Practice question · Put in order
Order the steps of shaping a rat to press a lever it has never touched.
- Then reinforce it only for touching the lever
- Reinforce the rat merely for facing the lever
- Finally, reinforce it only for a full lever press
- Next, reinforce it only for approaching the lever
Hints
- Shaping reinforces successive approximations that move CLOSER to the target.
- Each step demands a bit more before reinforcement than the one before.
Show the answer
- Reinforce the rat merely for facing the lever
- Next, reinforce it only for approaching the lever
- Then reinforce it only for touching the lever
- Finally, reinforce it only for a full lever press
Why
Shaping reinforces successively closer approximations - facing, then approaching, then touching, then pressing - rather than waiting for the full behavior to appear on its own. Each step raises the bar toward the target, which is how complex behaviors are built.
Practise Operant Conditioning
The app has 5 more questions on this lesson, and keeps your place in the course. Psychology I is free to start.
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