Ineffective

The first Contingency The first Contingency we’ll be working on is:we’ll be working on is:

TheThe

Ineffective Ineffective Natural Natural

ContingencyContingency

Estimated Time: 15 min.Estimated Time: 15 min.

Julie’s on the swim team. Her coach says they’re doing more goofing off than practicing. So she’s going to try something new…

If everyoneimproves theirproductivity by15%, they canlisten to musicduring the nextpractice.

Julie has givenlevel of swimming

abilityJulie practices hard

Julie has infinitesimally

greater swimmingability

Julie will lose the opportunity to listen

to music at thenext practice

Julie practices hard

Julie will not losethe opportunity

to listen to musicat the next practice

Julie fears losingthe opportunity

to listen to musicJulie practices hard

Julie does not fear losing the opportunity

to listen to music

Let’s look at the Three-Let’s look at the Three-Contingency model for this Contingency model for this

example:example:

Julie has givenlevel of swimming

abilityJulie practices hard


greater swimmingability

Julie will lose the opportunity to listen

to music at thenext practice

Julie practices hard

Julie will not losethe opportunity

to listen to musicat the next practice

Julie fears losingthe opportunity

to listen to musicJulie practices hard

Julie does not fearlosing the

opportunityto listen to music

The first contingency is the The first contingency is the Ineffective Natural Ineffective Natural

Contingency.Contingency.

We need to determine We need to determine whether the contingency whether the contingency

exists prior to exists prior to performance performance

management. If it does, management. If it does, it’s a natural it’s a natural contingency.contingency.

The first test for this The first test for this contingency is thecontingency is the

“ “Natural Contingency Natural Contingency Test”.Test”.

Does this contingency exist prior to performance management?

A. Yes

B. No

Julie has givenlevel of

swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After

#2



swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After

Oops, does anyone add the increase in Julie’s ability, or is it just something that

happens? Look again!

Back to the question!

A. Yes

B. No



swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After

You’re right, nobody added

this contingency!

A. Yes

B. No

So then, what kind of contingency is this?

A. PM Contingency

B. Natural Contingency


swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After

#3


A. PM Contingency




swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After

No, no one added this…she naturally gets a little bit

better after each time she practices.

That’s why this is a NATURAL contingency



swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After

That’s right! Julie naturally gets better

each time she practices hard…so this is a

natural contingency.

A. PM Contingency


Now we know that this contingency is a natural contingency…it existed prior to performance management…but we have to ask a few more questions, to make sure that it is the INEFFECTIVE Natural Contingency.

First, we look at the before and after conditions…and see if the change from the before to the after condition is large and/or probable.


swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After

This is the ““Ineffective Contingency Ineffective Contingency

Test”Test”

If the change is small…

Or improbable…

Then the contingency is

ineffective.

A. Ineffective

B. Effective


swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After

#4

Is this contingency effective or ineffective?


swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After


A. Ineffective

B. Effective


Wait a minute! Look at the before

and after conditions again!


swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After

A. Ineffective

B. Effective


Good job! This contingency is

ineffective. Keep going to find out

why.

A. The outcome is too improbable

B. The outcome is too small


swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After

#5

We know this contingency is ineffective, but why?


swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After


No…every time Julie practices, there’s an

increase in her level of swimming ability. The

problem is not the probability, it’s the small but cumulative outcome!





swimmingability

Julie practiceshard


greaterswimming

ability

Before Behavior

After




Very good. The increase in ability is infinitesimal, which means very small.

How about this one. Is this contingency a natural contingency?

A. Yes

B. No

You have a very small chance

of getting hurt or killed in a car accident

You buckle your safety

belt

You have aninfinitesimally

smallerchance of being hurtor killed

Before Behavior

After

#6





belt



Before Behavior

After

Excellent!!!! This contingency exists

without anyone adding or planning

it.

A. Yes

B. No





belt



Before Behavior

After

No, this IS a natural contingency. It exists

before (and without) any performance management

contingencies!


A. Yes

B. No

A. Effective

B. Ineffective

You have avery small chance



belt



Before Behavior

After

#7






belt



Before Behavior

After

Careful, this contingency is

INEFFECTIVE! Look at the before and after

conditions again.


A. Effective

B. Ineffective





belt



Before Behavior

After

Right, this contingency is INEFFECTIVE!

A. Effective

B. Ineffective

A. The outcome is too small

B. The outcome is too improbable




belt



Before Behavior

After

#8

Why is this contingency ineffective?





belt



Before Behavior

After

No, it’s ineffective because it’s too

improbable…you have less of a CHANCE of

getting hurt…you don’t get hurt a little bit each

time.








belt



Before Behavior

After

That’s right!!!! Getting seriously hurt in an accident is not very likely…so it won’t

control behavior.



When we’re analyzing the Three-Contingency Model, it’s also important to distinguish between the Ineffective Natural Contingency and Effective Competing Contingencies.

This is the“Competing Contingency Test”“Competing Contingency Test”

Talking with friends effectively competes with practicing hard.

Julie has no social

reinforcers

Julie talks with

friends

Julie has social

reinforcers

BeforeBefore BehavioBehaviorr

AfterAfter

Effective Competing Contingencies have outcomes that compete with the Natural Contingency.

You have givenlevel of

knowledge

You read onepage

You haveinfinitesimally

greater knowledge

BeforeBefore BehaviBehavioror

AfterAfter

You have novisual andauditory

stimulation

You watchTV

You have visual andauditory

stimulation

A.A.

B.B.

A. A is a Natural Contingency

B. B is a Natural Contingency

C. Both A and B are Natural Contingencies

#9

So, which of these is a natural contingency?



knowledge

You read onepage


greater knowledge

After


stimulation

You watchTV


stimulation






AfterAfter

A.A.

B.B.

Well, B is a natural contingency. But look at A … did anybody add or plan

that contingency?



knowledge

You read onepage


greater knowledge

Behavior

After


stimulation

You watchTV


stimulation






AfterAfter

A.A.

B.B.

Yes, A is a natural contingency. However, look also at B. Did anybody add or plan that contingency?

AfterAfter


knowledge

You read onepage


greater knowledge

After


stimulation

You watchTV


stimulation

Which of these is a natural contingency?




BehaviBehavioror

You got it!!!! Both of these exist prior to performance

management…no one designed them to manage

performance.BeforeBefore

A.A.

B.B.

Which of these is ineffective?


knowledge

You read onepage


greater knowledge


stimulation

You watchTV


stimulation

A. A is the Ineffective Natural Contingency

B. B is the Ineffective Natural Contingency

C. Neither. Both A and B are effective

D. Both A and B are ineffective

#10


AfterAfter

A.A.

B.B.


AfterAfter

A.A.

B.B.



knowledge

You read onepage


greater knowledge

After


stimulation

You watchTV


stimulation

You’re exactly right…the outcome

is too small to control the behavior.






AfterAfter

A.A.

B.B.



knowledge

You read onepage


greater knowledge


stimulation

You watchTV


stimulation No, B is effective. It’s an Effective Competing

Contingency…the outcome is big enough and probable

enough to control the behavior.

A is ineffective, because the

outcome is too small.







AfterAfter

A.A.

B.B.



knowledge

You read onepage


greater knowledge

After


stimulation

You watchTV


stimulation

No, one of these contingencies is

ineffective. See if you can figure out

which one!







AfterAfter

A.A.

B.B.



knowledge

You read onepage


greater knowledge

Behavior

After


stimulation

You watchTV


stimulation


No, B is effective. It’s an Effective Competing

Contingency…the outcome is big enough and probable enough to

control the behavior.





Let’s try a few more examples, to make sure you’ve got this

stuff down.

You are trying to You are trying to quit smoking, so quit smoking, so you tell your you tell your roommate you will roommate you will pay him $1 for pay him $1 for every cigarette you every cigarette you smoke…smoke…

You do not feelthe rush of

nicotineYou take a puff

You do feel the rush of nicotine

You will not have To pay your

Roommate $1You take a puff

You will have toPay your roommate

$1

You have a givenLevel of health

You take a puffYou have

Infinitesimally worsehealth

A.

B.

C.

A. A is the correct Contingency

B. B is the correct Contingency

C. C is the correct Contingency

D. None of the Contingencies are correct.

#11

Which of these contingencies would be the correct Which of these contingencies would be the correct Ineffective Natural Contingency?Ineffective Natural Contingency?







$1




A.

B.

C.







No, one of the contingencies is

ineffective. See which one it is.




You will not have to pay your


You will have topay your roommate

$1

You have a givenlevel of health


infinitesimally worsehealth

A.

B.

C.







Nope…B is an effective contingency. Try the

question again!







$1




A.

B.

C.







This one is the effective competing contingency. So it fails the ineffective contingency test. Try it

again!A.

B.







$1




A.

B.

C.






You’re right!!! C passes all the

tests!!!

Yoko wants to practice her violin more. For every day she doesn’t practice, for 30 minutes, Yoko will have to do one of her roommate, Rick’s, chores .

Yoko has a givenlevel of ability on

the violin

Yoko practices herviolin for 30

minutes

Yoko has aninfinitesimallyhigher level ofability on the

violin

Yoko has 30minutes of free

time


minutes

Yoko doesn’thave 30 minutes

of free time

Yoko will haveto do one of her

roommate’s choreson Saturday


minutes

Yoko won’t have todo one of her


Which of these contingencies would be the correct Ineffective Natural Contingency?

A.

B.

C.





#12


the violin


minutes


violin


time


minutes


of free time




minutes




A.

B.

C.






Watch out! This is the Effective Competing

Contingency. Look at the contingencies again.


the violin


minutes


violin


time


minutes


of free time




minutes




A.

B.

C.






Uh-oh! This is the Performance Management

Contingency. It was designed by Yoko and Rick to manage her

performance.


the violin


minutes


violin


time


minutes


of free time




minutes




A.

B.

C.

Careful! One of these contingencies is the correct Ineffective Natural Contingency.

Try to find out which one it is.







the violin


minutes


violin


time


minutes


of free time




minutes




A.

B.

C.





Good job! The natural outcome of Yoko’s practicing is an

infinitesimal increase in her abilities. However, the tiny change in size makes that contingency ineffective in

controlling behavior.

The Ineffective Natural Contingency portion of the work-

show is complete. You may choose to stop here or continue on

with the Performance Management Contingency Section

(est. 15 mins.)

Ineffective

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