05/21/2021
Posted • I first learned about this framework in Dr. Susan Friedman’s class Living and Learning with Animals. When we’re looking to modify an unwanted behavior, our goal is to teach the learner what we want them to do instead while ideally providing a reinforcer that meets the function of the behavior we’re looking to replace. The criteria of making the problem behavior ineffective, inefficient, and irrelevant is a great alternative to the traditional mode of aiming to “fix” or “punish” unwanted behaviors.
So when I came across most recent post depicting what this looks like with human learners, I wanted to share and show an example of how this applies to modifying our dogs’ behaviors. This is adapted and shared with permission, but please be sure to check out Caitlin’s latest post and caption for more information on the he Competing Behavior Model Pathway.
Yes, we can successfully modifying behaviors without using punishment and behavior suppression. Yes, we can teach sustainable skills to replace problem behaviors without compromising the welfare of our learners.
“When a positive alternative behavior (i.e., a replacement skill) provides the same type of consequence that problem behaviors produce, the likelihood that a person will use the alternative behavior increases. This is especially true if the positive alternative is easier, or somehow more efficient, than problem behaviors. The problem behaviors are replaced by alternatives that successfully compete.” (Roberts, 2017)
