Psychology 4600Psychology 4600

Excellent StudentExcellent Student

TA: Jessica IrishTA: Jessica Irish

December 6, 2006December 6, 2006

My mom bought me the Turbo Jam My mom bought me the Turbo Jam exercise DVDs for my birthday, but exercise DVDs for my birthday, but I never got around to doing themI never got around to doing them

I decided that I wanted to put my I decided that I wanted to put my mom’s gift to good usemom’s gift to good use

I needed performance I needed performance management to kick my rear into management to kick my rear into gear gear

Unfortunately for me, there were Unfortunately for me, there were already some pretty reinforcing already some pretty reinforcing contingencies competing against contingencies competing against my working outmy working out

Such Contingencies Such Contingencies are:are:

•Watching TVWatching TV•SleepingSleeping•SocializingSocializing•Browsing the Browsing the InternetInternet

I have lessFree time

I have a givenAmount of Free time

I do my TurboJam exercise

video

BEFORE AFTERBEHAVIOR

Target behavior: Exercising using Turbo Jam at Target behavior: Exercising using Turbo Jam at

least 3 times a weekleast 3 times a week

Intervention: Pay $2.00 for each missed instance Intervention: Pay $2.00 for each missed instance

of Turbo Jamof Turbo Jam

– Contingencies: Avoidance of Loss (of $2.00)Contingencies: Avoidance of Loss (of $2.00)

Deadline (SDeadline (SDD): Sundays by 9:00 pm): Sundays by 9:00 pm

PM manager: My mom, Lisa Gutekunst PM manager: My mom, Lisa Gutekunst

Start Date: September 18, 2006Start Date: September 18, 2006

End Date: December 10, 2006End Date: December 10, 2006

I have a Slightly

Higher levelOf health

I have a Given level

Of health

I do my Turbo JamExercise

video

BEFORE AFTERBEHAVIOR

I do not haveTo pay my Mom $2.00

I must pay My mom

$2.00

I do myTurbo JamExercise

video

BEFORE AFTERBEHAVIOR

I do not fearThe loss of

$2.00

I fear the Loss of$2.00

I do myTurbo JamExercise

Video

BEFORE AFTERBEHAVIOR

Times I Turbo Jammed!

0

1

2

3

4

5

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Weeks

Cum

. Be

havi

or (

Turb

o Ja

m

Inst

ance

s)

Baseline Intervention New Performance Manager

Goal Line

Starting Date: 9-18-06

Week Number of Missed Instances

Weekly Cost

Cumulative Cost

1 (baseline) -----

2 (baseline) -----

3 1 $2.00

4 2 $4.00 $6.00

5 1 $2.00 $8.00

6 0 $0.00 $8.00

7 2 $4.00 $12.00

8 0 $0.00 $12.00

9 1 $2.00 $14.00

10 0 $0.00 $14.00

11 0 $0.00 $14.00

Totals:

7 $14.00

A problem arose 3 weeks into the A problem arose 3 weeks into the intervention. intervention.

I discovered that my roommate I discovered that my roommate

was being a shady performance was being a shady performance

manager and was more interested manager and was more interested

in what she would gain from my in what she would gain from my

failure than she was in my successfailure than she was in my success

Since my roommate was an evil Since my roommate was an evil

performance manager, I decided performance manager, I decided

to change my manager to none to change my manager to none

other than my mommy other than my mommy

I missed 7 days of Turbo Jam, so my I missed 7 days of Turbo Jam, so my intervention was not entirely intervention was not entirely successfulsuccessful

However, my frequency of working However, my frequency of working out increased significantly from my out increased significantly from my previous instances of “never”previous instances of “never”

Therefore, I consider this Therefore, I consider this Performance Management a Performance Management a success!success!

Coming into this class I thought Coming into this class I thought “ohhh geez… what have I gotten “ohhh geez… what have I gotten myself into?” and didn’t think I’d get myself into?” and didn’t think I’d get very far with my PM projectvery far with my PM project

To my surprise, the PM project was To my surprise, the PM project was actually exciting and very beneficial!actually exciting and very beneficial!

I hope that I will continue to I hope that I will continue to implement Performance Management implement Performance Management in other areas of my life!in other areas of my life!

Any Questions or

Comments?