Mary's parents want her to put her books in her bookcase. At first, they praise her for putting the books together in one pile. Then they praise her for getting the books on the same side of the room as the bookcase. When she gets the books on top of the bookcase, she gets praise. Finally, her parents praise her when she puts her books in the bookcase. This is an example of __________
A) negative reinforcement.
B) punishment.
C) extinction.
D) shaping.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is an example of shaping, where Mary's behavior is gradually guided towards the desired behavior through positive reinforcement. Each step towards the final goal (putting books in the bookcase) is praised, which encourages her to repeat the behavior and learn the correct way to complete the task.

Mary's Parents Want Her to Put Her Books in Her