There are two different discussions that need to be answered and include at least one reference each. Discussions should be at least 300 or more. 1.Ch 9 (Shaping) and Ch 11 (Chaining) This week we will talk about how we use shaping and chaining to achieve a particular behavior. You task is to provide an example of shaping and chaining. For shaping, make sure you define what the target behavior is and how you plan to teach it. For chaining, I want to see the complex skill broken down into numbered steps. 2.Question(s): How do you define "self" (personality)? What contributes to your concept of self? Do you think that drugs (such as antidepressants) have the potential to alter, corrupt, or even enhance the authentic self?(To answer this question, you may want to conduct some research on the internet and read articles in your online library. If you decide to use sources, be sure to properly cite according to current APA style format. Try to include a question for classmates.

Shaping is defined as slowly "molding" a behavior from an rudimentary mess to well-defined masterpiece. You start by defining what the target (final) behavior is suppose to look like and then begin teaching it from the most basic position. Shaping is used in so many areas of life it's crazy. Speech therapy (learning to talk, increasing volume), physical therapy (increasing mobility), sports (throwing, catching, pitching), education, social situations etc. You have most likely used this technique yourself and just never realized it! If you have ever taught your kids to talk, worked on getting a kid to stay in their own bed, or your animals to respond to commands, then you have used this. If you coached kid sports, then you use this ALL THE TIME! Kids don't come to sports already knowing how to dribble a ball, throw a football, or swing a bat. That has to be taught then SHAPED into something resembling a sport :-) Target Behaviors For example, when my sons were smaller, I taught them baby sign language. The sign for milk (squeezing the fist open and close like you are clenching your fist), mom (thumb touches your chin, fingers are all spread out), and dad (thumb touches the forehead, fingers are all spread out) were the first ones taught. The way we signed them was the target behavior. It is what we wanted THEIR signs to look like once they got older. Successive Approximations As babies, they all consistently did the following: for milk they would open and close their hands but with no real control, mom was signed with their hand hitting any part of their lower face, and dad was signed with their hand hitting any part of their head. As infants they did not have the finger dexterity to sign properly, so we accepted their "version" and reinforced it (they got the milk, mom, or dad), As they got older, their signs matured as well until they could use one finger to the chin or forehead for mom or dad. Then they eventually moved to the thumb. Their cumbersome face hitting was eventually SHAPED to the appropriate sign. Differential Reinforcement The whole time they were signing to us, we would sign to them using the CORRECT hand movement as a model of what is was suppose to look like. As they got better at signing, we started to ignore the "sloppy" signs and only reinforced the more controlled signs. Eventually they stop smacking themselves in the face because it would not get them what they wanted BUT putting one finger on their face did. It is a good thing the boys didn't bruise easily :-) Application In ABA we use SHAPING to teach children how to mand (request something) or decrease problem behavior. A screaming child might be screaming because they haven't learned or been reinforced for requesting what they want in a functionally and socially acceptable way. We also use shaping to work on food refusal and acceptance if they are highly selective food restrictions (picky eaters). There could be a number of reasons WHY a child may have a deficit but ABA helps them learn the right way to do something in small, manageable pieces that don't overwhelm them yet still reinforces them for the attempt! If you tune in to the chat, I will give you some prime examples of shaping and manding. Chaining is when you take a complex skill and break it down into smaller steps. Because the skill is broken down into smaller steps, it is important that the person learning the skill complete that skill IN ORDER! Think about getting dressed. You aren't going to put on pants and then put on your underwear. Washing the dishes- you can't dry the dishes first, then rinse, and add soap. So order matters in CHAINING techniques. Task Analysis So how do we create a chain? We do a task analysis. All this means is we do the skill ourselves and write down each step. Then we give it to another person and have them follow it JUST THE WAY YOU WROTE IT! If they get to the end, then YAY!! If they don't, then it means you are missing a step somewhere. Or if you are not skilled in that area, you phone a friend who is a subject matter expert and have them walk you through the skill. How many of you have youtubed something you didn't know how to do? Fixing a car, doing makeup, etc. They all provided some component of chaining. And you know that they did a great job on the task analysis if you reached the target behavior you were aiming for (fixed the alternator, created the perfect eyebrow). Backward, Forward, Total Task Presentation There are 3 ways you can teach someone a new skill using chaining. Backward chaining means you do steps 1-9, but the last step 10 the person completes. One of the reasons for this is that this allows the person to get that reinforcer quicker! An example of this is learning to make a sandwich- you do all the steps with them except put the second piece of bread on top of the sandwich. You are not doing the steps for them because you want them to be familiar with the process! When they get good at doing that, then you have them do steps 9 and 10, then give them the sandwich. Eventually they will be able to make a sandwich from start to finish.Forward chaining means THEY start the first step, but then you do steps 2-10.Again, you are not doing the steps for them but with them. You repeat this until they can do all 10 steps. While these two chaining techniques can be used with anyone who has a hard time learning new skills, total task presentation is designed for those who know how to do a skill but miss a few steps. With this approach, they do the whole skill and you jump in to prompt them when they get stuck at certain points. An example of this would be putting away the dishes. They know how to stack the dishes and group the silverware together, but maybe they get hung up on where certain items go, but not all of them. There is no need to address each and every step like in forward/backward chaining, we just need to help them put the dishes away that they get confused on. They get stuck on where knives go, so you may point to the general area or give them clue to figure it out. Again, you are not doing this for them, you are doing this with them. Because the end goal is to make them not need you! Application We use this in ABA to help clients learn new skills that are too complex when given all at once. Tying shoes, brushing teeth, getting dressed, learning household chores, job skills, the list is endless as far as application goes. But this can be used for anyone!