Chapter 6 - Shaping and Chaining

Describe shaping

Differential reinforcement of successive approximations of a target behavior

What are successive approximations to a target behavior?

Finding different behavior in the extinction burst that gets you closer to the target behavior

How are the principles of reinforcement and extinction involved in shaping?

By placing the organism in extinction, it results in an extinction burst which increases response variability and the behavior that gets closer to the target behavior is reinforced

Define behavior chain and task analysis

Behavior chain: a complex behavior consisting of many component behaviors that occur together in a sequence

Task analysis: break the behavior chain down into component elements

Describe the two forms of chaining

Backward chaining (preferable for those with fewer skills): start with the last behavior in the chain and move “backwards”

Forward chaining (reinforcing with praise, tokens or anything else): start with the first behavior in the chain and move “forward”