Explain how the shaping procedure would be implemented. What behaviors would be reinforced and placed on extinction throughout the shaping process?

In Unit 7, you learned about the skill acquisition strategies of shaping and chaining, and their application to supervisory scenarios. Shaping is a strategy used to develop a skill that is currently not in the client’s repertoire. It is a stand-alone behavior that is shaped from an elementary form to the final, desired terminal form — the ultimate skill topography. The chaining procedure can be used to break down a complex skill in which the client has some experience into smaller, teachable components.

Developing proficiency in each component, and joining them in sequence, results in skill proficiency in a specific task. These acquisition programs can be utilized to train a variety of behaviors in clients and supervisees. In addition to these acquisition strategies, you learned about their application in supervisory settings.

Scenario

You are an experienced BCBA who is consulting at a startup ABA company. The owner is working to put policies and procedures in place. The first policy to go into place is an attendance policy. The staff are calling out at least once per week, on average, and they are missing 4-5 days of work each month resulting in client cancellations. The owner feels that 4-6 unscheduled absences per year would be acceptable. The owner sent out a survey and followed the FBA process to determine the function of the absenteeism. He hypothesizes the function of behavior is escape/avoidance. The owner has asked for your help rolling out a shaping procedure for staff attendance.

Discussion

Please complete your assigned readings and respond to the following:

Determine a starting behavior, the terminal behavior, and at least two successive approximations between them.

Provide an operational definition for the terminal behavior.

Explain how the shaping procedure would be implemented. What behaviors would be reinforced and placed on extinction throughout the shaping process?

Consider the hypothesized function of behavior. What is a desired alternative behavior? What are some reinforcers you might suggest to reinforce the successive approximations and the terminal behavior? (Hint: Consider the size of the reinforcer should match the proximity to the terminal behavior.)

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