Habit & Behavior Modification Flashcards
7 cards from real BCH practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Habit & Behavior Modification flashcards as text
What is the primary purpose of an 'ideomotor signal' in habit modification hypnosis?
Answer: To allow the unconscious mind to communicate without verbal response
Ideomotor signals (finger lifts, head nods) provide a channel for unconscious communication, especially useful when exploring the roots of deeply ingrained habits.
A hypnotherapist uses 'future pacing' with a client breaking a sugar habit. What does this involve?
Answer: Rehearsing the new behavior mentally in anticipated future situations
Future pacing involves guiding the client to vividly imagine themselves successfully performing the new behavior in real-life future scenarios.
According to B.F. Skinner's operant conditioning, which consequence most effectively eliminates an unwanted habit?
Answer: Extinction (removing all reinforcement)
Extinction — consistently withholding all reinforcement for the unwanted behavior — is the most effective way to eliminate a conditioned habit over time.
In hypnotic work with overeating, the 'gastric band' technique primarily operates through which mechanism?
Answer: Hypnotic simulation of physical restriction to alter sensation of fullness
The hypnotic gastric band technique uses vivid hypnotic simulation of a surgical procedure to create a psychosomatic sense of physical stomach restriction.
Which hypnotherapeutic approach is most appropriate for a client whose smoking habit is strongly tied to social situations?
Answer: Social skills training combined with hypnotic rehearsal of social confidence without smoking
When habits are socially anchored, rebuilding social confidence and rehearsing new coping behaviors in those contexts is more effective than avoidance or aversion alone.
What is 'motivational enhancement' in the context of hypnotic habit change?
Answer: Strengthening the client's intrinsic reasons for change through values clarification and ambivalence resolution
Motivational enhancement draws out and amplifies the client's own values and reasons for change, resolving ambivalence to create stronger internal motivation.
The concept of 'automaticity' in habit psychology refers to:
Answer: Behaviors performed with minimal conscious attention due to extensive practice
Automaticity describes how habits become effortless and performed below conscious awareness after sufficient repetition — the hallmark of an entrenched habit.