a lot of our more complex behaviors might be thought of as chains of behavior th

Question

a lot of our more complex behaviors might be thought of as chains of behavior that only have one reinforcer at the end, when the chain has been completed. Think of an example of a chain in your own life and break the example down in to it’s component parts, making sure to indicate what functions as the discriminative stimulus, and what functions as the conditioned reinforcer, for each step in the chain. Make sure to use a novel example (not one that was discussed in the book or lecture, and not one that was posted by another classmate).

Explanation / Answer

SHAPING DEFINED:

If a behavior never occurs, we say that it is not in the person’s repertoire.  Shaping is a way of adding behaviors to a person’s repertoire.  Shaping is used when the target behavior does not yet exist.  In shaping, what is reinforced is some approximation of the target behavior.

Approximation means any behavior that resembles the desired behavior or takes the person closer to the desired behavior.  Successive approximations are steps toward the target behavior, the behavior you want to shape.

In playing “Hot & Cold”, you reinforce any movement that takes the player closer to the prize.  Each of those successive movements is a closer approximation of the desired behavior.  If the prize is under the couch, and the player is moving toward the couch, every time the player takes a step toward the couch, you are yelling “hotter”, and you are reinforcing the behavior.  If the player moves away from the couch, you would yell, “colder” (non-reinforcing).

The general rule is that you are reinforcing any behavior that is a closer approximation of the target behavior than the behavior you reinforced last.  If a new approximation does not occur, you reinforce the last approximation again.  If an approximation is repeated and reinforced three times, you can withhold reinforcement the next time that behavior appears.

If no new approximation appears, you have to drop back to a previously reinforced behavior.  Sometimes you will get good progress for a while, only to have the child emit a behavior that was reinforced several steps before.  You may then have to reinforce that old behavior and shape through the sequence again.

This procedure can be like helping someone up a staircase.  Sometimes progress is effortless and goes quickly, other times it is slow and difficult.  Sometimes the person may leap over the next step; then he may turn and go down the stairs a few steps and you have to help him up those same steps again.  So, while the procedure is simple, it is not always easy to implement.

CHAINING DEFINED:

The new behavior you want to build may be a series or chain of behaviors.  A behavior chain is a series of related behaviors, each of which provides the cue for the next and the last that produces a reinforcer.

Almost everything we do can be considered part of a behavior chain.  For example, when you are reciting the alphabet, you start with “A”, then “B”, then “C” and so on until the task is completed at “Z”.

Each step serves as a cue for the next step; a chain is really a series of signals and behaviors.  The completion of one behavior in a chain produces the signal for the next action.  Saying “G” is the signal to say “H” next.

Practically any complex behavior we do in the way of operant behavior is part of a chain or a multitude of chains: eating, getting dressed, using the computer, counting, brushing your teeth, riding a bike, walking to school and so on.  Behavior chains are very important to all of us; as is the procedure for building chains, which is called chaining.

Chaining is the reinforcement of successive elements of a behavior chain.  If you are teaching your child the alphabet, you are attempting to build a chain, if you are teaching the tying of shoelaces, you are also attempting to build a chain.

There are two chaining procedures, forward and backward chaining.

FORWARD CHAINING:

Forward chaining is a chaining procedure that begins with the first element in the chain and progresses to the last element (A to Z).  In forward chaining, you start with the first task in the chain (A).  Once the child can perform that element satisfactorily, you have him perform the first and second elements (A & B) and reinforce this effort. Do not teach “A”, then teach “B” separately; “A” and “B” are taught together.  When these are mastered, you can move to “A”, “B” and “C”.  Notice they are not taught in isolation; hence the term ‘chain’.

BACKWARD CHAINING:

This is often a very effective way of developing complex sequences of behavior.  In forward chaining, you are teaching A to Z; in backward teaching, you are teaching Z to A.  Backward chaining is a chaining procedure that begins with the last element in the chain and proceeds to the first element.

To illustrate backward chaining, consider the following example:  I want to teach my son complete a six-piece puzzle. The steps are:

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