An experimenter wishes to provide reinforcement for a rat every time it presses a lever. But the rat never presses the lever. Therefore the experimenter decides to use the procedure of shaping. What will the experimenter do first?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Shaping is a process of reinforcing successive approximations to the target behavior. Since the rat is not pressing the lever, the experimenter would need to reinforce the rat for a similar behavior that is easier to perform than pressing the lever. Reinforcing the rat for sitting up is a good choice because it is a simple behavior that the rat can already do and is also in the general direction of pressing the lever. Once the rat has consistently learned to sit up, the experimenter can gradually shape the behavior by reinforcing the rat for moving closer to the lever, touching the lever, and eventually pressing the lever.

An Experimenter Wishes to Provide Reinforcement for a Rat Every