In week 4 of this course, after completion of our Behaviorism chapters in the text, you will embark on your Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Project. This project is ongoing for quite a few weeks as it is difficult to change a behavior of significance in a very short period. Please review the course schedule to note the due dates for different portions of the ABA Project as well as the final document. You will have portions of your ABA Project to turn in during various weeks so I can monitor your progress throughout the semester.

Behaviorism, specifically operant conditioning, principles can easily be applied in a variety of setting and with individuals or groups. In week four of this course you will begin your ABA Project which will ask you to apply the principles you are learning to an individual (most likely yourself). Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA - formerly known as behavior modification or therapy) is the more current buzzword these days for application of operant conditioning principles and so we will use that terminology for this project. As you should now know from reading your text, Applied Behavior Analysis is a new term for an old concept - behavior modification and is, essentially, the practice of applying behaviorist principles to change behavior although cognitive aspects of the individual are also often considered.

During week four in this course you will begin activities related to your Applied Behavior Analysis Project. This project is an opportunity for you to identify a specific behavior you would like to change in yourself. I am not going to be particular about what the behavior is - it can be very simple or very complicated but remember that this project is only set to last about 7 weeks. Therefore, the behavior you choose to focus on should occur frequently enough within each week for there to be data to collect and for possible change to occur. An outline of the activities related to this project is as follows:

Week 4: Complete Form 1 (WORD or PDF format): Analyzing a behavior you want to change

Week 5: Complete Form 2 (WORD or PDF format): Developing a behavior modification plan

[NOTE: These forms are being downloaded for free from http://www.freemindware.net from the Tools for Stress Management and Self-Help page.]

Week 6 - 11: Collect data and monitor behavior change

Week 12: Summarize data and write up final report

FORM 1
Completion of Form 1 will help you clearly identify what behavior your ABA project will focus on. I would prefer that you focus on a self behavior you would like to change (for ease of collecting data) but you could also focus on the behavior of another individual (e.g., your own child, a student) but you need to be sure to have the ability to observe and reinforce/punish the individual whose behavior you are targeting. (if anyone needs to borrow a kid I'll loan you one of mine - they have plenty of behaviors that need changing :-).

In Form 1 it states that you should fill out the form on page 3 each time you exhibit the behavior you are targeting for change. Some have found this difficult because of the locks placed on the form (and the expectation that you will print it out and use it in hard copy and not need to send it via email). The easiest solution is to simply use the same table and label each instance of the behavior in sequence (1,2,3,4,..) and put a line break (hit return) between each instance. This will likely make your table run onto another page but that is fine. It might also be easier to analyze your behavior for the other questions to be able to look at it all in a single table. You will need to continue to work on Form1 so that you have recorded enough instances of your target behavior (at least 4 or 5 should be sufficient) that you can make good generalizations that are requested later in the form.

FORM 2
Please note that on Form 2 you decide on page 1 whether your behavior change is one in which you want to increase or begin a behavior or one in which you want to decrease or stop a behavior. You will then only fill out the section of the Form that pertains to the change you are targeting (increase or decrease). Also notice that Form 2 requires you to take information from Form 1 and restate or summarize it here. This is where Form 1 will come in handy again this week (as well as when you write up your project).

Regardless of the path you choose (increase or decrease) both sections of the form take you through the process of creating a weekly plan for behavior change and to gradually increase or decrease your target behavior. The 'increase behavior' portion provides for a 4 week plan while the 'decrease behavior' portion provides for a 5 week plan. We are working within a specific time frame here so I would like for everyone, regardless of 'increase or decrease' to complete a 5 week plan.

Finally, on page 7 (for increase behavior) and 14 (for decrease behavior) are tracking sheets to use each week of implementation of your plan. These will not be filled out this week given my goal is for you to have the plan ready to implement for the following week. During weeks 6 -11 (implementation) you will fill out a tracking sheet for each week (you have an extra week so you can start late or early). My suggestion for you here is to simply print that page 5 times (once for each week) and fill them out by hand. In addition to recording the data within the tables you will need to make notes to yourself on what worked and did not work each week and what modifications were made to the plan.You will not be required to turn the tracking sheets in because your final product will require you to summarize your implementation and results in text as well as with a table or figure of your own design rather than simply turning in the tracking sheets. Therefore, printing them out and using them that way will assist you in being able to look at the data over all 5 weeks when writing up your final project.

As a review, your final report will include: a description of the behavior you target for change (results of form 1), a summary of your plan to include specific operant conditioning principles you used (results of form 2), your data table(s) or figure(s) from your 5 week implementation and a written summary of the data, and a conclusion of the results of your project (successes and failures) and the utility of operant conditioning principles and ABA.

Once you have both forms completed you will have a plan for modifying the target behavior and tables ready for data collection. For 5 weeks you will collect and record data and monitor your progress toward your behavior change goal. In addition to recording the data within the tables you will nned to make notes to yourself on what worked and did not work each week and what modifications were made to the plan.

FINAL REPORT

The content of your final report, due week 12, must include:

• an introduction to the project
• a description of the behavior you target for change (results of form 1)
• a summary of your plan to include specific operant conditioning principles you used (results of form 2)
• the results of your behavior modification plan - your data table(s) or figure(s) from your 5 week implementation and a written summary of the data (a table or figure is required)
• a conclusion of the results of your project (successes and failures) and the utility of operant conditioning principles and ABA.

• Title Page with page header and page number and other required APA elements
• Appropriate use of headings/subheadings within paper
• Table or Figure formatted correctly in APA
• Reference list (as needed)

• View Sample 1
• View Sample 2
• View Sample 3
• View Sample 4