TITLE: REPLACEMENT OF COFFEE-DRINKING BEHAVIOR TO TEA-DRINKING THROUGH THE PROCESS OR REINFORCEMENT
ABSTRACT:
Each event creates a chain reaction to other activities. A particular scenario becomes an antecedent to another event or a behavior.
Since some scenarios can be perceived as an antecedent of a behavior, it might occur to us that giving up a particular antecedent will change our behavior or the next particular. Thus, antecedents may either create a positive or negative behavior, depending on how it was manipulated.
Coffee drinking every morning is an example of an antecedent. The result of coffee drinking is a good social life. Thus, changing the habit of drinking coffee every morning will change the good social life positively or negatively.
The consequence may either be positive or negative depending on how the antecedent was changed. In coffee-drinking, we can look for a similar behavior that would create almost a similar consequence. This study will use tea-drinking.
At the end of the study, we expect to eliminate the coffee-drinking behavior in the span of five weeks through reinforcement.
Reinforcement theory is a functional theory that follows three principles. First, consequences which give rewards increase behavior. Second, consequence which gives punishments decreases behavior. Third, consequence which gives neither rewards nor punishments extinguishes behavior. (Reinforcement, 1996)
This study aims to eliminate the coffee-drinking through increasing the positive consequences of tea-drinking.
Hypothesis of the Study:
The replacement of coffee-drinking to tea-drinking is possible through the process of reinforcement. By replacing coffee-drinking to tea drinking, the positive consequences will increase, slowly eliminating the coffee-drinking behavior.
Method:
In this study, I have chosen myself to be the participant. The gender is male and the age is 31 years old. Many of the males at this age are coffee drinkers, and I, myself belong to this group. I have excessive coffee-drinking behavior that I want to eliminate. Thus, participating in this study would be beneficial for me at the same time.
However, there may be some conflict of interests that may arise in this methodology. That is because I will have more determination to prove the success of the program, since I am the one making the study. My decisions on whether to drink coffee or tea may be influenced by the study I am creating.
However, for the purpose of getting significant results, the methodology of the study will be followed as objective as possible.
The observation of this study will start from week 1 to week 5. Upon the completion of five weeks, the frequency of the coffee-drinking against the tea-drinking will be counted. A diagram will be made in order to show the trend of the impact of tea-drinking as opposed to coffee-drinking.
At the end of the study, it is expected to arrive in a conclusion whether tea-drinking is effective in replacing coffee-drinking following the process of reinforcement.
INTRODUCTION:
The rationale of this study is to use tea-drinking as a means to eliminate the habit of coffee-drinking, by increasing its rewards to social life. Thus, in this study, we predict that tea-drinking will replace the coffee-drinking habit through reinforcement theory. By replacing coffee-drinking by tea-drinking, we can also predict that the social life will not be altered negatively, but will still remain to be a good one. This process follows the reinforcement theory.
According to the Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support, antecedent is a “stimulus, such as a verbal cue, physical prompt, person or event that precedes a behavior. “ (Kansas, 2008)
An example of an antecedent is a student who wants to leave the class because he was told to do a task that he or she doesn’t like. The behavior may be rocking a chair. Rocking a chair may either cause to another event, which is, a reprimand from the teacher or the student will be sent to the guidance councilor.
Studies show that, at some point of the class, the student raised his or her hand to participate but the teacher didn’t recognize him or her. As a result, he draws pictures instead of listening. (Antecedent, 2008)
Common antecedents could be a critical feedback from others, absence of attention and specific task or event. (Antecedent, 2008)
Recent studies made by Eric Boelter in the University of Iowa, used manipulations of the antecedent variables in order to rectify three children who are engaged in non-compliance behavior. The three children were all diagnosed to have individualistic behavior or signs of autism. Results showed that two of the three children responded well on the change of antecedents. The change of antecedents consists of giving praises often, controlled teaching and giving out incentives. However, the third needs more in depth treatment. (Effects, 2007)
Thus, knowing and changing an antecedent can help a person determine if he or she has a problem. The effectiveness of the program can be evaluated by a comparison of the consequences. Counting and rating the responses as negative and positive will also help measure the effectiveness of the program.
In this study, the focus is to eliminate the coffee-drinking behavior with out affecting the social consequence. Thus, this study will test the efficiency of the tea-drinking as a substitute to coffee-drinking.
This study will use the reinforcement theory which would test the success of substitution in a particular length of time. This study will observe the change of frequency of coffee drinking as opposed to tea-drinking in the span of five weeks.
RESULTS
Target Behavior
Drinking coffee is the behavior that is needed to be altered. In order to alter this behavior, we need to use a substitute antecedent to not fully affect the consequence of the behavior.
Tea-drinking was chosen to replace coffee-drinking. Below is the frequency table of the occurrence of the tea-drinking and coffee-drinking in five weeks.
5
4
3
2
1
week 1
week 2
week 3
week 4
week 5
coffee drinking =
tea drinking =
The table above shows that for the first week, coffee-drinking still got the maximum number of occurrence. Tea-drinking started in a very minimal rate. As the weeks gone by, it can be noticed that tea-drinking is increasing while the coffee-drinking is decreasing.
During the first week, the diversion from coffee to tea was difficult. However, after a number of weeks, tea drinking and coffee drinking almost traded places. Tea-drinking became higher and coffee-drinking became lower. This is because of the principle of “reinforcement”. As the behavior is done repeatedly, it is slowly increasing its rewards to a social life. The more I practice to drink tea in the morning, I started knowing new people little by little who are tea-drinkers.
Thus, when the Week 5 approaches, tea-drinking is noticeably higher than the first week.
Environmental programming
Most of the things served in the menu are coffee. Teas are served too, however, it goes to show that coffee have more variants thus, coffee are often chosen. This is a negative reinforcer to the program.
The positive reinforcer is the big poster of a hot pot of tea on the wall. It reminds me to get a cup of tea instead of coffee.
A number of friends who also drink tea is also another positive reinforcer because it would provide me a sense of belongingness, knowing that I am not the only person drinking tea.
DISCUSSION:
The results indicated above showed that on the first few days, coffee-drinking rated the most. However, on the fourth week, coffee-drinking begun to decline, and tea-drinking begun to move upward.
Following the theory of repetition, the results showed that tea-drinking produced good rewards such as good social life, which increased the tea-drinking behavior.
That is because, tea-drinking still let me sit with my friends and have a nice conversation with them, without a coffee in my cup. Moreover, my friends widened because I now sit with tea-drinkers, while the people I used to sit with who are coffee-drinkers remain to be my friends.
Based on the table shown on the previous pages, tea drinking was able to replace coffee drinking through “re-inforcement”. Rewards of tea-drinking which is a wider circle of friends, make the behavior increase.
This results satisfies the hypothesis which is being able to eliminate the behavior of coffee-drinking through tea-drinking, through the process or reinforcement theory.
In terms of reinforcers, we also used positive reinforcers found in the environment such as posters of a pot of tea and friends drinking tea instead of coffee. Those positive reinforcers help in the success of the program.
Another form of reward, aside from wider circle of friends is rewarding myself after successfully completing a week with a higher rate of tea-drinking than coffee-drinking. I could possibly buy myself a cheeseburger that would go with the tea.
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:
This study acknowledges the limitation that the study is also limited to one participant only and there are no other participants for comparison purposes. This study also acknowledges the fact that it might be subjective since the person making the study and the participants are one and the same.
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDIES:
A behavior modification program for excessive T.V. watching or excessive net surfing may also be a significant study. A study on behavior modification of a group of people such as students or prisoners is also significant. This will show the difference of conducting behavioral modification programs in group of people rather than in an individual.
REFERENCES:
Kansas Institute for Positive Behavior Support. (2008) Glossary Terms –Positive Behavior Module. [Online Source] Available at :
http://www.kipbs.org/new_kipbs/fsi/overallGlossary.html
Antecedent – Behavior – Consequence Chart. (2008) Special Connections. [Online Source] Available at : http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/specconn/main.php?cat=behavior§ion=main&subsection=fba/abc
Reinforcement Theory. (1996) Healthy Influence. [Online Resource] Available at : http://www.as.wvu.edu/~sbb/comm221/chapters/rf.htm
APPENDIX
Contingency Contract
Date: April 21, 2008
I am aware that drinking too much coffee makes me nervous and is adding too caffeine in my body. With the help of my teacher, we will both follow a program that will help me eliminate the excessive coffee-drinking behavior. In this case, we will use tea to replace my coffee-drinking behavior.
Everyday, I will order hot tea at the coffee-shop where I used to drink coffee. I will note it down to a paper everyday, and check whether I have fully eliminated coffee-drinking in my everyday routine.
If I get a higher frequency on coffee-drinking, I will buy myself a cheeseburger. After five weeks, I will have my teacher evaluate the program and check if I have met the goals we’ve set for my behavior.
________________________ ________________________
Student’s Signature Teacher’s Signature
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