What term describes the process of reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior?

What term describes the process of reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior?

• A. Shaping
• B. Chaining
• C. Fading
• D. Prompt

Answer: (A)

Shaping is the process of reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior. In shaping, you identify small steps that progressively resemble the desired behavior and provide reinforcement each time the learner performs a step closer to the goal. Over time, you raise the criteria so only closer approximations earn reinforcement, guiding the learner to the full target behavior. For example, teaching a child to say a complete sentence might start with rewarding any vocalization, then syllables, then words, and finally the full sentence as they meet each increasingly precise criterion. This approach contrasts with chaining, which links separate behaviors in a sequence, fading, which gradually removes prompts, and prompts themselves, which are cues that help elicit a response but aren’t the process of building toward the target through successive approximations.

Shaping is the process of reinforcing successive approximations toward a target behavior. In shaping, you identify small steps that progressively resemble the desired behavior and provide reinforcement each time the learner performs a step closer to the goal. Over time, you raise the criteria so only closer approximations earn reinforcement, guiding the learner to the full target behavior. For example, teaching a child to say a complete sentence might start with rewarding any vocalization, then syllables, then words, and finally the full sentence as they meet each increasingly precise criterion. This approach contrasts with chaining, which links separate behaviors in a sequence, fading, which gradually removes prompts, and prompts themselves, which are cues that help elicit a response but aren’t the process of building toward the target through successive approximations.