Personal Behavior Contract Increasing Drinking Water to 52 Ounces Daily

Operational Definition

This behavioral contract is being written to increase the amount of water Kayla will drink each day (52 ounces). Drinking 52 ounces of water each day has been operationally defined as: Purposeful drinking and swallowing, of at least 52 ounces of clear fluids each day. Examples of clear fluids include but are not limited to: water, all non-dairy fluids, all non-caffeinated fluids, and all sugar-free fluids. Daily is defined as occurring every day of the week (Monday – Sunday). This behavior will be tracked each day between the hours of 7:00am and 11:00pm.

Identification of Measurement System

For the purposes of this contract, all water drinking must be tracked using the iPhone application (app) “My Water Balance.” This will allow for documentation and confirmation of drinking 52 ounces of water each day. This application allows for Kayla to begin tracking her water intake at the start of each day (7:00am) and end tracking before she goes to bed each night (11:00pm). Start and end times are allowed to and may vary depending on the day of the week (e.g., weekends). This app also allows her to designate a standard unit of measurement (ounces) that she wishes to be tracked. Other factors that will also be tracked through the app that are irrelevant for this project are her weight and gender.

Each day, Kayla will open the “My Water Balance” app on her iPhone and use the “Add a drink” feature. This feature prompts the user to select a drink (e.g., water, coffee, tea, soda, etc.) and then select the amount of ounces she has swallowed that day. Once these selections are made, the screen shows a percentage of the amount of water intake for that day (e.g., 8oz. =15%). This will allow Kayla to visually see her progress throughout the day until she reaches 100%. Kayla’s fiancé, Chris, has been added as a friend in this application and is able to view Kayla’s progress. Chris will also hold Kayla accountable each day and encourage her to achieve her goal of drinking 52 ounces of water per day.

Criterion to Meet Goal

In order to meet her daily goal, Kayla will have to track drinking at least 52 ounces of water each day. Water intake will be tracked via the “My Water Balance” application on her iPhone. An unsuccessful period will be any day (Sunday – Monday) in which Kayla drank less than 52 ounces of water.

Consequences for Meeting and Not Meeting Goal

Kayla will receive 1 point for every 13 ounces (25% of her daily goal of 52 ounces) of water. Points are be able to be accumulated and will allow Kayla access to one of the drinks of her choice (e.g., Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi). The amount of reinforcement (preferred drink) will be based on the number of ounces of water intake Kayla engages in that day. Kayla will be able to “cash in” her points individually or accumulatively (e.g., the more water Kayla drinks, the more Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi she gets as reinforcement). Kayla will determine the number of points she wishes to be cashed in for her preferred drink at the time it is received. Once points are used to gain access to her preferred drink, Kayla must restart water intake to achieve more points and gain access to more Diet Coke/Diet Pepsi.

If Kayla does not meet her water intake goal for the day (52 ounces), she cannot receive the maximum number of points necessary to receive her desired amount of preferred drink. Drinking less than 13 ounces of water per day will result in losing access to reinforcement altogether, thus increasing the likelihood that Kayla will drink at least 13 ounces of water per day.

Kayla has chosen to include her fiancé, Chris, as her source of accountability throughout this contract. Chris has previously encouraged Kayla to incorporate drinking more water into her daily life and is looking forward to helping her finally achieve this goal. Chris has been made aware of Kayla’s goal, reinforcement, and tracking method, and will be consistent in helping Kayla stay on track throughout the length of the contract. Kayla is highly motivated by Chris’s praise and wants to avoid potentially disappointing him, as well as her.

Formal Contract

I will drink 52 ounces of water every day for at least 4 consecutive weeks. Drinking 52 ounces of water each day has been operationally defined as: Purposeful drinking and swallowing, of at least 52 ounces of clear fluids each day. Examples of clear fluids include but are not limited to: water, all non-dairy fluids, all non-caffeinated fluids, and all sugar-free fluids. Daily is defined as occurring every day of the week (Sunday – Monday). This behavior will be tracked each day between the hours of 7:00am and 11:00pm. When earning four points in a week, I can earn the rewards indicated below. If I do not earn 4 in a week, the points from that week will not count for rewards nor will they roll over into the following week.

I will earn 1 point for every 13 ounces of water I drink each day. Points may be redeemed for the following:

1 point = 1 (12oz.) can of Diet Coke OR 1 (12oz.) can of Diet Pepsi

2 points = 1 medium-size Diet Coke from McDonalds or Steak N Shake

3 points = 1 large-size (32oz.) Diet Coke from McDonalds or Steak N Shake

4 points = 1 (44oz.) fountain drink from Marathon gas station