In: Psychology
What are the pros and cons of a self-management system? If operant behavior is controlled by consequences, how can a self-management system work to change your own behavior? Have you ever tried, or would you consider trying a self-management system to change some personal behaviors? If so, how?
The external control techniques (e.g., teacher-managed interventions) raise concerns regarding generalization of the intervention (i.e., transfer of the skills beyond the immediate intervention setting), and passivity and motivation of the student. Self-management procedures theoretically are designed to increase generaliz-ability, as students are not dependent on another for monitoring and evaluating behaviors. However, not all self-management procedures result in generalization in other settings, indicating a need for more research to identify the variables that promote generalization. Interventions that target general academic behaviors (e.g., checking work) rather than specific behaviors (e.g., checking spelling accuracy) are inherently more generalizable.Another advantage cited for self-management procedures is the efficacy of self-management interventions across a wide variety of behaviors, settings, and populations. In some cases, self-management interventions are as effective or more effective than teacher-managed interventions. Additionally, self-management interventions are less intrusive, and teachers report preferring self-management over some teacher-managed interventions (e.g., token economies). However, many of the self-management interventions include some type of external reinforcement (e.g., token systems) and involvement from teachers (e.g., matching). While these components are often reduced or eliminated over time, significant up-front time from teachers and parents is often needed for teaching and maintaining behaviors, and there are few examples of students using self-management interventions with only natural consequences in place.