Whether you're an employer, a parent, or an educator, you are responsible for managing the behavior of others. You may be seeking to manage your own behavior. Done well, behavior modification can be one of the gentlest, most positive ways to encourage good behaviors and reduce problem ones. Done badly, it can be ineffective or even harmful. Doing it well starts with planning.
Identify Rewards and Punishments
Food treats, money, praise---these are the old standbys that are used as rewards. Privileges work best if you individually tailor them. Give the person free time with a lot of options for pleasant things to do. Observe. What he does most is what he finds most rewarding.
If you're an employer, ask your people what they like, but also pay attention to what they do. Give your people an occasional break and watch what they do with it. You can't afford to give an employee everything she wants, so find the privileges that will give you the most bang for your buck.
If you use punishment, make it finite and apply it as soon after the behavior as possible. The more time between a behavior and a reward or punishment, the less effective it will be. Punishments can change a bad behavior quickly, but don't over-use them.
Identify and Define Behaviors
Define the behaviors you're seeing that you like, first. Include the ones unrelated to problem areas. It's critical to establish a positive environment. As often as you can, catch him doing something good and reward it.
Identify problem behaviors. Define them as specifically as possible, and when and where they occur. Ensure each behavior is within her ability to control. If it isn't, either find a way to give her control of it or don't target it.
Identify the payoff. If someone's doing something you don't like, he's getting something out of it. A tardy employee gets to sleep a few more minutes. An ADHD child who gets out of his seat gets space to move around---a need he may experience as uncontrollable.
Design and Implement a Response Plan
Decide how you will reward positive behaviors. Which reinforcers are most appropriate to the situation? Set generous, concrete minimums for seeking out and rewarding good behaviors. Track how often you reward to make sure you're meeting your minimum goal. Reward a target positive behavior every time you see it, until it's a solid habit. Taper rewards so you're no longer rewarding a mastered behavior every time, but never quit rewarding it entirely.
Find a neutral behavior she can't do at the same time as the bad behavior. Reward it as a positive. If your child wanders off in the grocery store, reward or praise her for keeping one hand on the shopping cart.
Eliminate or replace the payoff, if possible. Letting an ADHD child run a couple of laps around the gym a couple of times a day is a common accommodation.
If you punish, punish immediately, every time you see the behavior. Eliminate the behavior quickly so you can quit punishing. Track how often you punish. Never let the overall ratio of reward to punishment drop below 3-to-1.
Track improvement, including increases in positive behaviors. Give him regular, specific feedback about how he is doing.
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