Which process is accomplished by rewarding the success of a desired behavior?

Which process is accomplished by rewarding the success of a desired behavior?

• A. Reinforcement
• B. Classical Conditioning
• C. Shaping
• D. Modeling

Answer: (C)

Shaping is the process of reinforcing successive approximations toward a desired, often complex, behavior. By rewarding actions that move closer to the target, you guide the learner step by step—from small, simple steps to the full, final behavior. In practice, you celebrate each improvement that resembles the goal more closely, gradually building the complete skill. This is why rewarding the success of incremental steps toward a goal fits shaping—the reinforcement is specifically tied to progress toward a defined target, not just any occurrence of a behavior or a simple stimulus–response pairing. For example, in art therapy you might reinforce tiny, correct brushstrokes first, then longer, more accurate lines, and so on, until the final technique is achieved. Classical conditioning focuses on pairing stimuli to elicit a response, and modeling is about learning by observing another person perform the behavior, rather than reinforcing incremental progress toward a target.

Shaping is the process of reinforcing successive approximations toward a desired, often complex, behavior. By rewarding actions that move closer to the target, you guide the learner step by step—from small, simple steps to the full, final behavior. In practice, you celebrate each improvement that resembles the goal more closely, gradually building the complete skill. This is why rewarding the success of incremental steps toward a goal fits shaping—the reinforcement is specifically tied to progress toward a defined target, not just any occurrence of a behavior or a simple stimulus–response pairing. For example, in art therapy you might reinforce tiny, correct brushstrokes first, then longer, more accurate lines, and so on, until the final technique is achieved. Classical conditioning focuses on pairing stimuli to elicit a response, and modeling is about learning by observing another person perform the behavior, rather than reinforcing incremental progress toward a target.