How Self-Monitoring Drives Change
Understanding the Power of Self-Monitoring & Why Behavior Has a Purpose
Behavior change is everywhere - in clinical settings, classrooms, workplaces, and everyday life. But to truly shift behavior, it's not enough to tell someone what to change. Two frameworks help us understand how and why people change: self-monitoring (and the Hawthorne effect), and behavioral function (i.e. the reason behind the behavior). Combining them brings clarity and actionable insight.
Self-Monitoring & the Hawthorne Effect
At its core, self-monitoring is about noticing your own behavior. It’s the act of observing, logging, and intentional reflection. You see this everywhere: someone tracking calories, timing how long they spend on social media, journaling moods, or using apps to log steps.
The Hawthorne effect is the flip side of that, when the mere act of being observed (by others or yourself) changes behavior. The classic example: in the 1920s, workers at Western Electric’s Hawthorne Works increased productivity simply because they knew researchers were watching, not necessarily because the physical conditions improved.
What ties these together is awareness. When we’re being watched (or we observe ourselves) our behavior often aligns more closely with intentions, expectations, or goals.
Real-world examples:
A patient becomes more consistent with medications when they track their doses daily.
An employee’s output rises when there’s transparent performance tracking.
A student studies more reliably when they journal about their study hours.
Tools matter: journals, apps, wearables, they illuminate behavior and make it easier to adjust intentionally.
Why Behavior “Exists”: Understanding Function
Behavior isn’t random. In behavioral science, we talk about functions rather than “good” or “bad” behaviors. That shift in perspective, moving to curiosity and asking “Why is this person doing that?”—is far more useful.
Here are the four behavioral functions:
Attention
The behavior draws interaction, connection, or recognition from others (e.g. a child throwing a tantrum to get noticed).Escape/Avoidance
The behavior helps someone avoid something unpleasant (e.g. ignoring your mom’s call to avoid a long conversation).Access to Tangibles
The behavior provides something tangible—an object, activity, or resource (e.g. taking an extra shift to earn overtime compensation).Sensory/Automatic Reinforcement
The behavior provides internal feedback or regulation (e.g. fidgeting, doodling, self-soothing).
If you understand why someone does something, you can design strategies that don’t simply suppress, but redirect or replace the behavior—while still fulfilling that function.
For example: rather than punishing a child for calling out, a teacher might teach raising a hand and provide attention that way.
Where Self-Monitoring Meets Function
The magic happens when self-monitoring is used through a functional lens. Tracking behavior is one thing, but logging context, triggers, and consequences helps reveal function.
A few illustrations:
Someone snacking under stress tracks when it happens—realizing food acts as emotional relief, not just nourishment.
An employee procrastinates before hard tasks consistently—seeing that avoidance is the driver.
A student’s disruptive episodes often follow peer interactions—so attention is likely the reinforcer.
Once patterns emerge, you can replace unhelpful behaviors with alternatives that still serve the same purpose: stress relief via breathing or stretching instead of snacking, breaking tasks into tiny steps instead of avoiding them, requesting peer engagement instead of interrupting.
Final Thoughts
Behavior isn’t accidental—it’s driven by purpose. When we combine self-monitoring (leveraging awareness and sometimes the Hawthorne effect) with the idea that behaviors serve specific functions, we move beyond judgment into curiosity.
We stop asking “What’s wrong with you?” and start asking “What’s helping you get by?” That perspective enables more thoughtful, compassionate, and sustainable change.
Ready for a change?
Working with a BCBA can help you learn the skill of self-monitoring and make progress towards your goals.
