Week 4 Assignment 1 - Operant Extinction

Week 4 Assignment 1: Operant Extinction

In this week, you are learning the concept of operant extinction and how it is applied to change behavior. Make sure you complete the Operant Extinction interactive activity in this week, which will provide you with some valuable experience you can apply to this assignment.

Operant extinction procedures are frequently used effectively in ABA treatment plans. However, as you observed in the interactive media presentation you completed, they can also be incorrectly implemented. This improper implementation can result in unknowingly reinforcing the very behavior we want to decrease. As a future ABA professional, it is important for you to learn how to correctly identify maintaining antecedents and consequences that reinforce unwanted behavior, and to correctly apply extinction techniques that effectively reduce the target behavior.

In order to successfully complete this assignment, you will first identify a behavior frequently exhibited by yourself or by someone close to you, to which you would like to apply an extinction procedure.

· Define the behavior operationally.

· Describe the antecedent to the behavior.

· Describe the consequences of the behavior.

· Describe positive and negative reinforcement contingencies that occur as a result of engaging in the behavior. ( Hint: Think about what is maintaining your identified behavior and what you will be withholding when you implement the extinction procedure.)

· Identify procedures that can end up reinforcing the unwanted target behavior, and explain the potential results of improperly implementing these procedures that were meant to help extinguish the unwanted target behavior.

· Identify the extinction techniques that you feel will most effectively reduce the target behavior, and explain why you feel these will be most effective. ( Hint: Think back to your identified positive and negative reinforcements to help you identify what you should be withholding to change the behavior through an extinction procedure.)

Assignment Requirements

· Written communication: Should be free of errors that detract from the overall message.

· APA formatting: References and citations are formatted according to current APA style guidelines. Visit  Evidence and APALinks to an external site. for help with APA.

· Resources: At least two scholarly or professional sources.

· Length: 4–5 pages, in addition to a title page and reference page.

· Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assignment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and rubric criteria:

· Competency 1: Investigate the field of applied behavior analysis.

· Define the maintaining antecedents, the targeted behavior to be extinguished, and the consequences that reinforce the behavior.

· Competency 2: Apply the basic principles and concepts of behavioral change.

· Identify procedures that could potentially reinforce the unwanted target behavior.

· Distinguish positive and negative reinforcements that occur as the result of engaging in the target behavior.

· Competency 3: Apply advanced principles and concepts of behavioral change.

· Determine the extinction techniques that will most effectively reduce the target behavior.

· Competency 4: Communicate in a manner that is scholarly and consistent with expectations for professionals in the field of psychology.

· Write coherently to support a central idea, with correct grammar, usage, and mechanics as expected of a psychology professional.

· Successfully implement APA style.

Tips for APA Formatting and Finding References Using Google Scholar

I wanted to share some helpful resources if you find you are struggling with APA 7th formatting and identifying what mistakes you may be making!

Here are two great websites to use as resources:

· From APA  https://apastyle.apa.org/ Links to an external site.

· Handouts:  https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/handouts-guidesLinks to an external site.

· Tutorials and Webinars:  https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/tutorials-webinarsLinks to an external site.

· Visual Reference Guide:  https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-guide.pdfLinks to an external site.

· Student Paper Checklist:  https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/beginner-student-paper-checklist.pdfLinks to an external site.

· From Purdue:  https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/index.htmlLinks to an external site.

· Sample Paper:  https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/apa_sample_paper.html Links to an external site.

Making a hanging indent in MS Word (for your reference section):

· https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/office/create-a-hanging-indent-7bdfb86a-c714-41a8-ac7a-3782a91ccad5#:~:text=Select%20the%20text%20where%20you,indent%20using%20the%20By%20fieldLinks to an external site. .Links to an external site.

I also wanted to provide some support if you are struggling to find scholarly sources for your projects. I highly recommend trying out google scholar and linking it to our Capella Library!

· Google Scholar:  See Attached

What You Need To Know For Week 4

Extinction and Recovery

How do you eliminate undesirable behaviors like temper tantrums and refusing to go to sleep? Use your  Principles of Behavior text to explore research methods and extinction (following reinforcement) and recovery (following punishment).

Read the following from your  Principles of Behavior textbook.

· Chapter 4, "Research Methods," pages 46–61.

· Chapter 10, "Extinction and Recovery,” pages 168–190.

Help With Research

Use this guide to help with researching the topics for this week:

· Bachelor's in Psychology Library Research GuideLinks to an external site. .