Question

Which of these is not a step used in a shaping procedure? Group of answer choices 1. Reinforcing a response that closely approximates the terminal behavior 2. Reinforce behaviors that successively approximate the desired behavior. 3. Punishing behavior that deviates from the terminal behavior. 4. Stopping the reinforcement of previously reinforced responses

Answer 1

Answer: 3. Punishing behaviour that deviates from the terminal behaviour

Explanation: shaping procedure is the process of reinforcing successively closer approximations to a desired terminal behavior. It usually starts by reinforcing a behaviour that the individual already has and in some way related to the terminal (desired) behaviour; this is the first approximaion. After this is strengthened, the reinforcement is extinguished and then the next behaviour which is a closer approximation is strengthened and eventually extinguished.

This process continues with each approximation closer to the terminal behaviour until the terminal behaviour is achieved. For every step or approximation, the previous reinforcement has to be extinguished in order to move the process closer to the end goal, which is the terminal (desired) behaviour.