The document describes an approach called the "starfish approach" for sequencing parenting behaviors to encourage desired behaviors in infants. It involves presenting 3 sequences of parenting behaviors that could lead naturally to a targeted infant behavior. The goal is to understand which behaviors most directly influence the target behavior in order to design effective ways to facilitate those sequences and create new habits. The document provides examples of parenting behaviors and infant responses for showing an object to an infant, reading a book, and visiting the zoo.

1. Sequencing Parenting Behavior,
the Starfish Approach
Nancy Otero notero@stanford.edu

2. Content
• The desired behavior is contained on the black
box, 3 sequences of behaviors that lead to the
targeted behavior are presented per slide.
• The goal is to understand which behaviors
lead naturally to the target behavior. This
approach can help to design a facilitation of
those sequences and the creation of a habit
for the target behavior.

3. Parent has object that Child cries Parent has object that
want to show to infant want to show to infant
Parent asks what’s wrong
Parent shows object Parent shows object
while naming it Child point at a toy while naming it
Child is interested Parent name the toy and Child is not interested
ask if she wants it
Parents asks the child if
Parent says something
she likes it Parent repeats: Do you
cool about the object
want “object +
while showing it to infant
Parent gives object to characteristic” ?
child while saying Child is not interested
Parent gives object to
something about object
infant
Parent says something Parent does something
Child does something with object while
about object while child
with object describing it to the infant
interacts with object
Parent says something
else about object
Parent says 3 different
things about an object
to her 18 months
infant

4. Child is doing something Parent reads book to Parent and child are in
with an object that child the Zoo
parent doesn’t like
Child points at object in Child is interested in an
Parent sees her the book animal
Parent tells her to stop Parent asks: Do you like Parent names the animal
doing that while naming the “object”?
object Parent explains
Child acknowledges
something about the
Child doesn’t stop Parent says something animal
about object
Parent explains why child Child is interested
shouldn’t do that
Parent says relates the
object with the story Parent explains more
Parent explains more
about the animal
about object
Parent says 3 different
things about an object
to her 18 months
infant