys everytime you get back home, and whether there is a way to change that? Tried to start or keep up an exercise habit but failed? Thought that you'd really like to finally kick that nailbiting habit? Thought about training your dog to do agility trials? Have you wanted to understand some of the reasons that humans (and other animals) behave the way they do, and how to establish and modify those behaviors? Learning and Behavior Modification (PSY 316) covers all of these topics and more.
Behaviors are both overt (visible) and covert (private or internal) things that people say or do. As humans, we engage in a wide range of behaviors, from getting dressed in the morning, to moving our fingers to create a text message, worrying about getting sick, feeding a baby, taking notes in class, dancing at a club, and sleeping for eight hours. Learning and behavior modification within psychological science concern the conditions under which learning takes place, and under which behaviors can be changed. Modifications can be targeted at individuals, for example trying to get a four year old to stop throwing tantrums, or at a group or society, for example trying to help students manage time effectively or help Americans exercise more. Behavior modification requires rigorous assessment to identify and target particular behaviors for change, identify possible causes of the behavior, implement appropriate behavioral treatments, and evaluate the outcomes.
We will be analysing and studying behaviors such as this one in a clip from The Big Bang Theory (and evaluating whether the show is using terminology correctly or not!):
In this course we will cover the basic principles of learning and behavior modification and analysis, and apply these principles in a self-management project of your choice. Previous students have reported success in stopping nailbiting, saving more money, reducing their road rage, exercising more, worrying less, and studying more without as many distractions. What would you choose to change?