High Probability Request Sequence

Noncompliance has been shown to have a negative impact on students’ personal, social, and educational growth (Lee et al., 2004). It is also one of the top reasons students are referred for intervention (Miles & Wilder, 2009).  Following the directions given by teachers helps to ensure that students have a safe and productive environment in which to learn (Bross et al., 2018). Further, following directions from a superior is a life skill that not only promotes student success within school (Lane et al., 2018), but continues on as students transition beyond their time in their PK-12 programming to the workforce. One way teachers can support students who demonstrate low levels of compliance is through implementing proactive strategies in their teaching, such as High Probability Request Sequences (HPRS). HPRS is an antecedent-based strategy that is rooted in empirical research.

HPRS is founded on the principle of behavioral momentum. Behavioral momentum is an analogy to the concept of the law of motion which proclaims that an object in motion will stay in motion unless acted on by an unbalanced force (Common et al., 2019). Similarly, human behavior can acquire momentum by high rates of responding and reinforcement. Behavioral momentum is the tendency for a behavior to continue even when a change in environment has occurred (Nevin et al., 1983). Therefore, when implementing HPRS the teacher starts with a request the student is more likely to follow, lessening the possibility of the student engaging in noncompliance (Bross et al., 2018). Following the initial directive, the teacher then delivers a series (e.g., 3-5) high-probability (i.e., high-p) low effort directives. Finally, the teacher gives one low-probability (i.e., low-p) request (Wilder et al., 2015) that the student deems unfavorable. Delivering several directives that the student tends to follow or enjoys doing, creating a high rate of responding, builds a momentum of compliance that continues even when the student is asked to engage in a less favorable task (Axelrod & Zank, 2012). For example, a teacher may deliver the following sequence to a 1st grade student when he wants the student to clean up the box of cars after recess.

Teacher: “Michael, give me a high five!”

Student: (Gives high five.)

Teacher: “Nice job giving me five! Now race two cars from the carpet to the 

desk.

Student: (Pushes two cars.)

Teacher: “Way to go! Nice racing! See if you can line the cars up in a 

                                                straight line.”

Student: (Lines the cars up next to the carpet.)

Teacher: “You lined the cars up so well. Drive them into the box and place 

the box on the shelf!”

In this situation the teacher had Michael engage in three activities he knows Michael would do, such as giving a high five, racing two cars, and lining the cars up in a straight line. Once he built some compliance momentum, he directed Michael to put the cars in the box and put the box on the shelf. For additional examples see Figure 1. When delivering the sequence, it is important to keep a brisk pace and to give the student some level of praise or reinforcement in between each instruction. Inserting the brief reinforcement also serves to strengthen the compliance momentum (Lee, 2005). Additional tips for implementing HPRS can be found in Figure 2.  

HPRS have been shown to be effective at increasing compliance for students with various disabilities (Lee, 2005), as well as across students of different ages (Lipshultz & Wilder, 2017). It has also been shown to support compliance across academic, behavioral and social domains within the school setting (Bross et al., 2018). In addition to improving compliance, HPRS can also aid in reducing disruptive behavior, and supporting academic performance (Killu, 1999).

HPRS most closely aligns with the social/emotional/behavioral High Leverage Practice (HLP) # 7- establish a consistent, organized and respectful learning environment. 

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