A Family Has Contacted You A Behavior Analyst To Help

12 Hours1 A Family Has Contacted You A Behavior Analyst To Hel

A family has contacted you, a Behavior Analyst, to help their son Jimmy be more consistent in completing his homework. His parents are specifically concerned about reading and math. Jimmy’s parents want him to read for 20 minutes per weeknight and practice multiplication for 10 minutes per weeknight. Jimmy is currently reading once a week for 20 minutes and practicing multiplication once a week for 10 minutes. He is a typically developing child with normal intelligence and has the capability to read and complete math at grade level. He is choosing not to read and practice math and is instead choosing to watch television, play video games, and chat with friends online. You have decided that a contingency contract is the best plan to change Jimmy’s behavior.

You, a Behavior Analyst, have been contacted by the program director of a group home for 11-15-year-old boys. He describes the current environment in the group home as “chaos.” The boys are refusing to do household chores, complete homework, or clean their rooms. Staff members are having problems with “non-compliance” and “rowdy behavior” exhibited by the boys. You have been asked to develop a plan to bring order to this chaotic home. You have decided that a token economy is the best choice. Each evaluation plan must include: The measurement system you are using to collect data on what specific behavior(s). Include the operational definitions. How often you are collecting data. Who is going to collect that data. The research design you are using to evaluate your treatment. An explanation of why that research design was the best choice. How the research design would demonstrate functional control of the intervention over the behavior(s). Describe how you will know if your treatment was effective – what would a visual analysis of the graphed data show? You do not need to create a graph, but you should describe what your graph would show if your treatment were effective.

Paper For Above instruction

Addressing behavioral issues in both individual and group settings requires carefully planned interventions supported by precise measurement and evaluation strategies. This paper discusses two specific cases: improving Jimmy’s homework completion through a contingency contract and establishing order in a chaotic group home using a token economy. For each scenario, I will describe the measurement systems, operational definitions, data collection procedures, research design, rationale, demonstration of functional control, and expectations for visual data analysis.

Case 1: Jimmy’s Homework Compliance Using a Contingency Contract

To evaluate Jimmy’s behavior, a measurement system must be established to accurately record instances of reading and math practice. The operational definitions specify the behaviors: reading for at least 20 minutes on a school night and practicing multiplication problems for at least 10 minutes. Data collection would involve recording the number of days per week Jimmy meets these criteria, with data collected daily by either a parent or a behavioral technician observing and documenting the completion time. A daily survey or checklist can be used to record adherence, ensuring consistency and ease of data entry.

This frequency of data collection—daily—provides granular insight into Jimmy’s behavior patterns and allows timely feedback on intervention effectiveness. The selected research design for this intervention is a reversal or ABAB design, as it permits assessment of behavior change following the introduction and removal of the contingency contract. The ABAB design is suitable because it demonstrates experimental control by showing that behavior changes systematically with the intervention phases.

The evidence of functional control would be visible through a graph plotting the number of days per week Jimmy meets his homework goals over successive phases. An effective treatment would show an increase in compliance during the intervention phases (when the contingency contract is active) and a decrease during baseline or withdrawal phases, demonstrating a clear functional relationship.

Case 2: Reducing Chaos in a Group Home with a Token Economy

In this context, the measurement system involves operational definitions of targeted behaviors, including refusal to perform chores, non-compliance with requests, and disruptive, rowdy behaviors. Each behavior would be operationally defined; for example, non-compliance could be defined as a child not following a direct verbal request within three seconds. Data collection would be carried out multiple times daily by staff members trained in data recording procedures, documenting the frequency or duration of specific behaviors. Consistency in data collection is vital to track behavior patterns accurately.

Data collection occurs several times daily, targeting specific behaviors during different times or activities. The research design for evaluating the token economy’s effectiveness would be a multiple baseline across subjects. This design allows staggered implementation of the token system among the boys and provides experimental control by demonstrating that changes in behavior occur only following the introduction of the token economy, thus ruling out external factors.

The demonstration of functional control is evident if, following the introduction of the token system, a consistent decrease in non-compliance and disruptive behaviors occurs across subjects. The visual analysis of the graphed data would show a stable baseline line with no significant change before intervention, followed by a marked decrease during the token economy phase. If control is solid, the behavior should remain improved as long as the system is maintained, confirming the intervention's efficacy.

Conclusion

Both intervention strategies rely on precise operational definitions and systematic data collection to assess behavioral change accurately. The choice of a reversal design for Jimmy’s case enables demonstration of a direct functional relationship between the contingency contract and behavior change, providing strong experimental control. Similarly, in the group home setting, the multiple baseline design across subjects offers a rigorous method to verify that the token economy causes behavioral improvements. Visual analysis of the collected data within these designs serves as a crucial tool for evaluating treatment effectiveness, ensuring interventions are evidence-based and ultimately successful in modifying targeted behaviors.

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