A Terminal Behavior Locator System

ByRobert E. Horn

Institute of Educational Technology, Teachers College,Columbia University

(From Programmed Learning, No. 1, February 1966.The Eastern Press Ltd., London and Reading)

Author’s NoteIn this early paper I introduce for the first time the major classifications system thatunderlies my approach to structured writing (further developed in Information Mapping’smethod). The context is “programmed learning,” which is what I was doing research onin 1963-65.

Important to note is that this is the first clear separation of information into informationtypes in Information Mapping/structured writing and its later formulation (CF3P).• Concepts• Structures• Procedures• Processes (called operations in this article)• Facts (called “paired associates” in this article)• Classifications

These distinctions still form the basis for developing chunks of information in moststructured writing approaches.

IntroductionTheory, practice and research in verbal programmed instruction would be advancedgreatly if we had a useful and fairly comprehensive set of categories for describingterminal behavior. One way of approaching the construction of such a typology ofterminal behavior is by classifying the terminal or criterion frame itself. By terminalframe I mean simply test items, whether they appear at the end of sequences, as review orpractice items, or as post-test items. A classification system for terminal items, in fact,would seem to be central to the concerns of any type of instructional system. Given aclassification of terminal frames, it is a fairly easy step to the classification of the types ofsequences preceding them. Given a set of terminal frames, it is a simple matter toconstruct the objectives for a given course. Any useful categorization of terminalbehavior frames should make it that much easier to teach novice programmers thisparticular aspect of programming. When one is about to write any terminal frame for aprogram, it would be much easier to “look it up” in a locator index than to conceive eachone anew. In short, a classification may contribute to making programmed instructionmore of a technology than it now is.

This paper presents such an attempt to classify terminal or examination items for verbalinstructional systems. Non-verbal terminal behavior is not a concern in this paper and is

not discussed. The re-classification of what we have been doing in PI has already beenshown to be useful in the area of branching technique (Horn, 1963a).

In this typology the general framework for classification is based on my paper“Systematic Task Analysis” (Horn, 1963b), in which I used a modification of theclassification system of Upton and Samson (1961) to structure the verbal tasks includedin a given job or subject-matter field. Briefly these are concepts, structures, procedures,operations, classifications and hierarchical organization. The typology is also based uponthe form of questions rather than upon their content. Non-numerical matrices have beenconstructed to work as a kind of net which can be dragged through a given subject-matter, catching and organizing the pertinent terminal behavior in the process.

Terminal Frames For ConceptsA useful place to start with the classification of terminal frames is with the concept. Aconcept can be defined as a generalization within a class and a discrimination amongclasses. Concepts frequently (though not always) have names, can be defined ordescribed, and instances and non-instances of them can be given. Table 1 illustrates thetypes of verbal information we have to deal with in constructing terminal frames on agiven concept-cluster.

We can take the various parts of a concept-cluster (the name, definition, instances andnon-instances) and arrange them on two axes of a matrix as shown in Table 2. Thevertical column on the left is the “Given” column, which describes what parts of theconcept-cluster are given as part of the stimulus. The horizontal column at the top is the“Do” column, which describes what verbal behavior must be produced as a response bythe student.

For example, let us examine the first horizontal row of terminal frame forms for theconcept-cluster of the borrowed or loan word, which is a word taken (usually intact) intoone language from another language. First of all, we can notice that there are two namesfor the same concept. So that it is possible to write a terminal frame of the form:

What is another name for a borrowed word? ______________________________

The reverse, of course, is also possible as a terminal frame. We can contemplate askingthe student:

Define the term “borrowed word.” _____________________________________

Continuing across the top row to the right, we can ask the student to:

List two examples of borrowed words from the preceding sequence. _____________

The last frame may not be acceptable to us as a terminal frame for our program for avariety of reasons, but our locator system aids us by stating that it is a possible terminalbehavior which we can accept or reject.

Notice that in each of the frames on this row the part of the concept-cluster that wasgiven to the student as a part of the stimulus was the name of the concept. Droppingdown to the second horizontal row of frame forms, we notice that what is given to thestudent as part of the stimulus is the definition, which yields these frames:

A word that is taken (usually intact) from one language into another is called a __________________.

“Words taken (usually intact) from one language into another.”What is another way of defining or describing what is defined above?___________________

List five examples of words taken (usually intact) from one language into another. ___________ ____________ ____________ _____________ _____________

Clearly the second frame of the above group is not as good used as a terminal frame forthis concept as it might be for others. This, then, is how the terminal frame locatorsystem specifies the kinds of possible frames that can be asked about a given concept-cluster.

There is another important distinction that has to be made with regard to terminalbehavior; this is the difference between asking the student to construct or to pick out ananswer. It is still a researchable matter as to how much difference can be attributed torecall as required by the terminal frames constructed from Table 2 and the recognitionrequired by the terminal frames constructed from Table 3. But as a practical matter ofprogram writing, one has to recognize the difference as a difference in frame form. Thus,Table 3 repeats the same categories on both axes, but the frame forms, we notice, requireonly that the student examine several possible answers and check the appropriateresponse. For reasons of length, we will not give examples of each of these frame formsin Table 3.

An examination of the frame forms at levels C-2, D-2, C-3 and D-3 will show that whilethese are terminal, they call for a kind of terminal behavior that is significantly differentfrom the kinds in the other cells on levels A through D, which call for discrete alreadylearned information. The frame forms in C-2 and D-2, Table 2, call for what may bedescribed as “abstracting” behavior. The student is called upon to notice and describe thequalities of things presented in the “instances” portion of the frame and to describe thesimilarities and differences he sees.

C-3 and D-3, Table 2, also may be terminal frames but they call for behavior whichdemands a good deal of general experience. If I list five things and ask you to give mefive more examples of the same kind of thing which I have not taught you, I am asking

for a great deal more than if I ask you merely to repeat the examples you have justlearned in a learning sequence.

We may, of course, also examine each of the frame forms for how easy it will be for thestudent to check the type of answers that are required of him by the frame. It is moredifficult to provide precise feedback in some frame forms than it is in others.

Terminal frames for structuresA structure is something which has boundaries and parts which can be identified. Someexamples of structures are: the human body, machines, environment of all kinds, systemsof diagramming and notation.

Table 4 shows how the terminal frame forms can be applied to a structure, the triangle.The frame forms which did not yield useful terminal frames have been left blank onTable 4. An important thing to note about structures is that diagrams are nearly alwaysnecessary in terminal frames dealing with structural concept-clusters, as, indeed,diagrams are necessary in teaching the structural concept-cluster.

Structures have parts. Parts can also form a concept-cluster as is illustrated by Table 5.

It is useful to note that many terminal frames for programs will be multiples of the basicframes in the locator system. A frame such as the following is an example of a“multiple”:

Draw the bones of the hand and label each class of bones.

A special kind of terminal frame of the “multiple” category is the “multiplediscrimination” frame where the behavior required is the distinguishing between twoconcept-clusters which “compete” in some fashion (Gilbert, 1962). An example of such aterminal frame is:

Label each of the following either “vector” (V) or “scalar” (S). _____ 2 miles up _____ 14 litres _____45 mph _____ 1 7/8 inches per second _____ 3 feet _____19 pounds of force down

Terminal frames for proceduresA procedure is a set of steps which a person performs to obtain a specified outcome.Some examples of procedures are: a problem to solve, a machine to turn on, a set ofsteps to follow in a selling situation, a rearrangement of the parts of something, a game toplay. Typically, procedures can be placed under “How to” titles such as “How to Turn onthe Model 913 Sprayer,” “How to Read and Interpret Bar Graphs,” “How to TroubleShoot PXY Equipment,” “How to Write Programs for the 9905 Computer,” “How toSolve Square Root Problems,” “How to Decide Whether to Make or Buy a Part,” “Howto Plan a Pert Network for a Project.”

Each step in a procedure may include or be a concept-cluster and, of course, proceduresmay involve the use of structures, so that subterminal frames may be found by usingprevious tables. But typically the overriding terminal behavior involved in procedures isfound in Table 6.

The occasion upon which you use a procedure is an important concept-cluster for eachprocedure. It may be spelled out using Table 2.

Terminal frames for operationsAn operation is the change in some structure during an interval of time (usually for somespecifiable purpose). Some examples of operations are: the movement of a machine, thechanges in weather in the atmosphere, the systematic functioning of the brain. The

terminal frames for sequences that teach operations must be arranged into separatematrices of the various stages of the operation, the parts of the structure involved at eachstage and how each part functions, the occasion for the beginning of the operation and theresult of the operation. I will not burden this article with the large number of Tables thatwould be involved in showing terminal behavior for teaching operations.

Terminal frames for paired associatesAnother class of terminal frames comprises all of those frames which ask for a responsethat may be called “paired associates.” Examples of such frames are:

Columbus discovered America in ____________.

“ £” is a symbol for ____________________.

What percentage of the total labor force was unemployed in April 1962 ________.

Terminal frames for classificationClassification has to do with the kinds of things. In specifying terminal behavior, we asksuch questions as:

What sorts of terminal frames are there? ___________

List six major kinds of terminal frame classifications for verbal programmed instruction.__________ ___________ ____________ ___________ ____________ ___________

What are the sorting factors used in the classification? _____________________

What is the purpose of this classification? _______________________

Using the terminal frames in five programs, make up a classification system for them and give the classes names.

ConclusionsThe terminal behavior locator system described in this paper may be used to classify thetypes of teaching sequences preceding each terminal behavior. Perhaps we cannotspecify all of the frame forms which must precede a given terminal frame. That need notdeter us. The approach which I suggest is the specification of necessary “sub-terminal”frames and “key” teaching frames. I think these two kinds of frames can be specified in a

more or less exact fashion. Then the writer’s judgment and knowledge of the subject-matter and the student can be brought to bear on the remaining “transitions.”

References

Gilbert, T. F. (1962) Mathetics: The Technology of Education. The Journal of Mathetics,1, 7-73.

Horn, R.E. (1963(a)) A Typology of Branching Techniques. New York: The Center forProgrammed Instruction, Technical Memorandum Series, August 15.

Horn, R.E. (1963(b)) Systematic Task Analysis. New York: The Center for ProgrammedInstruction, Technical Memorandum Series, August 15.

Upton, A. and Samson, R. W. (1961) Creative Analysis. Whittier, CA: Whittier CollegePress.