Five-year-old Trevor is emotionally disturbed and refuses to communicate with anyone. To get him to speak,his teacher initially gives him candy for any utterance,then only for a clearly spoken word,and finally only for a complete sentence. The teacher is using the method of

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The teacher is using shaping, which is a process by which behavior is gradually modified through reinforcement. In this scenario, the teacher is reinforcing Trevor's behavior of speaking by starting with any utterance, then clearly spoken word, and finally a complete sentence. This gradual reinforcement is an example of shaping.

Five-Year-Old Trevor Is Emotionally Disturbed and Refuses to Communicate with Anyone