WDB FLC MISINTERPRETS ARR PROCS. ALTDEV.

Narrative

WE WERE CLRED FOR THE REEDR 3 ARR TO LAX. AFTER CIVET INTXN WE WERE CLRED TO CROSS BINDY AT 12000 FT AND BASET AT 10000 FT. AT THIS TIME I WAS INVOLVED IN CHKING FLT PAPERS FOR APPLICABLE NOTAMS AT LAX AND STUDYING THE RWY 6L AND 7R ILS APCH PAGES. AT A POINT APPROX 5 NM W OF BASET; LAX APCH CTL ASKED US OUR ALT; WHICH WAS 9100 FT. APCH TOLD US TO RETURN TO 10000 FT. AFTER WE HAD CLBED TO 9400 FT; APCH RECLRED US TO DSND TO 8000 FT AND PROCEED DIRECT TO SANTA MONICA VOR. REMAINDER OF APCH AND LNDG WERE UNEVENTFUL. IN DISCUSSION AFTER THE EVENT; THE CAPT (PF) AND FO FELT THAT THE CLRNC FOR THE REEDR 3 ARR CONSTITUTED A CLRNC TO CROSS REEDR INTXN AT 8000 FT; NOT NOTICING THAT THE ARR SAYS TO EXPECT CLRNC TO CROSS REEDR AT 8000 FT. CONTRIBUTING TO OUR MISTAKE WAS THE FACT THAT WE RARELY MAKE THE REEDR ARR BUT INSTEAD FLY THE CIVET 1 ARR. THE CIVET ARR HAS HARD ALTS AND ONCE YOU ARE CLRED FOR THE CIVET ARR; YOU ARE AUTOMATICALLY CLRED TO DSND AND MAKE THE CHARTED XING ALTS. I FEEL THERE WAS A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE CIVET ARR WHEN IT WAS LABELED A 'PROFILE DSCNT;' THUS DIFFERENTIATING IT FROM THE OTHER ARRS INTO LAX. THIS BROKE THE LINKAGE WE MADE (IN ERROR) BTWN THE REEDR ARR AND THE CIVET ARR. AS THE SO; I SHOULD HAVE STUDIED THE REEDR ARR MORE CLOSELY AND FINISHED MY OTHER DUTIES EARLIER. I THEN COULD HAVE BACKED UP THE CAPT AND FO AS THEY FLEW THE ARR.