Behavioral Shaping Practice Questions

True / False 1. Shaping is a procedure that can help a person engage in a new behavior. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 2. Shaping involves reinforcement of a closer approximation and extinction of a previous approximation of a target behavior. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 3. When using shaping, timing is not very important. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 4. If the individual already engages in the target behavior at least occasionally, shaping is the best procedure to use. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 5. People are often well aware of how shaping can develop problem behaviors. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 6. An extinction burst is valuable in shaping because it may lead to the next approximation to the target behavior. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 7. Shaping would not be used if a person could benefit from instructions or modeling. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 8. Reinforcement and punishment are the two principles involved in shaping. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e 9. Reinforcement and extinction are the two principles involved in shaping. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: True 10. Intermittent reinforcement is used during shaping. a. True b. Fals e ANSWER: Fals e Multiple Choice 11. Which of the following strategies is used when a target behavior is not occurring at all? a. differential reinforcement b. respondent conditioning c. punishment d. shaping ANSWER: d 12. In _______________ successive approximations of the target behavior are differentially reinforced until the individual engages in the target behavior. a. conditioning b. prompting c. shaping d. positive reinforcement ANSWER: c 13. In shaping: a. the target behavior is reinforced more and more over time b. successive approximations of the target behavior are reinforced c. the target behavior is reinforced when it occurs closer and closer to the discriminative stimulus d. all of these ANSWER: b 14. Which of the following behavioral principles is (are) involved in shaping? a. extinction b. punishment c. reinforcement d. A and C ANSWER: d 15. In shaping, the steps that are used on the way to developing the target behavior are referred to as: a. tasks b. behavior gradients c. successive approximations d. intervals ANSWER: c 16. The starting behavior that is used in shaping is: a. a behavior that is already occurring b. an approximation of the target behavior c. A and B d. none of the above ANSWER: c 17. When reinforcement for each approximation of the target behavior is eliminated ____________ occurs, and a ____________ behavior is then reinforced. a. an extinction burst; novel b. spontaneous recovery; desirable c. punishment; desirable d. conditioning; prior ANSWER: a 18. When using shaping, each step should be ____________ to the target behavior. a. identical b. a closer approximation c. irrelevant d. B and C ANSWER: b 19. Conditioned reinforcers are useful when using shaping because they: a. enable rapid delivery of reinforcers b. are more powerful than unconditioned reinforcers c. prevent satiation from occurring d. A and C ANSWER: d 20. ______________ reinforcers are used during shaping because they enable rapid delivery of the reinforcer and prevent satiation from occurring. a. unconditioned b. tangible c. conditioned d. edible ANSWER: c 21. In which of the following instances can shaping be used? a. to reinstate a previous behavior b. to develop a novel behavior c. to change a dimension of an existing behavior d. all of these ANSWER: d 22. Jerry is a professional football player who injured his knee while running during a game. Jerry has had surgery and his knee is fully healed, but he is afraid to put pressure on it because he doesn’t want to re-injure it. The trainer implements a plan in which he first differentially reinforces standing, then walking, then jogging, and finally running at full speed. This is an example of using shaping to: a. reinstate a previous behavior b. change a dimension of an existing behavior c. generate a novel behavior d. increase an existing behavior ANSWER: a 23. Sara wants to teach her cat Fluffy to use his paw to turn on the television. Sara differentially reinforces Fluffy’s behavior of being within one foot of the television, being within one foot and facing the television, when Fluffy touches the television with his paw, when he touches the on button with his paw, and finally when Fluffy hits the on button with his paw. This is an example of using shaping to: a. change a dimension of an existing behavior b. generate a novel behavior c. increase an existing behavior d. reinstate a previous behavior ANSWER: b 24. A teacher uses shaping to increase the loudness of a withdrawn child’s voice. This would be an example of using shaping to: a. reinstate a previous behavior b. change a dimension of an existing behavior c. generate a new topography of behavior d. create a new behavior ANSWER: b 25. In which of the following situations would it be appropriate to use shaping? a. the target behavior is already occurring b. instruction or demonstration would be effective c. acquisition of a novel behavior is the goal d. A and B ANSWER: c 26. Shaping would NOT be an appropriate procedure to use when a. instructions would be successful b. the target behavior is not occurring c. the person is nonverbal d. A and C ANSWER: a 27. What is the first thing that should be done before implementing shaping? a. choose the shaping steps b. identify the starting behavior c. define the target behavior d. choose the reinforcer ANSWER: c 28. Which of the following is NOT a guideline involved in shaping? a. identifying the starting behavior b. choosing the shaping steps c. choosing the reinforcer d. choosing the unconditioned stimulus ANSWER: d 29. Differential reinforcement of each successive approximation involves: a. punishing the previous approximation b. extinguishing the previous approximation c. reinforcing the new approximation d. B and C ANSWER: d 30. Which of the following is true regarding shaping steps? a. each step should be a closer approximation to the target behavior b. a moderate behavior change between steps is best c. mastering one step facilitates behavior in the next step d. all of these ANSWER: d 31. Which of the following behaviors cannot be developed through shaping? a. self-injurious behaviors b. arguments between spouses c. animal tricks d. startle response to loud noise ANSWER: d 32. When Tommy’s Mom asks him to stop playing video games he ignores her. When she asks him a second, third, and fourth time in a louder voice Tommy continues to ignore her. By the fifth time, Tommy’s Mom screams at him to stop playing video games, and he finally stops. Eventually, Tommy’s Mom has to yell at him ten times before he quits playing video games. In this example, whose behavior has been shaped? a. Tommy’s b. Mom’s c. Tommy’s and Mom’s d. neither Tommy’s nor Mom’s ANSWER: c 33. Which of the following indicates it is time to move from one shaping step to the next? a. the individual is successfully engaging in the behavior b. the individual is having difficulty with the approximation c. the individual asks to move to the next step ANSWER: a 34. Which of the following is (are) involved in the process of learning language? a. reinforcement b. successive approximations c. extinction d. all of these ANSWER: d 35. In shaping language in a young child, what is typically the starting behavior? a. words b. nouns and verbs c. babbling d. sentences ANSWER: c 36. Extinction is used in shaping to a. reduce interfering behavior b. stop the occurrence of a previous approximation c. promote the target behavior d. stop the person from engaging in novel behavior ANSWER: b 37. During shaping what is responsible for the emergence of novel behaviors? a. respondent conditioning b. extinction burst c. instructions d. successive approximations ANSWER: b 38. Using shaping to get a person to increase the strength of her grip would be an example of shaping a(n): a. novel behavior b. a new dimension of an existing behavior c. undesirable behavior d. respondent behavior ANSWER: b 39. The extinction burst is valuable in shaping because a. it leads to novel behaviors that may be an approximation to the target behavior b. it is an indication that the shaping steps are too large c. it is an indication that the shaping steps are too small d. it is an indication that the person is trying to learn ANSWER: a 40. Which of the following behavior is least likely to be developed through shaping? a. driving a car b. a child showing off to his friends c. a child engaging in long and loud tantrum behavior d. a spouse arguing loudly ANSWER: a Completion 41. With shaping you can get a new behavior to start so that you can keep it going with ______________. ANSWER: differential reinforcement 42. Shaping is a behavioral procedure in which ______________ of a target behavior are ______________ until the person eventually engages in the target behavior. ANSWER: successive approximations; differentially reinforced 43. A behavior that a person already exhibits that is an approximation to the target behavior is called ____________. ANSWER: starting behavior 44. Shaping can be used to develop a behavior, reinstate a(n) ______________ behavior or change some dimension of a(n) ______________ behavior. ANSWER: previous; existing 45. ______________ is the starting behavior in the process of using shaping to develop language in a young child. ANSWER: Babbling 46. ______________ and _______________ are the two behavioral principles involved in shaping. ANSWER: Reinforcement, extinction 47. _______________ (conditioned / unconditioned) reinforcers are typically used in shaping procedures. ANSWER: Conditioned 48. Shaping ________ (is / is not) the appropriate procedure to use if you want to strengthen an existing behavior. ANSWER: is not 49. _________________________, or shaping steps, are behaviors that are closer and closer to the target behavior. ANSWER: successive approximations 50. What dimension of the target behavior would you be shaping if you used shaping to get a person to talk louder _________________________? ANSWER: intensity Subjective Short Answer 51. A young child has just learned to say “ball” as a result of shaping. How do you bring the child’s behavior of saying “ball” under stimulus control of a ball? ANSWERBy providing a reinforcer when the child says “ball” only when a ball is present and not : providing a reinforcer when the child says “ball” when a ball is not present. 52. Why is it important to move from reinforcing one approximation to the next approximation at a proper pace? ANSWERReinforcing one approximation too many times make it difficult to move to the next : step; the individual may continue to engage in the previous approximation. At the same time, if the person does not master one approximation, it may be impossible or at least difficult to progress to the next step. 53. Describe how shaping might be used to develop a problem behavior. Provide an example. ANSWERJoey is a 25-year-old make with severe mental retardation who works in a sheltered : workshop for individuals with developmental disabilities. At times Joey starts to sing loudly during working times, at which point staff immediately go over to Joey and explain why he can’t sing during work. A psychologist was consulted to address Joey’s problem behavior. Upon identifying that the problem behavior was being maintained by staff attention, the psychologist recommended that the staff ignore Joey’s singing. When the staff ignored Joey’s singing, an extinction burst occurred in which Joey escalated to screaming loudly and running around the room. At that point staff approached Joey and tried to calm him down by talking to him and patting him on the back (attention). As a result, the staff has shaped a more severe problem behavior. 54. Provide an example of how shaping could be used to change a dimension of an existing behavior. ANSWERShaping a new dimension of a behavior occurs when shaping is used to get a person to : gradually engage in more and more exercise until he reaches 40 minutes per day when he is currently exercising only 10 minutes a day. 55. Define shaping. Provide an example. ANSWERShaping is defined as the differential reinforcement of successive approximations of a : target behavior until the target behavior is exhibited by the individual. A doorknob rusts over time and you must put more and more effort into turning it to open the door, thereby shaping the intensity of the behavior.