A circus trainer uses shaping to train a bear to spin a ball on its nose.This means that the trainer will:
A) force the bear to place its head under the ball.
B) start by reinforcing the bear if it moves toward the ball.
C) deprive the bear of food and water until it makes the appropriate response.
D) show the bear how to balance the ball by modeling the behavior.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Shaping is a process of reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior. The trainer would start by reinforcing the bear if it moves toward the ball, gradually requiring the bear to get closer and closer to actually touching the ball with its nose. This process would continue until the bear is able to spin the ball on its nose. Forcing the bear or depriving it of resources would be considered unethical and ineffective training methods. Modeling the behavior may also be a part of the training process, but it would not necessarily be the first step in shaping the behavior.

A Circus Trainer Uses Shaping to Train a Bear to Spin