An animal trainer is trying to teach a lion to perform tricks for the circus. First the lion is given food if he sits quietly on a chair. Next the lion is given food if he raises one paw. Finally the lion is given food if he gives the trainer a "high-five." In this example, the lion is being trained by ________________.
A) negative reinforcement
B) generalization
C) punishment
D) shaping
Answer: D
Rationale: Shaping is a step-by-step procedure in which a specific operant response is created by reinforcing successive approximations of that response. In this example, the target behavior (the high-five) is conditioned by first reinforcing simpler approximations of the behavior. The trainer in this example used positive reinforcement to shape the lion.
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