FRHD 3150 Chapter 10: Chapter 10.docx

• School: University of Guelph
• Department: Family Relations and Human Development
• Course: FRHD 3150
• Professor: Michelle Preyde

Document Summary

Shaping: the development of a new behavior by the reinforcement of successive approximations of that behavior and the extinction of earlier approximations of that behavior until the new behavior occurs. Haping is so common in everyday life that people are seldom even aware of it. The five aspects or dimensions of behavior that can be shaped are: topography: is the spatial configuration or form of a particular response, frequency: the number of instances that occur in a given period of time. Fading involves the gradual change of a stimulus while the response stays about the same; shaping involves the gradual change of a response while the stimulus stays about the same Factors influencing the effectiveness of shaping: specifying the final desired behavior, choosing a starting behavior, choosing the shaping steps. Before initiating the shaping program, it is helpful to outline the successive approximations through which the person will be moved in the attempt to approximate the final desired behavior.