Final answer:
The statement that shaping involves rewarding successive approximations toward a target behavior is true. Shaping is a fundamental concept in operant conditioning used to teach complex behaviors by reinforcing steps that increasingly resemble the desired behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
The process of shaping involves rewarding the organism for successfully completing successive approximations of the desired goal. This statement is true. Shaping is a technique used in operant conditioning, which is based on the work of B. F. Skinner, to teach new behaviors. It is necessary because it's highly unlikely that an organism will spontaneously perform complex behaviors without prior learning. Shaping is a step-by-step process where initially any response that vaguely resembles the desired behavior is rewarded. As the organism gets closer to the desired behavior, only responses that more closely resemble the target behavior are reinforced. Ultimately, only the desired behavior itself is reinforced. This technique is not only effective in animal training but is also applied to human behavior, such as teaching children to clean their rooms or incentivizing students to read by rewarding them for each book read and comprehended.