Question

Brian has been teaching his son to shoot a basketball correctly. Initially, Brian lowered the backboard and used a smaller ball to increase the chances his son would shoot the ball correctly. Once his son begins having success, Brian begins to raise the backboard and use a larger ball. This is an example of _____.

A) Shaping

B) Fading

C) Chaining

D) Prompting

Answer 1

The example given is an example of shaping in operant conditioning, where a behavior is taught by rewarding successive approximations of the target behavior.

Step-by-step explanation:

The example given in the question is an example of shaping. Shaping is a technique used in operant conditioning to teach complex behaviors by rewarding successive approximations of the target behavior. In this case, Brian lowered the backboard and used a smaller ball to increase the chances of his son shooting the ball correctly. Once his son had success, Brian gradually raised the backboard and used a larger ball, shaping his son's basketball shooting skills.