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Behavior Modification Project: Research Paper Instructions

You will write a 3-5-page, APA formatted, research paper that will aid you in the Behavior Modification Project. You should reference your textbook and at least 4 additional peer-reviewed journal articles. The research paper will include a title page, 150–250-word abstract, 3-5-page body, and references page. The body of your research paper will have an introduction, Section I on your target behavior, Section II on your treatment method, and a conclusion. You can give Section I and Section II appropriate titles for your paper.

The first section will focus on peer-reviewed research that others have already done on your target behavior, or a similar behavior. How did they study this behavior? What treatment did they use? Was it effective?

The second section of your paper will require you to research the treatment you intend to use to change your behavior. Choose one of the chapters from your textbook (Reinforcement, Token Economies, Behavioral Contracts, Using Punishment: Time-Out and Response Cost, etc.). You also may cite any peer-reviewed journal articles that focus on your treatment method, or in which the authors used it to treat their target behavior.

Submit your research paper to SafeAssign for a rating. This assignment is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Monday of Module/Week 3.

Sample Paper

Rise and Shine: Behavior Modification for an Earlier Start to the Day

Abstract

The central focus of this paper concerns the personal behavior modification project of its author to adjust her rising time from some time in the 7:00 hour to no later than 6:15 every morning. This paper is divided into two sections. The first section discusses research on factors involved in the target behavior to adjust the participant’s circadian rhythm; namely, diet, hormones, and age. High protein and carbohydrate (in the form of bread and other refined grains) intake in the morning were found to be associated with stable circadian rhythms. Next, the timing of the peak of the hormone cortisol (which is associated with wakefulness) can be adjusted with earlier wake up times without impacting the timing of melatonin (which is associated with sleepiness) peaks in the evening. Lastly, early rising and retiring times have been found to be common in older adults. These healthy circadian rhythms remained unaffected even when the adults took evening naps. The second and last section of this paper addresses the token economy treatment method in behavior modification. In a token economy method, tokens (conditioned reinforcers) are received after the desired behavior occurs and later exchanged for backup reinforcers. Token economies have a wealth of empirical support for their effectiveness regarding behavior modification across various life forms (both humans and animals) as well as diverse cultures in the world.

Rise and Shine: Behavior Modification for an Earlier Start to the Day

The purpose of this behavior modification project will be to increase the behavioral deficit of the participant’s rising time in the morning to earlier than her son’s rising time. “Each day” will be defined as Sunday through Saturday or, in other words, every day of the week. The participant’s son gets up at 7:15 each day. The participant currently rises between 7:00 and 8:00 and wishes to change the time to no later than 6:15 each day. Therefore, the target behavior is a rising time of 6:15 each morning. The target behavior will be defined as exiting the bed, kneeling and saying morning prayer, and beginning the process of getting ready for the day with no re-entry into the bed until sleep time in the evening.

The participant chose to address this behavioral deficit in order to increase overall productivity of the day, promote family peace and functionality, and to protect a healthy circadian rhythm into late adulthood. According to Hilditch, Dorrian, and Banks (2016), sleep inertia, the period of grogginess after waking from sleep, is most impairing to performance immediately after waking, but gradually dissipates. The participant intends to rise earlier each day to allow sufficient time for sleep inertia to dissipate before interacting with her son and addressing his needs in order to promote family functionality. In addition, the participant intends to use the time in the morning before her son gets up to begin homework assignments in order to increase daily productivity. Finally, since research has shown that circadian rhythms can change with age (Yoon et al., 2003), the target behavior is intended to prevent the development of senescence-related disruptions in late adulthood.

Research on the Target Behavior

The target behavior to rise by 6:15 every morning is intended to make a slight, but permanent adjustment to the sleep/wake cycle of the participant. This will be done by aiming to change the participant’s circadian rhythm. Morris, Aeschbach, and Scheer (2012) defined circadian rhythms as the 24-hour internal timing system that synchronizes biological needs with behaviors such as working, eating, sleeping, and exercising. Research has shown that several factors can affect circadian rhythms, such as diet, hormones, and age.

Diet

In a cross-sectional study in which data was analyzed for 1368 participants aged 35 to 69 years, Yamaguchi et al. (2013) found an associate between the type of macronutrient, the timing of its intake, and the stability of circadian rhythms. Each participant was administered a lifestyle questionnaire to evaluate physical activity and sleep cycles and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) to evaluate food intake in the form of macronutrient type, amounts, and the time of day each were typically consumed (Yamaguchi et al., 2013). The results showed that low intake of protein and high intake of carbohydrates (in the form of breads and other grains), plus low intake of carbohydrates at breakfast and a high intake at lunch and dinner, were all associated with irregular circadian rhythms (Yamaguchi et al., 2013). Although further studies are needed, including experimental studies to establish cause and effect, these results suggest that higher protein and carbohydrate intake in the morning, plus lower carbohydrate intake in the evenings may positively impact the stability of circadian rhythms and, therefore, promote success in the behavior modification endeavor of the participant.

Hormones

The two most common hormones discussed regarding their impact on sleep may be melatonin and cortisol. In their detailed review article, Morris et al. (2012) discussed the extensive body of evidence and the current understanding of the role of several hormones in regulating circadian rhythms, but emphasized the central role of melatonin and cortisol. Morris et al. (2012) explained that cortisol relates to alertness and peaks in the early morning, which is complimentary to a typical waking time of the day. Conversely, melatonin peaks in the evening, which corresponds to the typical nighttime sleeping pattern because high levels of melatonin make it easier to fall asleep (Morris et al., 2012). The researchers found that melatonin remained high in the evening, even for night workers whose behavior (working at night instead of sleeping) did not correspond to the natural circadian rhythm (Morris et al., 2012). Unlike melatonin, however, cortisol levels can fluctuate depending on behaviors (Morris et al., 2012), such as rising earlier or later in the morning. This evidence suggests that the target behavior of an earlier rising time in the morning may indeed influence the participant’s circadian rhythm by triggering the release of cortisol earlier in the morning without adversely affecting the ability of the participant to go to sleep at night.

Since the participant is a healthy adult female, it may also be prudent to take into consideration the impact of the hormones of the monthly menstrual cycle on melatonin and cortisol. In their article, Shechter and Boivin (2010) discussed the current understanding of the impact of hormones on sleep and circadian rhythms in healthy women and women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), a severe form of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Although several hormones were discussed, Shechter and Boivin (2010) emphasized the role of melatonin and cortisol in maintaining stable sleep cycles. The researchers found no significant evidence to suggest that hormones such as progesterone and estrogen had any impact on melatonin and cortisol levels in healthy women and, further, found that circadian rhythms remained unchanged throughout the menstrual cycle (Shechter & Boivin, 2010). This research suggests that the hormones that control the monthly menstrual cycle will have no adverse impact on the behavior modification project to adjust the circadian rhythm of the participant.

Age

The participant wants to choose a target behavior that considers possible senescence-related impacts on circadian rhythm in the future. The establishment of a behavior that coincides with healthy circadian rhythms in late adulthood is preferred. Yoon et al. (2003) studied 67 young adults aged 18 to 32 and 56 older adults aged 60 to 75. Participants wore wrist monitors and kept sleep logs to gather data regarding times of nighttime sleep, daytime naps, and nighttime illumination in the home over a one-week period (Yoon et al., 2003). Following that, participants came to the lab where they were monitored for 30 hours, during which cortisol and other hormones were measured through urine samples and oral body temperatures taken every 90 minutes (Yoon et al., 2003).

The results showed that older adults who took evening naps showed no significant difference in oral body temperatures, hormone levels, and evening sleep onset times than older adults who did not take evening naps (Yoon et al., 2003). This finding is significant because, at the beginning of the article, the authors pointed out that older adults often rise earlier in the day and retire to bed earlier in the evening than do young adults. Therefore, the target behavior of rising earlier is compatible with natural circadian rhythms of older adulthood, which may then remain stable even with the addition of evening naps as the participant ages.

Research on the Treatment Method

This behavior modification project will utilize a token economy method. Similar to various other treatment methods, one purpose of a token economy is to strengthen desirable behaviors (Miltenberger, 2016). According to Hackenberg (2009), token economies permeate cultures throughout the world, primarily in the form of currency or other bartering materials. Therefore, token economies constitute a familiar concept to many people in diverse places, which may underlie the reason for their empirical effectiveness (Hackenberg, 2009).

In this behavior modification project, the participant will receive one token immediately after rising by 6:15 each morning. According to Miltenberger (2016), this constitutes a continuous schedule of reinforcement, as opposed to an intermittent schedule, and is most often utilized when a subject is in the process of learning a behavior. The tokens will be marbles accessible only to the participant’s husband (who collects them) who is already up at that time each morning for his workouts. Once the participant has received seven tokens, she may turn them back in and receive 2 hours of personal respite time on a Saturday to go out with a friend or do any other activity (within a budget) that does not entail running errands or performing other duties of daily life.

The program will begin on a Sunday. Tokens may only be turned in on a Saturday because of weekly time constraints for the family. Therefore, incentive for the participant may be heightened to reach the target behavior every day of the week in order to receive the reward on the coming Saturday, rather than having to wait for the next Saturday to turn in the necessary seven tokens.

Token economies are a product of the behaviorist movement in psychology, which focuses on overt behavior (Miltenberger, 2016). As such, token economies are not appropriate tools to understand the internal causes of behavior (as may be of interest to a psychoanalyst, for example), but are meant to shape external, observable behavior (Liberman, 2000). This may constitute another reason, therefore, for the wealth of empirical support for the effectiveness of token economies with both animals and humans in diverse situations and circumstances (Hackenberg, 2009).

Conclusion

The participant would benefit from increased productivity and enhanced family functioning, as well as the protection of a healthy circadian rhythm into late adulthood. The participant is currently in school full-time and homeschools her special needs son full-time (throughout the school year and the summer). Therefore, the ability to be more functional in the morning, as a result of sleep inertia having had a chance to wear off before interaction with her special needs son, may improve family functionality.

In addition to family responsibilities, the participant holds several church responsibilities, such as piano accompanist for the children’s Sunday School, Cub Scout Den Leader, regional news media liaison, and is also currently learning to play the organ for worship services. Lastly, the participant holds positions of responsibility in the community and in local politics, which demand time intermittently, especially during legislative sessions and election seasons. Therefore, a slight change in the daily routine to get out of bed earlier may have far-reaching positive effects for overall productivity in the family and the community.

Through a token economy treatment method, the participant will receive a token each day that she rises by 6:15 in the morning. She may then turn in seven tokens on a Saturday for uninterrupted personal time that day. The reward of personal time is intended to have a revitalizing effect and, in turn, increase the overall ability of the participant during the subsequent week. Finally, the establishment and protection of a healthy circadian rhythm may encourage the likelihood that the positive effects of family functionality and productivity will last into late adulthood and for the entire life span of the participant.

References

Hackenberg, T. (2009). Token reinforcement: A review and analysis. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 91(2), 257-86. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/214826542?accountid=12085

Hilditch, C., Dorrian, J., & Banks, S. (2016). Time to wake up: Reactive countermeasures to sleep inertia. Industrial Health, 54, 528-541. doi:http://doi.org/10.2486/indhealth.2015-0236

Liberman, R. (2000). Images in psychiatry: The token economy. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 157(9), 1398. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/220450360?accountid=12085

Miltenberger, R. (2016). Behavior modifications (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Morris, C., Aeschbach, D., & Scheer, F. (2012). Circadian system, sleep and endocrinology. Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology, 349(1), 91-104. doi:https://doi-org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1016/j.mce.2011.09.003

Shechter, A., & Boivin, D. (2010). Sleep, hormones, and circadian rhythms throughout the menstrual cycle in healthy women and women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder. International Journal of Endocrinology, 2010. doi:10.1155/2010/259345

Yamaguchi, M., Uemura, H., Katsuura-Kamano, S., Nakamoto, M., Hiyoshi, M., Takami, H., . . . Arisawa, K. (2013). Relationship of dietary factors and habits with sleep-wake regularity. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 22(3), 457-465. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.

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