Can the use of positive reinforcement effectively increase the frequency of exercise in sedentary individuals?

by | Feb 1, 2024 | social work

Part I: Design Your Research

Create a research question.
Select two or three behaviors to change (dependent variables), either in yourself or someone (or an animal) close to you (not a client) and define that behavior carefully in clearly measurable terms. Determine how you can best measure your dependent variables. In most cases, the simplest measurements like rate, duration, speed, or latency will work best. Intensity is difficult to quantify and should be avoided.
Decide upon a “treatment” or intervention (independent variable) that you believe will be sufficiently appetitive or aversive to be effective in changing the behavior. Don’t forget to consider:
anything that might impact the effectiveness of your treatment.
whether or not the treatment you have selected will be effective in changing the behavior of the particular subject (person or animal) participating in your experiment.
any ethical issues that could arise in your experiment.
Select the research design that is best suited to your intervention. Most students find the Reversal ABAB Design to be best, but you can use any of the designs from Chapter 4. You will need instructor permission to use the Simple Comparison AB Design.

Part II: Conduct Your Research
Conduct your research. For example, if you are using the Reversal ABAB Design:

After ensuring that you are prepared to begin recording your data and that you have a method planned that will work, begin taking a baseline measure (A phase) and recording your dependent variables measurements. You should continue doing so until the behavior has stabilized (you may see an initial change just because you are measuring the behavior). This usually takes at least 3 days.
Then, begin the treatment phase (B) in which you introduce your independent variable. Continue to measure your dependent variables and record your data for 3 days or the length of time you have determined from your baseline phase.
Following the treatment phase, go back to the non-treatment mode and withdraw your independent variable, continuing to measure the dependent variable.
Finally, in your final phase, re-introduce your independent variable and complete your measurements.)

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


This question has been answered

God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

Sample Answer

Sample Answer

 

Research Question

Can the use of positive reinforcement effectively increase the frequency of exercise in sedentary individuals?

Dependent Variables

Frequency of exercise: This will be measured by counting the number of exercise sessions completed by the participant per week.
Duration of exercise: This will be measured by recording the length of time (in minutes) that the participant spends exercising during each session.

Treatment/Intervention

The selected treatment or intervention for this research is positive reinforcement. The participants will be provided with rewards and incentives for engaging in regular exercise. These rewards can include small incentives like stickers, praise, or larger rewards like gift cards or fitness-related items.

Factors impacting the effectiveness of the treatment:

The attractiveness and desirability of the rewards offered.
The consistency and immediacy of providing the rewards.
The individual’s motivation and willingness to participate in the treatment.

Effectiveness of the treatment:
The treatment of positive reinforcement has been shown to be effective in behavior change in various studies. It taps into the reward system of the brain, which can increase motivation and encourage repeated behavior.

Ethical considerations:

Informed consent will be obtained from all participants before the study.
Participants will be provided with proper information about the study’s purpose, procedures, and potential risks and benefits.
Confidentiality and anonymity of participants will be maintained throughout the study.

Research Design

The most suitable research design for this intervention would be a Reversal ABAB Design. This design involves measuring the baseline (A) phase, introducing the treatment (B) phase, removing the treatment (A), and then reintroducing the treatment (B) again.

Part II: Conduct Your Research

Baseline Phase (A): Measure the frequency and duration of exercise for each participant over a period of 3 weeks without any intervention. This will establish the initial level of exercise behavior.

Treatment Phase (B): Introduce positive reinforcement by providing rewards to participants for engaging in regular exercise. Record the frequency and duration of exercise for another 3 weeks while the treatment is in effect.

Non-Treatment Phase (A): Withdraw the positive reinforcement intervention and continue measuring the frequency and duration of exercise for 3 weeks.

Final Phase (B): Reintroduce the positive reinforcement treatment and measure the frequency and duration of exercise for another 3 weeks.

By comparing the data collected during the treatment phases (B) with the baseline phases (A), we can assess the effectiveness of positive reinforcement in increasing exercise behavior.

 

 

This question has been answered.

Get Answer