Vicki, an animal trainer, needs to train a bear to dance for a role in a Hollywood movie. Which technique will Vicki most likely use to accomplish this task?

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Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Shaping involves gradually teaching a complex behavior by reinforcing small steps towards the end goal. This technique is commonly used in animal training to teach new behaviors, including dancing in this case. Social learning and modeling may be used in conjunction with shaping, but alone they may not be sufficient for teaching a complex behavior like dancing. Classical conditioning is not appropriate for teaching a new behavior, but is used to associate a particular response with a specific stimulus.

Vicki, an Animal Trainer, Needs to Train a Bear to Dance