ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how shaping involves successive applications of the principles of reinforcement and extinction. It identifies five dimensions of behavior along which shaping can occur. The chapter describes four factors that influence the effectiveness of shaping as a behavior modification technique. Shaping can be defined as the development of a new operant behavior by the reinforcement of successive approximations of that behavior and extinction of earlier approximations of that behavior until the new behavior occurs. The first stage in shaping is to identify clearly the final target behavior. Because the final target behavior does not occur initially and because it is necessary to reinforce some behavior that approximates it, one must identify a starting behavior. Many undesirable behaviors commonly seen in children with special needs are often products of the inadvertent application of shaping. It is possible that these behaviors can be eliminated by a combination of operant extinction of the undesirable behavior and positive reinforcement of desirable behavior.
