A circus trainer wants to train a cat to pull a rope as part of an animal act.The probability that the cat will just pull a rope is very low.What technique would be the best choice to use to help the cat learn to emit the desired response?
A) shaping
B) stimulus generalization
C) extinction
D) stimulus discrimination

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Shaping is a technique used to train animals to perform a desired behavior by reinforcing successive approximations of the behavior. It is effective when the desired behavior is not initially present in the animal's repertoire. In this scenario, the cat does not have the behavior of pulling a rope, so shaping could be used to reinforce smaller actions or behaviors that lead up to pulling the rope, eventually leading to the cat successfully pulling the rope. This is a more gradual process and can increase the chances of success compared to other methods, such as extinction or stimulus discrimination. Stimulus generalization may not be helpful in this scenario as the behavior of pulling a rope is very specific and may not generalize to other contexts or stimuli.

A Circus Trainer Wants to Train a Cat to Pull