Chapter 11 Getting a New Sequence of Behaviors to Occur with Behavioral Chaining Study Questions 1 Briefly describe the chaining procedure used to teach Steve to perform a consistent preputt routine The first step to establishing a consistent sequence of responses during his preputt routine was to list the specific steps that he wanted to follow on each occasion They were as follows 1 When approaching the ball forget about the score and think only about the putt at hand 2 Go behind the hole look back at the ball and check the slope of the green in order to estimate the speed and path of the putt 3 Move behind the ball look toward the hole and recheck the slope 4 While standing behind the ball pick a spot to aim at take two practice strokes and visualize the ball rolling in the hole 5 Move beside the ball set the putter down behind the ball and adjust it so that it is aiming at the desired spot 6 Adjust your feet so that they are parallel to the putting line grip the putter in the usual way and say Stroke it smooth 7 Look at the hole look at the ball look at the spot look at the ball and stroke the putt The training procedure involved 10 trials On each trial Steve performed all seven steps of the preputt routine while practicing a short putt on the practice green The reason he practiced the routine on short putts rather than long ones was that he wanted each sequence to be followed by the reinforcer of making the putt On each trial a friend checked off the steps as they were performed If he missed a step his friend prompted him to perform it before continuing to the next step After completing the 10 trials Steve and his friend played a practice round of golf during which his friend prompted him to complete the preputt routine on every putt During subsequent tournament rounds Steve asked his caddy to remind him to follow his preputt routine Three weeks later Steve won his first tour event While a number of factors undoubtedly contributed to his win Steve felt that one of them was his improved putting as the result of his more consistent preputt routine 2 Describe or define behavioral chain and give an example other than those in this chapter A behavioral chain also called a stimulus response chain is a consistent sequence of stimuli and responses that occur closely to each other in time and in which the last response is typically followed by reinforcement For example learning how to shoot free throws would be attainable through a behavioral chain 3 Why do you suppose a behavioral chain is called a chain The reason for calling this procedure a stimulus response chain can be seen by writing it out as follows SD1 R1 SD2 R2 SD3 R3 SD7 R7 S 4 Distinguish between a behavioral sequence that is a chain and one that is not a chain Describe an example of a behavioral chain sequence that is not a chain and explain why it is not one Many behavioral sequences that you perform in everyday life are behavioral chains Playing a particular song on a musical instrument brushing your teeth lacing and tying your shoes and making a sandwich are all behavioral chains However not all behavioral sequences are behavioral chains Studying for an exam writing an exam and attending the next class to get a grade represent a sequence of behavior that a college student performs But this general sequence consists of a variety of activities reading memorizing writing etc with many breaks in the action studying then sleeping then going to class etc It is not made up of consistent series of stimuli and responses that occur closely in time and for which each stimulus except the last is an SD for the next response 5 Briefly describe the total task presentation chaining method With the total task presentation method an individual attempts all of the steps from the beginning to the end of the chain on each trial and continues with total task trials until that person learns the chain 6 Briefly describe the backward chaining method With the backward chaining method the last step is taught first then the next to last step is taught and linked to the last step then the third from last step is taught and linked to the last two steps and so on progressing backward toward the beginning of the chain 7 Briefly described the forward chaining method The forward chaining method teaches the initial step of the sequence first then teaches and links together the first and second steps then the first three steps and so on until the entire chain is acquired 8 Describe how each of the three major chaining methods could be used to teach bed making For the total task presentation chaining method you could show someone how to make their bed and then it would be their turn They would do every step in each trial until they fully understand and know the chain For the backward chaining method you could show someone how to make their bed and then have them start with the last step which would be putting the comforter on the bed and then go from there For the forward chaining method you could show someone how to make their bed and then have them start with the first step which would be putting the sheet that covers the mattress on and then go from there 9 In a chain a given stimulus is both an SD and a conditioned reinforcer How can this be Explain with an example In chains taught by total task presentation and forward chaining each stimulus after the first also eventually functions as an SD for the next response and as a conditioned reinforcer for the previous response In backward chaining as described however these two functions are developed very systematically 10 Which of the major chaining methods do the authors recommend for teaching persons with developmental disabilities and for what four reasons 11 12 13 14 15 16 Total task presentation has several practical advantages over the other chaining formats for teaching persons with developmental disabilities Total task presentation requires the instructor to spend less time in partial assembly or disassembly to prepare the task for training it appears to focus on teaching response topography and response sequence simultaneously and therefore should produce results more quickly and it appears to maximize the learner s independence early in training especially if some steps are already familiar to him or her Moreover several studies have demonstrated that total task presentation is at least as good as or better than backward chaining or forward chaining for teaching various tasks to persons with