Spinners and Chartmoves:

Abstract

A practical child management procedure is presented which incorporates self-recording, variable schedules of reinforcement, and a practical data collection system. The proposed system has two basic components, chartmoves and spinners. The chart is generally a picture with 30 to 100 dots and functions as a data collection system and indicates when a reinforcer has been programmed. Reinforcers are set up by randomly placing large dots (reinforcer dot), which make up the picture. When a child exhibits an appropriate target behavior, he is allowed to connect two dots on the picture. Each dot is covered with a scratch off ink; if the last dot connected is large the child receives a reinforcer. Chartmoves (connection of dots) are dated and initialed by the teacher allowing a record of progress to be kept with little effort by the teacher or parent. The second component to the system is the spinner. The spinner is an unevenly divided circle (generally five sections) with each section containing a reinforcer, plus an arrow, which the child spins to indicate which reinforcer he will receive. The combined system both the chart and spinner represents two variable schedules of reinforcement (the random reinforcement dots and the spinner), the child self-records the data on the chart, and the random aspect of the spinner reduces reinforcement satiation. This system has been used successfully with elementary ages children in the classroom, in the home as a contingency management program, and as a home and school program in which school behaviors are consequated in the home with the system.