Davey looked at the big old elm and said, "That's a tree, mom" to his surprised mother. She praised him for knowing it, and he o
ften told her that the elm was a tree. One day he said, "Hey mom, that is a tree too, isn't it?" and pointed to a giant oak. Again, she made a big fuss over his knowledge. After several more trees, Davey started referring to all big woody plants as "trees". What behavioral procedure did his mother use? ___________
The process of generalization takes place when a person shows similar behaviours to the target behaviour, only in slight different ways or places. For example, teaching a child to use a spoon may also result in him learning to use a fork by himself.
In this passage, the mother uses positive reinforcement to teach Davey the main features of trees. Learning the characteristics of one tree also results in the recognition of other trees.
He shared his wealth with community organizations such as orphanages and the YMCA. As a boy, he sold small items such as homemade molasses and peanuts to earn money.
