Mr. Johnson wants a hyperactive boy to be able to sit quietly for at least 15 minutes at a time. To do this, he begins praising the boy for sitting still for one minute, then for two minutes, and then for four minutes, and so on. Mr. Johnson's strategy best reflects which one of the following concepts?
A) shaping
B) generalization
C) intermittent reinforcement
D) discrimination learning

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mr. Johnson's strategy of reinforcing the boy's sitting behavior gradually and systematically until he achieves the desired goal is an example of shaping, which involves reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior.

Mr Johnson Wants a Hyperactive Boy to Be Able to Sit