TO REWARD...or NOT TO REWARD?
Challenging The Wisdom of Using Behaviuor Modification To Promote Health

From our homes, to our schools, to our workplaces, most attempts to help people change behaviors are based, at least in part, on the principles of Skinnerian behavior modification.  Yet there is limited evidence that this approach, which focuses on reinforcement or reward for changing behaviors, is effective for promoting long-term success.  Furthermore, there is evidence that rewarding people in this manner may have unwanted, adverse consequences.  Nevertheless, health promotion programs from smoking cessation classes to exercise and weight loss competitions to worksite initiatives for lowering blood pressure and cholesterol have incorporated the use of rewards and incentives to help promote behavior change. This presentation will review problems associated with behavior modification approaches, with particular emphasis on their use for promoting health behavior change.  Implications for health promotion and for the role of the health professional will be discussed.



Facilitator: Jonathan Robison, Ph.D., MS
Assistant Professor Michigan State University
Phone: (517) 507-0287
Fax: (517) 507-0265
e-mail: robisonj@msu.edu
www.jonrobison.net