A dad takes his child out to learn to ride a bike. At first, the dad supports the child on the bike as the child simply steers. He then has the child peddle and steer. Gradually, the dad begins to let go of the bike as the child steers and peddles independently. The dad is using a procedure called __________.
A) discrimination training
B) intermittent reinforcement
C) generalization
D) shaping

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The procedure described is shaping, as the dad is gradually reinforcing each step towards the final behavior of the child riding the bike independently. The dad starts with shaping the behavior of steering, then pedals and finally the child is able to ride the bike on their own. The dad is reinforcing successful approximations of the desired behavior, which is riding the bike independently. Discrimination training involves teaching an organism to respond differently to different stimuli, intermittent reinforcement involves reinforcing a behavior only sometimes, and generalization involves applying a behavior learned in one situation to other similar situations. None of these concepts apply to the procedure described.

A Dad Takes His Child Out to Learn to Ride