PSYC 387 sample Questions with Complete
Solutions
What is shaping? Provide and recognize original examples of shaping.
Shaping is the procedure of reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior until the
desired behavior is reached.
What five factors are responsible for the effective use of shaping?
(1) Reinforce small steps. The poor trainer will require too much at once, and after reinforcing
the rat for turning towards the lever, the trainer may wait for the rat to walk over to the lever
before reinforcing them. The good trainer may wait for the rat to take a single step towards the
lever before reinforcing it.
(2) Immediately provide reinforcement. The poor trainer may hesitate to provide
reinforcement for a successive approximation of the desired behaviour, stating, "I wanted to see
if he did more." The good trainer reinforces a successive approximation of a desired behavior the
second it occurs.
(3) Use small reinforcers. The poor trainer will reinforce the subject with large amounts of
food, which takes longer for them to eat, delays learning, and distracts their focus from the
learning. A good trainer will reinforce the subject with a few small pieces of food.
(4) Reinforce the best approximation available. The poor trainer will stick to a shaping plan
no matter what, only reinforcing approximation D when approximations A, B, and C have been
reinforced. The good trainer uses the plan as a rough guide, reinforcing any approximation
towards the goal.
,(5) Back up when necessary. The rat may spend a great deal of time near the lever and then
walk away to explore other parts of the chamber. The poor trainer will wait for something bigger
to happen before providing reinforcement. The good trainer will take a step back and reinforce
an earlier approximation, such as turning in the direction of the lever.
Explain how adults often unwittingly shape undesirable behaviour in children.
A tired parent may give into their child's demands to "shut them up." The next time, the parent
may resist giving into the child's demands, which the child responds to by becoming louder or
crying, and the parent responds to this by giving into the child's demands to avoid causing a
scene. And so on. The parent gradually demands more and more outrageous behavior for
reinforcement (giving into their demands) and the child obliges, eventually having full tantrums.
What is a behaviour chain? Provide and recognize original examples of behaviour chains.
A behavior chain is a connected sequence of behavior. An example from the textbook of a
behavior chain is making a call with a landline phone: you pick up the receiver, listen for a dial
tone, dial a set of numbers, and hold the receiver to your ear. Usually, the segments of a chain
must be completed in a particular order. When using a landline telephone, if you dial the number
before you pick up the receiver, the call will not go through.
What is a chaining procedure? What is the first step?
A chaining procedure is when an animal or human is taught to perform a behavior chain. The
first step of the chaining procedure is to break the behavior chain into its component elements,
which is called task analysis.
, Name two types of chaining procedures. Be able to provide and recognize original examples
of forward and backward chaining. What reinforces each link of a behaviour chain?
(1) forward chaining, in which the trainer starts by reinforcing the performance of the first link in
the behaviour chain. This reinforcement is repeated until the first link in the behaviour chain is
performed with no hesitancy. Then the trainer reinforces the performance of the first two links of
the behaviour chain and continues to reinforce this until the first two links in the behaviour chain
are performed with no hesitancy. And so on and so on. If one of the links in the behaviour chain
does not readily occur, then the trainer can use shaping.
(2) backward chaining, which is considered to be the more effective variation for forward
chaining, and involves the trainer beginning with the last link of the behavior chain and working
backwards to the first link in the behavior chain.
-Each link is reinforced (at least in part) by the opportunity to perform the next step in the chain.
Gathering the ingredients for a sandwhich is reinforced by now being able to place two pieces of
bread on a plate, which is reinforced by being able to spread peanut butter on the bread, and so
on, until the final reinforcer, where we get to eat the sandwhich. This last reinforcer is crucial;
without it, the chain is not likely to be performed.
Define a problem using behavioural terms. Under what conditions do people say that a
problem has been solved by insight?
-A problem can be defined as a situation in which reinforcement is available, but the behavior
necessary to produce it is not. Often, the necessary behavior is not currently in the human or
animal's range of behavior. For example, Thorndike's cat's had to pull a wire loop or step on a
treadle to be released from the puzzle box, but this behavior is not in the average cat's range of
behavior.
Solutions
What is shaping? Provide and recognize original examples of shaping.
Shaping is the procedure of reinforcing successive approximations of a desired behavior until the
desired behavior is reached.
What five factors are responsible for the effective use of shaping?
(1) Reinforce small steps. The poor trainer will require too much at once, and after reinforcing
the rat for turning towards the lever, the trainer may wait for the rat to walk over to the lever
before reinforcing them. The good trainer may wait for the rat to take a single step towards the
lever before reinforcing it.
(2) Immediately provide reinforcement. The poor trainer may hesitate to provide
reinforcement for a successive approximation of the desired behaviour, stating, "I wanted to see
if he did more." The good trainer reinforces a successive approximation of a desired behavior the
second it occurs.
(3) Use small reinforcers. The poor trainer will reinforce the subject with large amounts of
food, which takes longer for them to eat, delays learning, and distracts their focus from the
learning. A good trainer will reinforce the subject with a few small pieces of food.
(4) Reinforce the best approximation available. The poor trainer will stick to a shaping plan
no matter what, only reinforcing approximation D when approximations A, B, and C have been
reinforced. The good trainer uses the plan as a rough guide, reinforcing any approximation
towards the goal.
,(5) Back up when necessary. The rat may spend a great deal of time near the lever and then
walk away to explore other parts of the chamber. The poor trainer will wait for something bigger
to happen before providing reinforcement. The good trainer will take a step back and reinforce
an earlier approximation, such as turning in the direction of the lever.
Explain how adults often unwittingly shape undesirable behaviour in children.
A tired parent may give into their child's demands to "shut them up." The next time, the parent
may resist giving into the child's demands, which the child responds to by becoming louder or
crying, and the parent responds to this by giving into the child's demands to avoid causing a
scene. And so on. The parent gradually demands more and more outrageous behavior for
reinforcement (giving into their demands) and the child obliges, eventually having full tantrums.
What is a behaviour chain? Provide and recognize original examples of behaviour chains.
A behavior chain is a connected sequence of behavior. An example from the textbook of a
behavior chain is making a call with a landline phone: you pick up the receiver, listen for a dial
tone, dial a set of numbers, and hold the receiver to your ear. Usually, the segments of a chain
must be completed in a particular order. When using a landline telephone, if you dial the number
before you pick up the receiver, the call will not go through.
What is a chaining procedure? What is the first step?
A chaining procedure is when an animal or human is taught to perform a behavior chain. The
first step of the chaining procedure is to break the behavior chain into its component elements,
which is called task analysis.
, Name two types of chaining procedures. Be able to provide and recognize original examples
of forward and backward chaining. What reinforces each link of a behaviour chain?
(1) forward chaining, in which the trainer starts by reinforcing the performance of the first link in
the behaviour chain. This reinforcement is repeated until the first link in the behaviour chain is
performed with no hesitancy. Then the trainer reinforces the performance of the first two links of
the behaviour chain and continues to reinforce this until the first two links in the behaviour chain
are performed with no hesitancy. And so on and so on. If one of the links in the behaviour chain
does not readily occur, then the trainer can use shaping.
(2) backward chaining, which is considered to be the more effective variation for forward
chaining, and involves the trainer beginning with the last link of the behavior chain and working
backwards to the first link in the behavior chain.
-Each link is reinforced (at least in part) by the opportunity to perform the next step in the chain.
Gathering the ingredients for a sandwhich is reinforced by now being able to place two pieces of
bread on a plate, which is reinforced by being able to spread peanut butter on the bread, and so
on, until the final reinforcer, where we get to eat the sandwhich. This last reinforcer is crucial;
without it, the chain is not likely to be performed.
Define a problem using behavioural terms. Under what conditions do people say that a
problem has been solved by insight?
-A problem can be defined as a situation in which reinforcement is available, but the behavior
necessary to produce it is not. Often, the necessary behavior is not currently in the human or
animal's range of behavior. For example, Thorndike's cat's had to pull a wire loop or step on a
treadle to be released from the puzzle box, but this behavior is not in the average cat's range of
behavior.
