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APA
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Psychology
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Essay
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English (U.S.)
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Topic:

Behavioural Contracting: Dead Man and Stranger Tests

Essay Instructions:

For this week’s Assignment, you will apply the theories, behavior change techniques, and research that you have covered so far this term to hypothetical case studies. Your answers to the questions should consist of information from the text and supplemental readings. You also may use sources from the Library or other credible Internet sources, but your primary sources should be the readings assigned for the course.
Your narration should be consistent with the culture and characteristics of behavior analysis. The language you use should be behavioral and you should avoid mentalistic wording and explanations. Relate your understanding of how behavior analysts perform in the work setting through your slides and tone.
Case Scenario #1: Jimmy Hates Homework
A family has contacted you, a Behavior Analyst, to help their son Jimmy be more consistent in completing his homework. His parents are specifically concerned about reading and math. Jimmy’s parents want him to read for 20 minutes per weeknight and practice multiplication for 10 minutes per weeknight. Jimmy is currently reading once a week for 20 minutes and practicing multiplication once a week for 10 minutes. He is a typically developing child with normal intelligence and has the capability to read and complete math at grade level. He is choosing not to read and practice math and is instead choosing to watch television, play video games, and chat with friends online. You have decided that a contingency contract is the best plan to change Jimmy’s behavior. Before you write the contingency contract, though, you need to determine what Jimmy’s preferences are and what would likely be an effective reinforcer.
Compare two types of preference assessments and identify which would be best to use with Jimmy. Describe how you will conduct the preference assessment.
Explain to the parents what a contingency contract is, summarizing the purpose and justifying its use by explaining how contingency contracts have successfully been used in research.
Develop a contingency contract for Jimmy, including all necessary components:
Define the target behaviors by writing a 1–2 sentence operational definition that meets all of the following criteria:
Observable
Passes the “Dead Man’s” test and the “stranger” test
Uses no labels or hypothetical constructs
State how the behaviors will be measured.
State when the behaviors will be performed.
Identify the contingency used to change the behavior.
Identify who is responsible for implementing the contingency.
Defend why you expect this procedure to be effective. Include a description of the applicable behavior principles that explain why contingency contracts work.
Case Scenario #2: Group Home Chaos
You, a Behavior Analyst, have been contacted by the program director of a group home for 11-15-year-old boys. He describes the current environment in the group home as “chaos.” The boys are refusing to do household chores, complete homework, or clean their rooms. Staff members are having problems with “non-compliance” and “rowdy behavior” exhibited by the boys. You have been asked to develop a plan to bring order to this chaotic home. You have decided that a token economy is the best choice.
Choose an appropriate preference assessment to assess the preferences of this group of boys. Describe how you will conduct the preference assessment.
Begin by explaining to the program director the purpose of a token economy and justify its use by explaining how it has been successfully used in prior research.
Develop a token economy for this group of boys, including all of the required components:
Define 5 target behaviors by writing a 1–2 sentence operational definition that meets all of the following criteria:
Observable
Passes the “Dead Man’s” test and the “stranger” test
Uses no labels or hypothetical constructs
Identify the token to be used.
Identify a list of 10 backup reinforcers.
Identify the schedule of exchange (i.e., how many tokens are given for each target behavior).
Identify the token exchange rate (i.e., how many tokens are required to acquire each backup reinforcer).
Establish the time and place for token exchange (e.g., daily, weekly).
Identify whether you will include a response cost procedure. Include your rationale.
Defend why you expect this procedure to be effective. Include a description of the roles of tokens and backup reinforcers.

Essay Sample Content Preview:

Behavioral Contracting: A Case Study
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Unit Name and Code
Instructor’s Name
Date
Behavioural Contracting
Behavioral contracting is a technique used to make certain behavior changes within a speculated time with defined rewards for adherence. A contract can be drawn between a child and their caregiver or with their teacher. It is often done after preference and behavior assessments (Martin & Pear, 2019). In the following case scenarios, the dead man's test and stranger tests are used to determining if the children's behaviors require intervention. I use contingency contracts and token economy for behavior contracting in the case scenarios.
Case Scenario One
The following case illustration of a client who contacted me illustrates the benefits of contingent contracting as a motivational tool and preference assessment done on the client. Jimmy, a boy in his developing stage, was presented. His parents were concerned about his inconsistency in completing his homework, explicitly reading and math; they would prefer he read for 20 minutes per weeknight and practiced multiplication for 10 minutes per weeknight. Jimmy is currently reading once a week for 20 minutes and practicing multiplication once a week for 10 minutes. He is average academically and prefers to watch video games and chat with friends to study and do homework.
On preference assessment, multiple stimuli without replacement assessment methods were used. As seen from the case, Jimmy preferred to play video games to study. This method was used as he proved his choice-making skills. He did not have any other stimuli except the ones stated above; hence this was the most suitable assessment technique (Brodhead et al., 2017). The free operant method was also used, whereby I observed jimmy after school for a week without interfering with his routine.
On review and observation, Jimmy passes the dead man and stranger test; therefore, Jimmy's behaviors of refusing to study and choosing to play video games need some intervention. We decided to use a contingency contract to help change so his behavior. The target behaviors for Jimmy were studying for a minimum of 40 minutes per day for both maths and reading. The parents will be ensuring that he fulfills his end of the deal. A contingency contract enables the parents and Jimmy to come to an agreement considering each of the parties’ interests and preferences, enabling them to come to a consensus; it cancels out the partiality of the go-between, in this case, the behavior analyst, and it prompts parties to fulfill their promises. The following contingency contract was drawn.
My Contract
Name ……………………………………&h...
Updated on
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