Understanding Shaping
To Prepare
As you have discovered in the Learning Resources, while shaping may use steps, adding a new behavior through shaping rarely occurs through step-like progressions. It is important for the shaper to use proper discernment, judgment, and observation to be keenly aware of small changes that bring the learner closer to the terminal behavior.
For this Discussion, you will explain the necessary steps to implement effective shaping and analyze the importance of each step. You will also reflect on a time when shaping played a role in your own development of a new behavior.
- Review the Learning Resources for this week, including the required weekly media programs, to develop an understanding of defining and measuring behavior.
- Consider the following question: What are the necessary steps a trainer must follow to implement shaping effectively, and why?
Resources
- Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., & Heward, W. L. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.
- Chapter 22, “Shaping” (pp. 540–556)
- Peterson, G. B. (2004).A day of great illumination: B. F. Skinner's discovery of shaping.Links to an external site. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 82(3), 317–328. https://doi.org/10.1901/jeab.2004.82-317