If you wanted to teach your pet parakeet to give you a kiss on the cheek, which technique would be most effective?
A) classical conditioning
B) higher-order conditioning
C) modeling
D) shaping

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Shaping involves reinforcing closer and closer approximations to the desired behavior, so the trainer could start by reinforcing the parakeet for moving closer to the cheek, then for touching the cheek, and eventually for giving a kiss on the cheek. Classical conditioning would not be as effective because it involves pairing a neutral stimulus with a reflexive response, which is not applicable to teaching a specific action. Higher-order conditioning involves pairing a conditioned stimulus with a neutral stimulus, and modeling involves demonstrating the behavior for the parakeet to imitate, neither of which would be as effective as shaping for this particular task.

If You Wanted to Teach Your Pet Parakeet to Give