Organizational Behavior:

Learning and Behavior

Modification
 Psychological Perspective

• Behavior as a component of
personality
– Personality is made up of 3 factors:
1. Values

2. Attitudes

3. Behavior
 Values
• Abstract concepts of importance that are made
tangible through objects that symbolize their
value
– Education- symbolized by books and diploma

• Adopt early in life by emulating figures of

authority
– Parents, siblings, school teachers

• Hierarchy of values (Milton Rokeach, 1972)

– Two levels
1. Instrumental values
• “core” to the meaning of the individual
2. Terminal values
• Important constructs that lend support to the core values
 Attitudes
• Each value may carry with it hundreds of
attitudes

• Beliefs, perceptions, and feelings based on

a specific value
– Often expressed as opinions

• Can be positive or negative

– Negative attitudes are associated with
perceived stress
 Behaviors

• Physical manifestations of an attitude based on

a specific value
– Clapping your hands at the end of a concert

• Any action, direct or indirect, that is based on a

conscious or unconscious thought

• Have been shown to be the most likely modified

or favorably altered factor to improve health
status
 Definition of Learning

A relatively permanent change in behavior

(or behavior tendency) that occurs as a
result of a person’s interaction with the
environment.

Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of Tehran.

 Theories of Learning
• Classical Conditioning.
• Operant Conditioning.

- Law of effect.
• Social Learning ( Attention, Retention,
Reproduction, Reinforcement).
- Cognition, Insight
Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of Tehran.
A-B-Cs of Behavior Modification
Antecedents Behavior Consequences

What happens What person What happens

before behavior says or does After behavior

Example
Employee Employee
Attendance
attends receives
bonus system
scheduled attendance
is announced
work bonus

Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of Tehran.

 Theories of Human Behavior
• Behavior Modification
– Classical Conditioning (Ivan Pavlov)
• Behavior is specific to physiological autonomic functions
• Animals become conditioned to specific stimuli to act a specific
way
– Dogs salivate when they hear bell associated with food
– Running water and going to the bathroom
Theories of Human Behavior (cont’d)
• Operant Conditioning (B.F. Skinner)
– Voluntary behaviors that we have conscious control
over
– Good behavior rewarded and bad behavior is
disciplined
• Positively reinforced = repeated behavior
• Punishment = deter unbecoming behavior
Theories Of Human Behavior (cont’d)

• Modeling (Imitation)
– The ability to imitate our
behaviors from the observation
of others
• No direct reinforcement is given
Behavior Modification Programs
• Negative Health Habits
– Alcoholism, eating disorders, smoking
• Behavioral Addictions
– Workaholic, shopping
• Lifestyle improvement changes
– Time management and assertiveness

• GOAL: Building and maintaining self-esteem

 Behavior Modification in the
Treatment of Obesity
• The assessment of behavior
modification was carried out in
a day-care program for the
treatment of obesity.
• Duration of treatment was 3
months.
• Thirty-two patients, all at least
20% overweight, comprised
the study group.
• Median age of the behavior
therapy patients was 39 (range
22-61); that of the control
group was 44 (range 15-61).
 Steps of Experiment:
1. Description of the Behavior to be Controlled
 Patients were asked to keep a daily log of what they ate.
2. Modification and Control of the Discriminatory Stimuli Governing Eating
 Patients were asked to eat in only one location, to use triggers like
uniquely colored table settings, and to only eat during meal times
3. Development of Techniques which Control the Act of Eating
 To become more aware of the speed of their eating, patients were
asked to count their bites and to put down their utensils every third
bite.
4. Prompt Reinforcement of Behaviors which Delay or Control Eating
 Implemented positive and negative reinforcement.
• Positive: points were earned for sticking to the program which earned a
monetary prize.
• Negative: after eating a snack food patients were to drink caster oil
 Effectiveness
• Each of two groups treated with behavior
modification lost more weight than a matched
control group treated with traditional group
therapy.
• 13% of the patients treated by behavior
modification lost more than 40 pounds and
53% lost more than 20 pounds, results which
rank with the best in the medical literature.
• We conclude that behavior modification may
represent a significant advance in the
treatment of obesity.
– Sydnor B. Penick, MD, Ross Filion, PhD,
Sonja Fox and Albert J. Stunkard, MD
 The Behavior Modification Model

• One Precursory Phase

(Denial)
– Refuse to admit to their
unhealthy behavior

• Five Distinct Systematic

Stages
1. Awareness
2. Desire to Change
3. Cognitive Restructuring
4. Behavioral Substitution
5. Evaluation
Five Distinct Systematic Stages
1. Awareness
• Learning to become aware of a specific behavior in the effort to
change it
• Stress-producing habits
2. Desire to Change
• No change will occur without it
• “hit bottom”
3. Cognitive Restructuring
• Catch yourself in the act and think of new alternative
• Self-dialogue recognizing current and pending behavior
4. Behavioral Substitution
• Substituting a new (positive) behavior for a less desirable one
• Not just substitution, but addition to behavior
5. Evaluation
• “Step back”
• See what worked/didn’t work and fine-tune the process
 So Remember: Any Dog Can
Become an Elephant!
• Awareness
• Desire to Change
• Cognitive
Restructuring
• Behavioral
Substitution
• Evaluation
 Shaping Behavior: A Managerial Tool
• Positive Reinforcement.

• Negative Reinforcement.

• Punishment.

• Extinction.

Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of Tehran.

Schedules of Reinforcement
Behaviors
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Continuous

Fixed ratio
Variable ratio
Time (Days)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Fixed interval

Variable interval

Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of Tehran.

 Job Behavior Modification
• Step 1: Identify Target behavior
• Step 2: Functionally Analyze the Situation
• Step 3: Arrange Antecedents and Provide
Consequences
• Step 4: Evaluate Results

Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of Tehran.

 Learning through Feedback
• Any information about consequences of our
behavior
• Clarifies role perceptions
• Corrective feedback improves ability
• Positive feedback motivates future behavior

Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of Tehran.

 Multi-Source (360 Degree)
Feedback
Supervisor
Project
Customer
leader

Co-worker
Evaluated Co-worker
Employee

Subordinate Subordinate
Subordinate

Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of Tehran.

Giving Feedback Effectively

Specific

Relevant Effective Frequent

Feedback

Credible Timely

Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of Tehran.

 Other Key Terms
• Self-Management

• Learning Through Experience

• Action Learning

Gholipour A. 2006. Organizational Behavior. University of Tehran.