Behavioral Intervention
Running head: BEHAVIORAL INTERVENTION
Alyssa Garcia
Behavioral Intervention Project
University of North Texas
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Behavioral Intervention
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Behavioral Intervention Project
Subject
My subject is a twenty-one year old male, and also my long-term boyfriend. He grew up
with his mom, dad and younger brother. Their family never likes to throw anything away, buys
anything if it’s a good deal (regardless of whether they truly need it or not), and collects a variety
of things (teddy bears, anything that has to do with Texas, car parts, and even Cameros!).
Because of these qualities, he grew up in a house that was always cluttered. This explains why
his room is packed with things he may not need as much as he thinks he does. Because he is
used to this clutter, he doesn’t realize when his dirty clothes are scattered throughout his room.
His roommates and I, however, definitely notice, as well as company.
Target Behavior
The target behavior in this behavior modification is placing any article of dirty clothing in
the laundry basket. This behavior is scored when the individual places an item of dirty clothing
into the laundry basket. Typical examples of this behavior include not only placing the dirty
clothes in the basket after removing them, but also if they are picked up from being out of place.
It would also be scored if the clothes are hanging out of the basket as well. This behavior would
not be scored in instances when the dirty clothes are next to the basket, on the chair, floor, bed,
or any other furniture.
I chose this behavior because the individual’s room almost always has dirty clothes out of
place. This disrupts mobility in the room and would prove to be much more livable and pleasant
if clothes were put away. It can also be quite embarrassing when company is over.
Behavioral Objective
Name of Subject: Jacen Scott
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Behavior: will place his dirty clothing into the laundry basket
Conditions: after removing them at the end of the day
Criteria: 100% of the time, each day.
Intervention
After collecting baseline data for a week, I implemented my intervention. For this
behavioral modification, I used positive reinforcement, using a neck massage as the
reinforcement. Since I had been using permanent product to collect my data, I was a little
troubled as to how I would effectively implement this intervention strategy. I know that
reinforcement has to be delivered immediately after the behavior was performed, however I
resulted to praising him at the end of the day for keeping the dirty clothes put away and then
delivering the reinforcement. I figured this would be just as effective since he knew that he was
receiving the neck massage for keeping his dirty clothes put away.
Method of Data Collection
I used permanent product recording to collect my baseline data. At the end of the day, I
would take note of the clothes he wore that day, and how many article of clothing were in the
laundry basket. I turned this number into a percentage by taking the number of articles of
clothing in the laundry basket, and dividing it by the total number of articles of clothing he wore
that day. I continued to use this method for my intervention data as well.
Single Subject Design
I used the AB single subject design. I chose this design since my modification only had
one intervention technique. Also, I was able to see a functional relationship almost immediately
so I didn’t need to alternate between baseline and intervention. The percentage of dirth clothes
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put away increased dramatically, therefore I knew my intervention was working, so I didn’t
bother trying another technique.
Results
The baseline data I collected proves that he almost never put his dirty clothes in the
laundry basket. I didn’t have to wait long until the percentage stayed at zero for four consecutive
days. Luckily, the first day I decided to implement my intervention, he had put 33% of his
clothes away, so I was able to deliver the positive reinforcement. The next day, it increased to
50% and stayed there for the third day of the intervention. I was pleased to see that he caught on
quickly, and the behavior began to increase dramatically, from 50%, to 66%, 83% and 100%
respectively for the third, fourth, fifth and sixth day of my intervention.
Overall Analysis
I found it very interesting to be able to use the methods we have been learning about this
semester. When we are just talking about it in class, I didn’t realize all the work that goes into a
behavior modification. However, when planning this project and going through the procedure, I
now realize that there were many factors that I didn’t take into consideration. I realized that
relying on permanent product recording is effective for taking data, however if using any form of
reinforcement, it causes some issues since reinforcement has to be delivered immediately. If I
use this data collection technique another time, I will be sure to consider another type of
intervention. Overall, I am very pleased with the results of this project. I have not been
delivering the reinforcement for two weeks now, and his room still remains clean. My next goal
is to get rid of some of the stuff he never uses that is cluttering his room. His roommates and I
thank you for giving me the opportunity to change his behavior!