The modification of sexual fantasies: A combined treatment approach to the reduction of deviant sexual behavior

A consideration of the literature on the behavioral therapy of sexual deviations suggests that the direct modification of fantasies will provide an effective treatment method. A combination of two procedures for modifying the content of sexual fantasies is outlined and the results of treatment with twelve patients using this combined approach are described. The hypothesis that the modification of fantasies would have a direct effect on both deviant behavior and attitudes toward deviant material, was not unequivocally supported. However, the program had eliminated deviant behavior in all subjects by the end of treatment, and this was maintained at follow-up in at least 75 per cent of the patients.     

Case study: The combined use of imipramine and behavior modification to reduce aggression in an adult male diagnosed as having autistic disorder

The present study examined the behavior decelerative effects of combined imipramine (tofranil) and behavior modification in a severely retarded, depressed autistic man. A simple interrupted time-series design was conducted and the primary data analytic techniques consisted of modified trend analyses and dependent samples t-tests. Consistent with previous theory and scant empirical research, results indicated that combined imipramine and behavior modification significantly reduced daily episodes of self-directed and other-directed aggression. Specifically, controlling for the effects of time, the combined treatment regimen led to significant reductions in both level and slope across three topographies of aggressive behavior. Limitations of the present study and recommendations for future research were discussed. It was concluded that combined imipramine and behavior modification may be an effective strategy for reducing aggression in the developmentally disabled.     

Current behavior modification in the classroom: be still, be quiet, be docile

Classrooms have recently been criticized as total institutions where there is a rigid preoccupation with order and control, and where children are required to be still, to be silent, and to obey. Behavior modification has been described as a major source of change in the classroom. A review of this journal's papers on behavior modification in the classroom indicated that inappropriate behavior has been consistently defined as behavior that interferes with order, quiet, and stillness. It is argued therefore, that behavior modification has supported rather than changed the questionable status quo. Alternative areas for behavior modification in traditional classrooms and the role of behavior modification in the development of open classrooms are discussed.     

The treatment of socially oriented underachievers: A case study

Socially oriented underachievers are students who work for the rewards of social interaction rather than for those of academic achievement. A case report is presented which outlines the treatment of a socially oriented underachiever. The successful treatment employed behavior modification techniques and consisted, essentially, of rewarding the entire class for academic improvement shown by the underachiever.     

A survey of state policies regarding the use of restrictive/aversive behavior modification procedures

A survey was conducted of the state policies regarding the use of restrictive/ aversive behavior modification procedures with mentally retarded persons. Policies varied substantially with respect to both scope and length; however, the overwhelming majority required that behavior modification programs be developed through the interdisciplinary planning process. No consistent pattern emerged with respect to the review and approval process for the use of aversive procedures. Approximately 75% of the states appear to permit the use of restraint as a treatment modality. Policies direct only minimal attention to the issue of training staff to implement aversive procedures. From the results of the survey, a model for the use of aversive procedures was developed and is presented.     

Differential effects of cognitive behavior modification on seriously emotionally disturbed adolescents exhibiting internalizing or externalizing problems

This study examined the differential effects of a school-based cognitive behavior modification intervention on (a) the interpersonal/social skills and (b) the social competence and school adjustment of two groups of middle school students identified as seriously emotionally disturbed. One groups of students exhibited internalizing emotional problems and the other group exhibited externalizing emotional problems. The objective of the study was to investigate whether the effectiveness of a school-based cognitive behavior modification intervention was significantly related to the type of emotional disturbance a student exhibits (i.e. internalizing or externalizing emotional disturbance). The sample consisted of an experimental and a control group of middle school students identified as seriously emotionally disturbed. The intervention was implemented in 23 biweekly 42-minute sessions. The results indicated that teacher ratings of student social competence and school adjustment were sensitive to treatment effects, although students' social skills self-ratings were not significantly affected by the treatment. A differential treatment effect was established in that externalizing students were significantly more responsive than internalizing students.     

Self-directed weight control through eating and exercise

A weight control program using a written contract and other self-control behavior modification techniques for changing eating habits was compared with a similar program concentrating on both eating and exercise behavior and with an attention-placebo control condition. Participants in all three programs lost weight during the 12 week program, with no significant differences between groups. A seven-month follow-up revealed that Ss in the two behavior modification groups lost more than those in the control group and that those in the eating plus exercise group lost more than those in the group dealing only with eating behavior.     

Behavior modification in the classroom: a rejoinder to Winett and Winkler

Winett and Winkler aptly criticized the "appropriate" behaviors that behavior modifiers have chosen to change. However, after reviewing 14 Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis articles concerning behavior modification in the classroom, they made the sweeping over-generalization that "as currently practised, behavior modification has done very little to change the deplorable state of our schools." Finally, they suggest a free classroom in which learning is accompanied by "singing, laughing, and whistling." A number of studies not mentioned by Winett and Winkler are here presented to illustrate the innovative ways in which behavior modification has been utilized to change the complexion of classrooms from the elementary school to the college level. A strawman model child as purportedly seen by behavior modifiers was built by Winett and Winkler, but this author could not find one instance in the literature where the teacher or behavior modifier desired the behavior thus depicted by the straw-man model child. Furthermore, this author questions the desirability of the "informal" or "free" classroom approach for children with marked social and academic problems. Nonetheless, the general admonition of Winett and Winkler should definitely by taken seriously-namely the behavior modifier should seriously question the behaviors he is being asked to change. Finally, a possible integration of reinforcement principles and some aspects of the informal school are discussed.     

Treatment of nocturnal headbanging by behavior modification techniques: a case report

The application of behavior modification techniques to the alleviation of maladaptive behavior occurring during the waking state is well documented (Bandura, 1969; Franks, 1969). Recently, several case studies have been reported which demonstrate the successful extension of behavior modification techniques such as the desensitization procedure to the modification of sleep state maladaptive behavior, e.g. recurrent nightmares (Cautela, 1968; Geer and Silverman 1966; Silverman and Geer, 1968) and sleep walking (Clement, 1969). The present case study illustrates that other sleep state maladaptive behavior, in this case nocturnal headbanging, is amenable to the same behavior modification techniques which are used to modify maladaptive behavior during the waking state. Case background     

Behavior modification in education: Contributions and limitations

Behavior modification has been applied widely in educational settings encompassing a wide range of student populations, ages, and areas of focus. Major contributions of behavior modification include development and evaluation of a large number of techniques with extensive classroom research. As a direct consequence of technique development, behavior modification has provided teachers with a selection of classroom practices and information regarding their use. Despite the widespread application of behavioral principles in education, several limitations can be identified including the responses that are altered, the emphasis on response consequences, the focus on child performance rather than behaviors of teachers and others, and the lack of maintenance of improvements evident in many programs. Although limitations can be identified within the field, remarkable advances have been made in identifying educational practices that can improve student and teacher behavior. A major limitation in applying behavior modification to education pertains to dissemination and extension of existing techniques to a large number of settings likely to profit their use. The present paper considers various contributions and limitations of contemporary behavior modification and suggests areas for expansion to augment the progress that has been made.     

Teaching behavior modification to nonprofessionals

Two instructional methods (role playing and lecture) were compared in evaluating the effectiveness of teaching behavior modification to institutional attendants. Pre- and post-test measures were obtained for two major outcome variables: (1) knowledge of behavior modification principles and (2) ratings of ability to apply behavior modification techniques. Results indicated that role playing was more effective in teaching behavior modification skills while the lectures were more effective in teaching principles of behavior modificaiton.     

Containing violence

The use of behavior modification techniques to control criminal violence has been condemned as a violation of human rights because it destroys the possibility of moral choice, an important component of personality. Beehler examines the conditioning used on Alex in Anthony Burgess's book and film A Clockwork Orange and concludes that Alex was left still capable of moral choice except where acts of violence were involved. He argues that behavior modification to control violence is preferable to imprisonment, psychosurgery, or electronic surveillance, and counters objections that its use destroys autonomy, violates privacy and trust, and depersonalizes offenders.     

Supportive psychoanalytic psychotherapy for borderline patients: an empirical approach

The author describes a reformulation for research purposes of a supportive psychoanalytic therapy for patients with borderline personality disorder. The major influences on the thinking that led to the modification of prior formulations and the historical background of treatment manuals are described. Supportive treatment is contrasted with transference-focused psychotherapy and dialectic behavior therapy in the interest of creating a clear comparison that lends itself to empirical study.     

Treatment of a selectively mute third-grade child

A third-grade girl who did not speak in school was treated by school personnel using principles of behavior modification. A step-by-step procedure was designed which first encouraged speech in a one-to-one setting with an adult. Gradually elements of the regular school situation were introduced into the setting. The final phrase of treatment involved moving the elements back into the regular classroom. At the end of the school year, $\text{2}\text{1}\text{2}$ months following termination of treatment, the subject was still speaking freely.     

The systematic use of positive and negative consequences in managing classroom encopresis

An 11-year-old male with a history of chronic encopresis was successfully treated by his teachers. Through the contingent application of a combination of positive (i.e., social reinforcers, token reinforcers, activity reinforcers) and negative consequences (i.e., required to wash himself and denied access to activity reinforcers), the subject's soiling behavior was reduced from an 80% daily occurrence level during Baseline to just two occasions during the final five-month treatment phase. A six-month follow-up conducted during the next school year revealed no incidences of soiling. The investigation utilized and ABACD type behavior modification design.     

Using Self-Supervision to Maintain Counseling Skills: A Review

Counselor education literature acknowledges the difficulty of skill maintenance but offers few solutions. A review of related areas was conducted to provide direction in developing maintenance strategies. Four domains were considered: maintenance in behavior modification, behavioral self-control, the traditional maintenance mechanisms of feedback, supervision, and observational media, and self-supervisory programs. A self-supervisory program that applies the procedures of behavioral self-control to specific helping behavior that is identifiable on audiotape or videotape is advocated.     

black concern with behavior modification

In this article two black psychologists and a white educator explain why the black community should be concerned with and actively involved in behavior modification practices. It is pointed out by use of the Tuskegee study how blacks were used as subjects in a behavior modification study long before these practices became popularized. The concerns specified were that (a) blacks have been and are being used as subjects in behavior modification studies with and without their consent and (b) social value judgments are being made concerning behaviors of blacks without their input. Alternatives are offered for increasing the number of black professionals in the field of behavior modification to help preserve the integrity of the black community.     

A Dose-Ranging Study of Behavioral and Pharmacological Treatment in Social Settings for Children with ADHD

Placebo and three doses of methylphenidate (MPH) were crossed with 3 levels of behavioral modification (no behavioral modification, NBM; low-intensity behavioral modification, LBM; and high-intensity behavior modification, HBM) in the context of a summer treatment program (STP). Participants were 48 children with ADHD, aged 5–12. Behavior was examined in a variety of social settings (sports activities, art class, lunch) that are typical of elementary school, neighborhood, and after-school settings. Children received each behavioral condition for 3 weeks, order counterbalanced across groups. Children concurrently received in random order placebo, 0.15 mg/kg/dose, 0.3 mg/kg/dose, or 0.6 mg/kg/dose MPH, 3 times daily with dose manipulated on a daily basis in random order for each child. Both behavioral and medication treatments produced highly significant and positive effects on children’s behavior. The treatment modalities also interacted significantly. Whereas there was a linear dose–response curve for medication in NBM, the dose–response curves flattened considerably in LBM and HBM. Behavior modification produced effects as large as moderate doses, and on some measures, high doses of medication. These results replicate and extend to social-recreational settings previously reported results in a classroom setting from the same sample (Fabiano et al., School Psychology Review, 36, 195–216, 2007). Results illustrate the importance of taking dosage/intensity into account when evaluating combined treatments; there were no benefits of combined treatments when the dosage of either treatment was high but combination of the low-dose treatments produced substantial incremental improvement over unimodal treatment.     

BEHAVIORAL TRAINING FOR SIBLINGS OF AUTISTIC CHILDREN

The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of a program designed to teach behavior modification procedures to normal siblings of autistic children. Three sibling pairs participated in a multiple-baseline analysis of the effects of training the normal siblings to use behavior modification procedures to teach their autistic brother or sister a variety of learning tasks. Results indicated that the siblings learned to use the behavioral procedures at a high level of proficiency, they used the procedures in a generalization setting, and there were observed improvements in the behavior of the autistic children. In addition, a social validation assessment of the normal siblings' statements about their autistic sibling indicated a decrease in negative statements and an increase in positive statements after training. These results are discussed in terms of the potential for incorporating siblings into the treatment plan in intervention programs with autistic children.     

Parents As Teachers:

A follow-up mail survey of the continuing use of behavior modification procedures was conducted with 30 families who had participated in a training program for parents of preschool children with autism four to seven years previously. According to their reports 86% of the parents had used behavioral procedures during the past week to manage their child's behavior and 54% said they used the techniques to teach their child a new skill. More than half of the parties said they no longer used “formal” behavior modification procedures including data collection. Mothers were more likely to use formal behavior modification than father and systematic paternal use of behavioral techniques was linked to maternal use- only one father used the techniques including data collection when his wife did not. Retrospective parental evaluations of the parent training workshop were all positive, although the parents who viewed their children as doing better gave stronger endorsements than the parents who say their children as more limited.