Each week we will be sharing a tip from our school psychologist, Mrs. Rollins.

This week we are talking about – What Are Successive Approximations?

What are Successive Approximations?

As we start a new year, often we make resolutions and want to change our behavior. So, in the spirit of resolutions, I want to talk a little more about behavior shaping.

I’ve talked before about the 3 C’s of behavior shaping which are: Clear Expectations, Consequences that are meaningful, and Consistency. Another important aspect of behavior shaping is what is called successive approximations.

Successive approximation is the process of reinforcing steps of desirable behaviors which are getting closer to the target behavior. In other words, rewarding a student for doing something that is close to what you want them to do. By doing so, you move the expectation closer to the ultimate desired behavior.

For example, if you have an extremely shy child and you want to be able to have them participate verbally in class, you may start with them just giving a visual signal like a thumbs up/thumbs down. Then you have them just tell you. Next, to a peer. Then finally say it to the class. Each step they make is reinforced to celebrate their progress toward the ultimate goal.

I like to think of successive approximation as breaking down the behavior to the level where you can get the yes. You start at the point of the yes and slowly up the ante until you get the behavior you are looking for. Sometimes when we are struggling with behavior change for ourselves or our students, we need to look at this aspect so we can start moving toward success.

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