Modeling, shaping, and chaining in applied behavior analysis

¶ … Applied Behavior Analysis

Modeling, shaping, and chaining are common words in the field of mental health essential in analyzing a particular behavior. Parents are encouraged to understand these three concepts as it enables them to have a better understanding of treatment and might be potentially useful in other situations.

Modeling

This concept refers to the gradual reduction of something in form or reinforcement or prompting to finish a task. In modeling, the trick is to do the right thing in a systematic manner, at the right time and in the right amount (Sulzer-Azaroff & Mayer, 2007).

Examples of how modeling can be used in teaching new behaviors

An easy example of how modeling could be applied to teach new behavior is in a ballet dancing session. In this case, the instructors can serve as the live models by teaching young girls about a behavior they are expected to imitate and practice. The girls can them watch the instructors and work on their dancing moves and other aspects of the dance they would like to imitate.

Chaining

Chaining refers to the procedure of integrating small behaviors to create a larger, sophisticated and complex behavior. Training a child how to use the toilet is the simplest example of this. Eventually, we want a child to respond to "go to the washroom." However, for kids, this could be ambiguous literally. We need to outline the act of pulling down the pants, sitting on the toilet and others. All these smaller behaviors fall under the routine "go to the washroom." In the end, we "fade" some verbal prompts until the single components are chained together or become a routine (Sulzer-Azaroff & Mayer, 2007).

Extinction

Extinction refers to the attempts of weakening behavior through attaching no effects, whether negative or positive, to it (Cooper et al. 2007). It is also said to be same as ignoring a behavior. The significance of extinction is that a behavior not attached to a consequence is weakened. Nonetheless, for this approach to be effective, it needs time and patience. Extinction is useful in reducing undesirable behavior, particularly when such behaviors were previously rewarded. In essence, if rewards are omitted from behaviors that were previously reinforced, then, these behaviors become less frequently, eventually dying out. For instance, if a child is highly mischievous and disturbs the class in school, probably, s/she is seeking for attention. In case he or she receives the attention, he or she will continue to show this behavior. Therefore, extinction weakens a behavior and tends to reduce its subsequent frequency (Sulzer-Azaroff & Mayer, 2007).

Task analysis

Task analysis is by definition the procedure of breaking a skill into smaller steps to teach the skill (Cooper et al. 2007). By mastering the smaller steps, the learner will become increasingly dependent on her or his ability to perform the larger skill. The role of task analysis is to teach skills that demand various steps to be conducted in a certain order. Such skills include tying shoes, preparing and serving a meal, as well as cleaning the house. For instance, the task of cleaning the house can be broken down into three smaller tasks. These include preparing materials, cleaning and putting away the materials.