To teach a child to eat spaghetti neatly, you would reinforce initial responses, such as holding the fork, and then reinforce increasingly closer approximations to the final response, a procedure known as
A) counter conditioning.
B) secondary conditioning.
C) desensitization.
D) shaping.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The procedure described of reinforcing initially holding the fork and then progressively closer approximations towards the final response of eating spaghetti neatly, is an example of shaping. Shaping involves reinforcing behaviors that are closer and closer to the desired behavior or response, until the desired behavior is eventually achieved.

To Teach a Child to Eat Spaghetti Neatly, You Would