Shaping

What are schedules of reinforcement?

They determine how often and when a reinforcer is provided following a desired behavior.

What is a fixed-ratio schedule?

Reinforcement is given after a specified number of behaviors, e.g., paying a child every 7th time they do laundry.

What is a variable-ratio schedule?

Reinforcement is given after an unpredictable number of behaviors, e.g., a slot machine paying out on average every 50th go.

What is a fixed-interval schedule?

Reinforcement is given after a fixed period of time, provided the behavior occurs, e.g., hourly pay.

What is a variable-interval schedule?

Reinforcement is given after varying lengths of time, e.g., audience applause during a performance.

What is behavior shaping?

A process where successive approximations of a target behavior are reinforced until the desired behavior is achieved.

What is an example of shaping?

Teaching a child language by reinforcing babbling, then sounds, then words as they get closer to correct speech.

What is behavior modification?

The systematic use of operant conditioning techniques to increase the frequency of desired behaviors, often in therapy.

What is a strength of reinforcement schedules?

Strong supporting evidence from studies on both humans and animals, e.g., Latham & Dossett’s beaver trappers study.

What is a limitation of reinforcement schedules?

They ignore intrinsic motivation—people may perform behaviors for enjoyment, not just rewards.

How is shaping applied in therapy?

Used effectively in treatments like Lovass’s therapy for children with autism to normalize behaviors through reinforcement.

What is an ethical concern with behavior modification?

Therapists have power to shape client behavior, which could be abused to enforce social norms against the client’s beliefs.

Which reinforcement schedule is most resistant to extinction?

Variable-ratio schedules produce behaviors that are very difficult to extinguish because reinforcement is unpredictable.

How does shaping differ from simple reinforcement?

Shaping rewards gradual steps toward a goal, while simple reinforcement rewards only the final target behavior.

What real-world example illustrates variable-ratio reinforcement?

Gambling machines, where players are reinforced unpredictably, leading to persistent playing behavior.

What did Latham & Dossett (1978) find in their study?

Trappers performed better under a variable-ratio pay schedule ($4 per animal) compared to a fixed-ratio schedule ($1 per animal).

Why might reinforcement schedules not fully explain workplace behavior?

Employees may be motivated by intrinsic factors like job satisfaction, not just extrinsic rewards like pay schedules.

How can shaping be used in education?

Teachers can shape complex skills (e.g., writing) by rewarding small improvements in handwriting, spelling, and structure step-by-step.

What is an ethical safeguard in behavior modification?

Therapists and clients typically agree on target behaviors beforehand to ensure goals align with the client’s values.

What is a key difference between fixed-interval and variable-interval schedules?

Fixed-interval reinforces after set times; variable-interval reinforces after varying, unpredictable time intervals.