Behavior Modification Plan Worksheet Question-Answer Sample

• Brainstorm a list of five behaviors that you wish to change. Consider behaviors that you engage in too much such as staying up too late, too much screen time, or drinking too much soda. Also, consider behaviors you do not engage in enough such as exercise, studying, meditating, or water consumption. After each behavior, write a brief explanation of how modifying the behavior would improve your overall health and well-being.
  

Behavior modification, a technique rooted in operant conditioning, offers a systematic approach to altering undesirable behaviors. Secondary reinforcements can be utilized in instigating desired changes after identifying behavioral excesses or deficits. The overall health and well-being stand to improve after its application, emphasizing a deeper understanding of behavior modification.

There are five behaviors for potential alteration that I have brainstormed in this endeavor. My list comprises excessive screen time, inadequate exercise, irregular water consumption, late-night routines, and insufficient studying. Excessive screen time could lead to a sedentary lifestyle and other harmful health effects that include disruption of sleeping patterns. Additionally, inadequate exercise could contribute to muscle weakness, decreased bone density, and poor cardiovascular health. Irregular water consumption is harmful since it could lead to dehydration where physical and cognitive functions could be negatively disrupted. Behavioral modification does not consider an individual’s thoughts or feelings (Scott et al., 2022). Therefore, addressing these behaviors could lead to improved physical and mental health.

• Choose one behavior from the list. Create a realistic, specific, and measurable goal to modify the behavior. For example, your goal should not simply read “I will increase my water consumption.” Instead, write: “I will drink 64 oz. of water daily.”
  

Increasing my daily exercise rate is the specific behavior of focus. I intend to engage in 30 minutes of moderate exercise five days weekly. According to Bulbul (2020), consistent physical exercises greatly regulate body composition during growth. This specificity ensures a clear target for my behavior modification efforts.

• Select an appropriate and obtainable reinforcer. Describe why the reinforcer was selected and how it relates to the behavior you are proposing to change.
  

Research has established that behavior modification can be shaped via reinforcement or punishment if the need arises. Hence, treating myself to a relaxing spa day after each successful week of physical exercise would be a great incentive. According to Michaelsen & Esch (2021), implicit emotions and autonomous motives influence daily health behaviors. This incentive of rewarding myself directly relates to my behavior change objective, promoting relaxation and stress reduction. I will employ a fixed interval schedule of reinforcement to structure my plan. Every successful reward at the end of each week ensures consistency while avoiding monotony.

• Describe the schedule of reinforcement you will use. For example, will you reinforce the behavior every time it occurs, at the end of each day, after two to three days, or at the end of the week? Describe why you selected this schedule of reinforcement.
  

I will utilize a fixed interval schedule of reinforcement for my behavior modification plan. This means that I will reward myself with a relaxing spa day at the end of each successful week of consistent physical exercise. This schedule was chosen to encourage sustained engagement in the desired behavior while preventing predictability.

• Consider the role of motivation in behavior change. What factors motivate behavior? How might these factors increase the likelihood that your plan to change the selected behavior will be successful?
  

Motivation plays a pivotal role in behavior change. According to Grahek et al. (2019), it is goal-oriented when considerable effort is invested to cause the desired result. The fuel to determination in these instances is influenced by factors such as intrinsic satisfaction, social support, and tangible rewards. Capitalizing on these motivators and setting realistic goals increases the likelihood of achieving behavior modification.

References
Bulbul, S. (2020). Exercise in the treatment of childhood obesity. National Library of Medicine, 2–10. https://doi.org/10.14744%2FTurkPediatriArs.2019.60430
Grahek, I., Shenhav, A., Musslick, S., Krebs, R. M., & Koster, E. H. (2019). Motivation and cognitive control in depression. National Library of Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1101/500561
Michaelsen, M. M., & Esch, T. (2021). Motivation and reward mechanisms in health behavior change processes. Brain Research, 1757, 1-37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2021.147309
Scott, H. K., Jain, A., & Cogburn, M. (2022, July 11). Behavior modification – StatPearls – NCBI bookshelf. National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK459285/