Synonyms
Definition
The development of a new operant behavior using reinforcement of successive approximations of that behavior.
Introduction
Shaping is a procedure developed by Skinner, involving the presentation of reinforcement for exhibiting successive approximations of a target behavior. Successively closer approximations of a behavior are reinforced until the individual exhibits the desired response (terminal behavior).
Skinner’s First Experiments and the Invention of the Term “Shaping”
Skinner first described the method of response differentiation by mechanically reinforcing successive approximations in 1938 (Skinner 1938) but had not used the term shaping until several years later in 1951. He conducted the first experiment using free-form shaping by hand (as opposed to via a mechanical device) a few years later in 1943, while working on Project Pigeon in Minnesota (Peterson 2004). Skinner later said, referring to this occasion that “possibly...
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References
Hagopian, L. P., & Thompson, R. H. (1999). Reinforcement of compliance with respiratory treatment in a child with cystic fibrosis. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 32(2), 233–236.
Howie, P. M., & Woods, C. L. (1982). Token reinforcement during the instatement and shaping of fluency in the treatment of stuttering. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 15(1), 55–64.
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Newman, B., Reinecke, D., & Ramos, M. (2009). Is a reasonable attempt reasonable? Shaping versus reinforcing verbal attempts of preschoolers with autism. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 25(1), 67–72.
Peterson, G. (2004). A day of great illumination: B. F. Skinner’s discovery of shaping. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 82(3), 317–328.
Powell, R. A., Honey, P. L., & Symbaluk, D. G. (2017). Introduction to learning and behavior (5th ed.). Boston: Cengage Learning.
Skinner, B. F. (1938). The behavior of organisms: An experimental analysis. New York: Appleton-Century.
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Skinner, B. F. (1979). The shaping of a behaviorist: Part two of an autobiography. New York: New York University Press.
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Papageorgi, I. (2018). Shaping. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1053-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1053-1
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