In shaping, once the learner reliably performs a closer approximation to the target behaviour, the trainer should:
AStop reinforcing the earlier and cruder approximation
BKeep reinforcing every approximation already achieved
CReinforce only the finished target behaviour from now
DPunish those approximations that fall short of target
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Stop reinforcing the earlier and cruder approximation
1. Shaping rewards successive approximations of a target behaviour, because an organism will rarely produce the full behaviour spontaneously.
2. Step one reinforces any response that resembles the desired behaviour.
3. Step two reinforces the response that more closely resembles it, and the chapter states explicitly that you will no longer reinforce the previously reinforced response.
4. Steps three and four continue reinforcing ever closer approximations, and only at the last step is the finished behaviour alone reinforced.
5. Reinforcing everything would leave the learner stuck at the crude version, and jumping straight to the target would mean nothing gets reinforced at all.
_Source: OpenStax Psychology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 6 "Learning", §6.3 Operant Conditioning_
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