Summary
Shaping and chaining is an excellent technique that can be used to teach a new skill. There is a wide array of skills that can be taught using this strategy. While it can be difficult for some to learn a skill, others may not experience such difficulties. Schunk (2020) defines shaping as a behavioral operational change or reinforcement to more desirable behavior. In shaping, the responses that lead a person to learn are disintegrated into steps, while chaining involves linking the small steps to assist in learning. Reinforcement equips one with a reward, and through trying repeatedly, the new tasks are learned effectively. Different factors can determine whether one can learn a new skill, such as the hectic life in a correctional facility such as prison. Inmates in jail, including juveniles, need to be taught rules and tasks to curb the increasing recidivism rate. In application of the chaining and shaping method, prison warden psychologists change or improve inmate hypotheses. This proposal explores how chaining and shaping can be used by prison engineering psychologist staff to teach prison wardens how to use the new Taser X26 to improve inmate compliance detailing the hypothesis, methodology, and population.
There is a need to teach prison wardens how to use the new improvised Taser X26 to improve inmates’ compliance with rules and regulations to shorten their sentences and avoid recidivism. For instance, over the last several decades, teasers have led to many deaths across the United States and Canada following police-delivered shocks, and the number keeps growing. This is contrary to what the equipment was made for. Not all deaths result from justified use of force, but teasers have been used. Deaths resulting from the use of a taser involve unarmed people or did not appear to present a serious threat to others’ safety. Since tasers are being used in situations that risk using them outweighing their use, delivering lessons to police and prison wardens on when and how to use the newly improvised Taser X26.
Training them on how to use them in the appropriate situation will reduce the number of deaths associated with them. Inmates who have been incarcerated for a long may develop immune to these instruments leading to police using tasers excessively. Inmates are always looking for a chance to escape no matter where they are being transported be it for public facility cleaning or entertainment, requiring police to use tasers frequently. Infractions are the day’s order during transport, and it seems there needs proper teaching on how to use the newly improvised Taser X26. When moving inmates from one place to another, say for recess or cleaning a public facility, for the safety of guards and fellow inmates, wardens need to have this equipment to deter incidences. For instance, if an inmate makes a move to escape, there have to be procedures for the guards to tase them, which must be strictly followed for the whole crew’s safety.
Hypothesis
Prison engineering psychologists will determine whether chaining and shaping techniques can teach prison wardens the use of the newly developed Taser X26. Through this method, psychologists may first explain to the guards the steps required to see how they react. They should show interest in learning the task and remaining unaware. It is expected that this strategy will provide ease in the teaching of operating the newly improvised Taser X26. Prison staff is required to engage in the steps whenever they are transporting inmates throughout the facility. Guards will use the chaining and shaping technique to improve their familiarity with Taser’s less-lethal weapon.
Before launching the program, the prison engineering psychologists would need to show the guards the hypotheses’ chronological order to be tested. The earlier versions of tasers relied on pain, while the improved Taser X126 incapacitates the nervous system. Situations to tase an inmate involve when one is resisting. To tase, move close to the inmate, raise the weapon and fire. Moving close to the victim would ensure that the target is the only person to receive a taser. The equipment should not be used for more than 10 minutes as it can impair the victim’s nervous system. Taser uses about 50,000 volts for the electrons to be propelled across a 2-inch air gap (“Taser X26,” 2016). In applying the three steps, from the beginning to the end taught to inmates, the hypothesis can be tested repeatedly. The objective of these steps is to reduce incidences caused during tasing, which at times leads to severe fatalities. In teaching the task, all the steps should be strictly followed. The teaching should not be taught partially as it would be compromised. A partial task would not be necessary considering the environment where it is delivered.
Population
This task’s population would be the prison wardens since it involves tasers to control behavior in the facility throughout the correctional facility. This teaching will affect all the prison wardens, including sergeants and superintendents. In addition, they would also be required to understand that Taser X26 is not similar to the older versions as it incapacitates the victim’s brain (“Taser X26,” 2016). The prison’s warden population is considered best for this strategy since it is one of the places where the use of Taser is fully engaged. Therefore, the use of chining and shaping will be an effective strategy to equip skills using the newly developed Taser X26.
The prison’s engineering psychologist would use this proposal to prepare for the study supported by the hypothesis. Shaping and chaining is a great strategy to deliver information or new skills to individuals regardless of their age, gender or status. In the underlying study, the prison wardens would be equipped with critical skills and knowledge to use the newly developed Taser X26 to regulate inmates across the facility. Shaping and chaining would be the appropriate way of delivering the skills considering the homogenous population in prison staff, and their diversified backgrounds, which might hinder skill delivery. In addition, considering the task’s tenacity, this teaching method will effectively equip the wardens with the knowledge to control situations in the correctional facility.
References
Schunk, D. H. (2020). Learning theories: An educational perspective (8th ed.). Pearson.
Taser X26 (2016). Prisonlegalnews.org. Web.