Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 Module 
49 
Psychotherapy: Psychodynamic, Behavioral, and Cognitive Approaches to Treatment 
551
Contingency contracting, a variant of the token system, 
has proved quite effective in producing behavior modifi ca-
tion. In contingency contracting, the therapist and client (or 
teacher and student or parent and child) draw up a written 
agreement. The contract states a series of behavioral goals the 
client hopes to achieve. It also specifies the positive conse-
quences for the client if the client reaches goals—usually an 
explicit reward such as money or additional privileges. Con-
tracts frequently state negative consequences if the client does 
not meet the goals. For example, clients who are trying to quit 
smoking might write out a check to a cause they have no 
interest in supporting (for instance, the National Rifl e 
Association if they are strong supporters of gun control). If 
the client smokes on a given day, the therapist will mail 
the check. 
Behavior therapists also use observational learning, the pro-
cess in which the behavior of other people is modeled, to sys-
tematically teach people new skills and ways of handling their 
fears and anxieties. For example, modeling helps when therapists are teaching basic 
social skills, such as maintaining eye contact during conversation and acting assert-
ively. Similarly, children with dog phobias have been able to overcome their fears by 
watching another child—called the “Fearless Peer”— repeatedly walk up to a dog, 
touch it, pet it, and fi nally play with it. Modeling, then, can play an effective role in 
resolving some kinds of behavior diffi culties, especially if the model receives a 
reward for his or her behavior (Bandura, Grusec, & Menlove, 1967; Greer, Dudek-
Singer, & Gautreaux, 2006; Egliston & Rapee, 2007).