"Shaping" involves
A. Removing reinforcers to diminish a behavior**
B. rewarding each step toward a goal to teach a new skill
C. using negative reinforcement to increase a behavior
d. Using positive reinforcement to increase a behavior
The correct answer is B. "Rewarding each step toward a goal to teach a new skill."
Shaping refers to a technique used in operant conditioning, specifically in teaching new behaviors or skills. It involves reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior until the final behavior is achieved. The process of shaping begins by reinforcing an initial behavior that is similar to the desired behavior. As the individual consistently performs that behavior, the criteria for reinforcement is gradually changed to require a closer approximation of the desired behavior. This process continues until the desired behavior is fully established.
To get to the correct answer, you can eliminate the other options through process of elimination:
A. Removing reinforcers to diminish a behavior (option A) is referring to the process of extinction, which involves the gradual fading out of a behavior by withholding any reinforcement. It is opposite to shaping, so it is not the correct answer.
C. Using negative reinforcement to increase a behavior (option C) refers to a situation where a behavior is strengthened by removing or avoiding an aversive stimulus. Shaping relies on positive reinforcement, so this option is not correct.
D. Using positive reinforcement to increase a behavior (option D) seems similar to shaping, but it doesn't capture the incremental nature of teaching a new skill. Shaping involves reinforcing each successive approximation, whereas simple positive reinforcement does not require the step-by-step approach. Therefore, this is not the correct answer.
By process of elimination, we are left with the correct answer: B. Rewarding each step toward a goal to teach a new skill.