What environmental events Very remote in time events

What environmental events? • Very remote (in time) events {PAST} – Natural selection • Semi-remote events {PAST} – Contingencies (respondent and operant) • Current events {PRESENT} – Presentation of stimuli (US, CS, SD) – Motivational & emotional operations

Chapter 20 Behavioral Chains

Behavioral Chain • A sequence of stimuli and responses. • Each response produces a change in the environment that acts as a discriminative stimulus (SD) for the next response.

“…. behavior does not occur as random strings of unrelated responses but in organized sequences, called chains, in which each successive response produces the stimuli, internal or external, that determine what comes next. And when the time arrives to initiate a new sequence of behavior, that, too, is signaled by a change in stimulus conditions. ” (Dinsmoor, 1995)

Task Analysis A task analysis is – an analysis of complex behavior and sequences (chains) of behavior into component responses.

TASK ANALYSIS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Pick up fork Spear potato Lift fork to mouth Open mouth Place fork in mouth Close mouth Pull fork from mouth

Dual Functioning Chained Stimuli • A stimulus in a behavior chain reinforces the response that precedes it. • That stimulus also acts as an SD or operandum for the response that follows it.

SD Sight of potatoes Beh Pick up fork Dual-Functioning Chained Stimuli Sr Oper. Fork in hand Behavior Sr/SD Put fork in potato Fork in potato Behavior Sr/SD Raise fork Fork raised Behavior Put potato in mouth

Dual Functioning Chained Stimuli • A stimulus in a behavior chain reinforces the response that precedes it. • That stimulus also acts as an SD or operandum for the response that follows it.

Behavior Sr/SD Pull chain Light on Behavior Sr/SD Press lever Dipper click Behavior Approaches dipper Sr Water

SD Behavior After/Sr/SD Before Light on Before Behavior After/Sr/SD Before Behavior After/Sr Water

Forward Chain • The establishment of the first link in a behavioral chain, with the addition of successive links, until the final link in acquired.

SD Sight of potatoes Beh Pick up fork Train this link first Sr Oper. Fork in hand Behavior Sr/SD Put fork in potato Fork in potato Train this link second Behavior Sr/SD Raise fork Fork raised Behavior FORWARD CHAINING Put potato in mouth

Total Task • The simultaneous training of all links in a behavioral chain.

Total Task Training Links Each one of the hand washing steps Training Tools Physical guidance Verbal Instruction Praise Modeling Results Each one of the hand washing steps

Backward Chaining • The establishment of the final link in a behavioral chain, with the addition of preceding links until the first link is acquired.

23 x 42 46 920 ? ? ? BACKWARD CHAINING

23 x 42 46 ? ? ? BACKWARD CHAINING