Behavior Modification

Behavior modification is a general term for the informal use of the principles of behaviorism in modification of human behavior. These principles (e.g. reinforcement of desired behaviors, functional behavior assessment, planned ignoring of problem behavior, etc) are applied in the development of interventions that seek to identify a problem behavior, recognize its function (i.e. what purpose it serves for the child), and identify/teach/reinforce a replacement behavior that serves the same function in pro-social manner.

Applied behavior analysis refers to the formal and systematic use of the principles of  behaviorism by a trained behavior analyst. 

Behavior modification is an approach often used with persons with disabilities who are exhibiting problematic behaviors.  As an approach to developing an intervention for children with disabilities, behavior modification has an advantage in its focus on external, observable behaviors.  The child is not required to have the capacity of developing insight into her behavior and as such behavior modification can be used with persons with significant cognitive delays.

When people think of behavior modification and applied behavior analysis, they often associate these terms with interventions for children with autism.  The principles of behaviorism, however, can and are used in all classroom and home environments.  Each time a teacher tells a student "Good Job" when they complete a task, the teacher is using a verbal reinforcer to increase the probability of the future occurrence of the behavior.  When a parent tells a child that he cannot have dessert until he finishes his peas, she is using the Premack principle that states that more probable behaviors will reinforce less probable behaviors.

Some parents are concerned that behaviorism teaches children to expect to be rewarded for what they should want to do intrinsically.  It is important to note, however, that intrinsic motivation is dependent on cognitive and social-emotional development.  Additionally, in teaching a skill by providing extrinsic motivation via reinforcement, the opportunity to develop intrinsic motivation continues to exist and can be encouraged concurrent to the use of extrinsic reinforcement.