Imagine that you want to improve a distractible child's ability to sit still and listen in class. Which one of the following procedures illustrates how you might use shaping to do so?
A) Explain the purpose of sitting quietly before reinforcement begins.
B) Reinforce the child for sitting still on some occasions, but not on others.
C) Reinforce the child for sitting still and listening for only a minute, then for progressively longer and longer periods of time.
D) Frequently change the specific consequence you use to reinforce sitting still-and-listening behavior e.g., you might use candy a few times, then praise, then privileges, and so on).

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Shaping involves reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior. In this case, sitting still and listening is the desired behavior. By reinforcing the child for sitting still and listening for only a minute at first, and then for progressively longer periods of time, you are shaping the behavior towards the desired outcome. Option A involves explaining the purpose of the behavior, but does not involve shaping. Option B involves inconsistent reinforcement, which may not be effective in shaping the behavior. Option D involves using variable reinforcement, which may be effective, but does not involve shaping the behavior towards the desired outcome.

Imagine That You Want to Improve a Distractible Child's Ability