Running Head: BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION PROJECT

Behavior Modification Project

Tannah Sellers

EDFD 2100

Dr. Tracie Pollard

November 15, 2018

Identify Target Behavior

My current living situation is in a house with four other girls, so there are five girls total

in the house. Living in a house is very different than living in the dorms like we all did last year.

With busy schedules the house tends to get messy quickly. As I noticed this happening more and

more frequently I thought it would be a good idea to create a chore chart to keep the house clean.

I had everyone on the list including myself. There was only one chore assigned to each person

everyday so there were five total chores to be completed. Also the chores would rotate so the

same person did not have to do the dishes every night, which was everyones least favorite. The

chores included dishes, wiping down counter, sweeping the kitchen floor, taking the trash out,

and vacuuming. I posted a chore chart in our kitchen and they would check off their chore once

they completed it.

Baseline Data

After observing the house for a few days I quickly realized what chores needed to be en-

forced. Dishes were a big issue because everyone would eat dinner and then there was a big pile

of dishes and no one would do them. Or someone would put the dishes in the dish washer and

no-one would put them away. Doing the dishes were on top of my modification list. All the other

chores were pretty basic and simple to handle. I did noticed that people would take the trash out

just once and if it filled up again they would just let it sit, so that was also something I wanted to

fix.

Stimulus Conditions Present

Another stimulus condition was when one person said they did their chore another person would

be like “Oh yeah I need to do that!” And then go do it so they could check it off. It was like a
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domino effect when one person did it everyone followed. It almost seemed like a competition

sometimes to see who could finish their chore first.

Setting Goals

My goal is to create a plan that will modify behaviors in my house to keep the house

cleaner. I hope to show my housemates how easy it is to complete a simple chore and how big of

an effect that chore has on our house. For example, when they need a bowl for cereal in the

morning they will be there instead of in the sink or dishwasher.

Remove/Encourage Stimulus Conditions

Since school was such a big issue for all of us this made time an issue as well. I made it

so all the chores are to be done after dinner so no one had an excuse of having class at like nine

o’clock to get out of doing their chore. Time is very precious to everyone in the house because of

school and social lives. By having the chores to be done after dinner this made it easier for eve-

ryone because there was a schedule to follow.

Identify Punishers and Reinforcers

Everyone on the plan is 19 almost 20 years old so it was hard to find punishers. I did not

have specific punishments if they did not the chore. Their punishment for not doing their chore

would be that they have two chores the next day rather than just one. I would also text them or

leave them a note to remind them that they need to complete their chore. In a way I would use

the guilt trip on them. If they complained about doing a chore I would say something like “Its ok

you don’t have to do it I just really needed your help for a project for a class, but I can just start

over with someone new.” This is what I found to be most effective. They would almost immedi-

ately go do their chore after I said this.

For reinforcers I used their favorite thing, coffee. I made a deal with everyone that if they

all completed every chore that I would get them a Starbucks gift card after it was complete. This

was huge. I kept reminding them after they completed their chores that they were getting free

coffee when it was over. I would also thank them. The words “thank you” or “I appreciate it” do

a lot more than I thought they would. I could see a change in their facial expressions when I

would say “thank you for doing your chore” or “I appreciate your help with this project”. After I

told them this they would smile or giggle. This totally changed their mood towards me. There

were sometimes I could tell they were upset they had to do this, but after giving a reinforcer their

mood would change. I did not thing a simple thank you would work as well as it did. I think it

worked so well because we all like to feel like we are making someone proud and I think they

got a sense of pride when this happened.

Design a Program

While designing my program I had my housemates all pick chores that they thought

needed to be done. This got them involved right away. I feel by letting them choose what chores

were to be on the list (which were pretty much the same to the ones I observed needed to be

done) they felt like they had a say rather than just having to do a chore. They got to be in charge

of part of the project. Since we are all the same age I knew this was important because it is hard

for one 19 year old to tell another 19 year old to take the trash out and there not be an argument.

I personally made the charts because I did not see how having my housemates set up the

chore chart was going to make it any more fun for them. However, I did tell them they could

decorate how they wanted. The char was very simple it listed all the names, then the chore, and

then a completion box where they could check it off. I made the whole week mandatory for

chores to complete. I knew this was asking for more from them, but I though they could handle
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doing a simple chore even on the weekends. I really pushed the Starbucks gift card. I put it on

them as a whole. I needed everyone to complete their chore so everyone could get Starbucks. If

one person did not complete a chore then it was out of the picture. This sounds harsh, but again

with they age I thought it was appropriate for a motivation.

If it was late and I checked the chart I would text the person or go knock on their door

and ask them to complete their chores. When the chores got completed I made sure to thank them

and tell them how helpful they were. This helps increase the chances of them doing their next

chore. It is a simple task, but I think all of them felt good when they got to check off their chore.

They began to see how much they were helping out with just one simple chore.

I will slowly try and take the chart away by creating new charts. These charts will go

from seven days a week, to six, to five, etc. I think this will be hard for my housemates because

there isn’t a physical thing there motivating them.

The Results

At the end of this program I noticed that people began to do certain chores on their own,

but there was also chores that stopped getting done. People are quick to jump on chores like the

dishes and taking the trash out which really surprised me. Dishes used to be a big issue in the

house, but now they get done regularly. Chores such as vacuuming still get done just not as often

as they used to. Everyone was motivated by the Starbucks and each other. They made it almost

like a competition.

At the beginning of the program I was worried that it would not go well because of some

of the attitudes toward having to do chores. Some of the girls were not happy about it, but once

the program started they were good sports and participated and got the job done. Now that they

saw how clean simple chores made our house they do the chores without any incentive. Overall I
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think this program had many benefits for my house. It helped in the sense of keeping our house

clean. It showed everyone that they have a roll in the house and it’s not hard to do your part.

Also it gave us a sense of unity. We figured out how to work together to make our house a better

place for everyone.