Behaviour Therapy

Principles & Techniques

Dr. Bidita Bhattacharya

Associate Professor
Department of Clinical Psychology
Institute of Psychiatry, Kolkata
Overview
 v Behaviour therapy emerged as a technology
of behaviour change in 1930s.

THEORETICAL BACKGROUND

Based on principles of classical and operant

conditioning, Social learning theory

Popular in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s

Grounded in scientific view of human

behavior
Theoritical Background contd…

•Based on the principles and

procedures of the scientific method
•Interventions are
monitored/managed over time, &
frequently revised
•Conclusions are made based on
what is observed rather than what
one thinks
•Treatment goals are stated in
concrete and objective terms
Theoritical Background contd…

• Therapy deals with client’s current

problems and the factors influencing
Here & them
Now • Does not deal with historical
determinants

• Clients are expected to be

active
• Clients ‘do something’ to bring
about a change: engage in new
behaviors
Theoritical Background contd…

• Therapy is carried out in the client’s

natural environment
• Clients learn coping skills, role-playing
• Learning new behaviors is the core of
the therapy
• Skills include self-management,
monitoring, reinforcing, punishing,
overcorrection…..
Theoritical Background contd…

• Interventions tailored to fit individual

needs
• Therapy is a collaboration between
therapist and client
• Brief number of sessions
• Several behavioral techniques are often
combined in a treatment package to
increase efficacy of treatment
Goals of
Therapy
Goals of therapy:

•Client specifies positive

changes that he/she wants from
counseling
•Focus on what client wants to
do rather than what client does
not want to do
•Client has ownership of goals
•Client and counselor see if
goals are realistic
Goals of therapy:

•Define the goals in concrete

terms; target behaviors
•Discuss behaviors associated
with the goals; antecedents and
consequences
•A plan of action to work
towards the goals
Therapists’ Role &
Function
Therapists’ Role & Function
• Get information about antecedents,
dimensions of the problem, and
consequences
• Clarify the problem
• Design a target behavior
• Formulate goals with client
• Identify maintaining conditions
• Implement a change plan/intervention
• Evaluate the intervention; formative
and summative
Clients’ Experience
Client’s experience
• Client is aware and participants in the
therapeutic process
• Engage in modeling, role-playing, rehearsal
• Completes homework assignments
• Client completes assignments both in and
out of therapy sessions
• Work to generalize behaviors
• Need to be willing to make changes and
continue to implement new behaviors once
treatment has ended
Therapeutic Techniques
Therapeutic techniques

•Behavioral Assessment: look at

target behavior in terms of
antecedents and consequences,
frequency-intensity-duration
•Use tests, scales, checklists, and
graphs to determine if
intervention is working
•Ongoing process
Therapeutic techniques
•Systematic Desensitization,
• Relaxation Training,
•Assertion Training,
•Self-management Training,
•Biofeedback,
•Flooding,
•EMDR
Contributions
Contributions:
•Wide variety of techniques
available
•Therapy stresses ‘doing’
•Techniques have been extended to
more areas of human functioning
than any other therapeutic
approach
•Emphasis on research into and
assessment of treatment outcomes
Contributions:
• Therapists are willing to examine
the effectiveness of their
procedures in terms of
generalizability and durability of
change
• Therapists are ethical in their
practice
• Clients have control and freedom
• Clients can monitor and manage
their interventions
Contributions:

•Clients can monitor and manage

their interventions

•Therapists use empirically

supported techniques

•Treatment is as brief as possible

Therapeutic Principles
Reinforcement
•Those consequences of behaviour, which
increase the probability of its occurrence
and decrease its absence.
•It sets the occasion for behaviour to occur.
•In order to know why a stimulus event will
act as reinforcer – must look into the
learning history and repertoire.

Positive Negative
Difference between
Reinforcement & Reward
Reinforcement Reward
• The act of strengthening • Compensation for
of a response behaving in a given
• Has its basis in its effect way
on behaviour • Is used to indicate a
• Always in terms of subjective state leading
measurable stimulus or to pleasant or
measurable behaviour of satisfying sensations
the individual • It is not
Positive Reinforcement
• The stimulus that follows a
response and increases its
strength or likelihood of
occurrence.

• Contingent

• Strength of response
Factors influence reinforcer
effectiveness
• Timing (immediately after the
target response)
• Deprivation (not available) –
most effective when high
• Satiation (exhausted excessively)
• Size
• Type
• Quality
Identifying potential reinforcer
•Observation
•Individual’s report about
previous one
•Reinforcement survey
schedule.

Incentive value – value attached by the

individual to the particular object.
Reinforcement Survey Schedule
Objects & Activities Not at A little A fair much Very
all amount much

Eating Ice cream

fruit
cookies
Crossword puzzle solving
Watching football
Watching cricket
Reading adventure
TV, Movies
Schedules of reinforcement
• Fixed ratio (CRF/ FR1, FR2, etc.)
High rates
of Intermittent
responding • Variable ratio
Avg. no. of
resps to be
Randomly varied performed
Initial low Intermittent
rate, later - • Fixed interval
high Beh. Must
be present
Schedules After an avg.
amount of time
• Variable interval
Randomly varied

• Consistent, moderate response

• No post reinforcement pause
• Establish task oriented behaviour
Advantage of intermittant
reinforcement
• Fewer reinforcements are required
to maintain the beh., resulting in
more efficient use of available
reinforcers.
• More resistant to extinction –
response takes longer to extinguish.
• Satiation occurs gradually.
• Resembles more with the
individual’s env.
Ø On CRF responses strengthened easily
and weakened or extinguished on a
continuous nonreinforcement.

Premack principle

• High probability response can

increase the strength of low
probability response
Token Economy
• Planned reinforcement
programme in which individuals
earn tokens for performing
desiored behaviours.
• Can exchange these tokens for
variety of objects or privileges.
• Given according to values
assigned to performance of
specific behaviours.
Essentially 3 ingradients:
1) The tokens or medium of
exchange,
2) The rewards or back up
reinforcers that can be purchased
with the tokens,
3) The set of rules that define the
interrelationships among the
specific behaviours that earn
tokens and the back up reinforcers
for which tokens are exchanged.
Advantages of Token Economy
•Specific back up reinforcer
•Can work at any time
•Removes the consequences of
bulky, messy reinforcement
•Single reinforcement, some
value
•To work over extended period
of time
Disadvantages of Token
Economy

•Not the usual system

•Generalization –
•Fade out money – transfer to
other
•Institutional – monitoring
•Initial establishment - difficult
Contingency
•Behaviours to be performed
Behavioural in order for certain
Contingency consequences to follow.
•Effective way to behavioural
change.
•Involves the contingent
Contingency presentation and withdrawal
Management of rewards and punishments
Contingency •A functional relationship
Management among stimuli antecedent to a
particular beh (which is the
clinical target)
•Within a certain
environmental setting or
context
•It is concerned with
appropriate discrimination &
generalization of adaptive
behaviour changes.
Contingency •Establishing behavioural
Contracting contracts between
individuals.
•Clerifies expectations & is
Between
indv. & group
useful in providing some
structure to the
Unilateral relationships of the parties
involved.
Bilateral •Designing & negotiating
Dimensions of Four major dimensions
Contracting
Desired behaviour

Negative
consequences
Positive
consequences
Bonuses
 • Openly negotiated & mutually
General
principles
agreed.
• In written form with signature
• Recognition should be given for
accomplishments & not paying
when not accomplished.
• An effective contract is often one
in a larger series of contracts
which are used to gradually shape
behaviours.
• Not legally binding & open to
renegotiation.
 • Academic or school related
Expected
outcome
behaviour problems,
• Independent living or social skill
training,
• Addiction – habit control,
• Marital problem,
• Delinquent behaviour, bn

• Systematic withdrawal of contract,

haphazard withdrawal or a series of
Caution
contracts may result in return of the
problem behaviour.
Negative reinforcement
Aversive •Act as negative reinforcers
stimuli when their removal increases
the response strength.

•A stimulus is a negative
reinforcer only when its
removal increases the strength
of the response that removes
it.
Negative reinforcement
Escape •Is a response that removes or
Behaviour reduces the effects of the
stimulus.

•A negative reinforcer is a
stimulus that signals or sets
the occasion for an escape
response.
Negative reinforcement
Avoidance •An individual can avoid a
Behaviour negative reinforcer by
performing a response that
prevents it from occurring.

Escape condition
Avoidance
condition
Escape condition

Jerry demands
a toy, Jerry’s
threatens to Is paired screaming
with
scream

Father buys
the toy

Termination of
Jerry’s d by
we
screaming Follo
 Avoidance
condition
Jerry demands a toy,
In the threatens to scream

presence
of Father buys the toy

by
low ed
Fol Jerry’s
screaming
Termination of
n t s t h e
Jerry’s demand & e
Prev of
threat
on s e t
Shaping •Teaching a desired response
through a series of successive
steps which lead the learner to
the final response.

•Each small step leading to the

final response is reinforced.

•Also called method of

successive approximation.
Shaping with successive
approximation
• To develop a new beh or one that
rarely occurs.
• A series of initial & intermediate behs
are established in successive
approximations to the desired target
beh.
• The initial response that is reinfd bears
some resemblance to the target beh –
so that the intermediate resps can be
progressively shaped toward the target
beh.
 1. Specify the target response
Steps (desired beh.).
2. Specify the +ve reinf to be
used.
3. Specify initial & intermediate
resps.
4. Reinf the initial resp each
time it occurs & withhold
reinf from other resps until
the initial resp is performed
consistently.
 5. Shift the criterion for reinf from
Steps the initial resp to an
intermediate response.
6. Reinf the intermediate response
until it is performed consistently.
The criterion for reinforcement
is then shifted gradually to other
intermediate responses that are
increasingly similar to the target
response.
7. Reinforce the target response
when it is performed.
 •Simple behs already in the
Chaining
repertoire of an indv. are
reinforced in a particular
sequence to form a more
complex beh.
•Simple beh must occur in a
Forward
definit order – as one
response produces the
condition for the next
Backward response – until the end of
the sequence.
Diff. betn shaping & chaining
Shaping Chaining
Develop a
Developing sequence of behs
new beh using resps that
approach the
terminal goal

Resp to come Deliberately

spontaneously analyzing &
& naturally arranging task in
a specific order
Response Differentiation
•Use of both +ve reinft. &
extinction,
Differtial
Reinforcement •One resp is reinfd while
reinft is withheld from other
resps,
•When the reinfd resp occurs
frequently, to the exclusion
of resps from which reinft is
withheld - the resp. has
become differentiated
Response
Class
•Class or group of responses
are reinforced,
•Each member or response
producing the same or
similar effect on its
environment (e.g.,
reinforcement ) – called a
response class.
 Differential
DRO Reinforcement of other

• Used to decrease the frequency

of an undesired beh by
reinforcing beh s other than the
undesired beh.
• DRO was used to decrease the
frequency of a child’s self
injurious scratching when the
child is engaged in any beh other
than scratching.
 Differential Reinforcement
DRI of incompatible beh

• Beh that cannot be performed

simultaneously with the target
response.
• It interferes with the target
response.

e.g., playing cooperatively with a

toy is incompatible with fighting.
Conditioned Reinforcement
•A neutral or nonreinforcing
stimulus can become a
reinforcer for a response
through association with a
reinforcing stimulus.

e.g., money can be a cond.

Reinf it has been paired or
associated with other
reinforcers, food etc.
Punishment
•Procedures applied to
suppress behaviour or
decrease their strength not
to acts intended to inflict
harm & injury on an indv.

Response Response
contingent contingent
removal of a +ve presentation of
reinforcer a punisher
Aversive stimuli
•An event – typically described
by an indv as unpleasant,
annoying, or painful.

•It has been used as intended

punishers,
 Response
contingent Response
Or Cost
removal of a +ve
reinforcer
• Removing or withdrawing a +ve
reinforcer contingent on
performance of the target
response.
• The punishment effect is
suppression of the target response
& decreased likelihood that the
response will be performed again
under similar conditions.
 § Response contingent removal of
Time Out +ve reinforcement.
§ Indv is removed from the
problematic situation
immediately after the target beh
is performed & placed for a brief
period in an env. With no or
minimal availability of
reinforcement.z
§ Primarily is utilized with
children, but can be used with
adults, typically institutionalized
retarded or psychotic persons.
 Parameters
Time Out
 Parameters
Time Out
 Parameters
Time Out
 Parameters
Time Out
 overcorrection § To decrease indv.’s
inappropriate beh.

Restore the env. To a state that is

vastly improved relative to its
prior condition
Rationale:
Repeatedly practice correct
forms of beh relevant to the
context in which the misbeh
occurred.
overcorrection § To decrease indv.’s
inappropriate beh.
Maximizing the Effectiveness
of Punishment

Immediately after the target response

Each time the response is performed

Maximizing the Effectiveness
of Punishment

Sufficient intensity

Alternate appropriate behs are specified

Maximizing the Effectiveness
of Punishment

Appropriate behs are positively

reinforced

Reinforcement for inappropriate behs

are removed or reduced
Maximizing the Effectiveness
of Punishment

Individual cannot escape the punisher

 § The punished response could
Disadvantages of reappear when the punisher is not
present.
Punishment
§ Aggression may occur in the form of
physical or verbal attacks against the
indv. Administering the punishment.
§ Aggression could be directed toward
someone or something that was not
responsible for delivery of the
punisher.
§ Punisher can become conditioned
punisher.
Stimulus Control
•Differential effects of various
stimulus condition on beh as a
result of discrimination
learning.

If we are reinforced for response A in

the presence of stimulus A & not in
the presence of response B, then
we’ll perform the beh in one
situation (A) not in the other (B).
Stimulus Control

• Gradual change in a
stimulus dimension
Fading when teaching
discrimination

Generaliz • Opposite of
ation discrimination