Question

Travis is teaching a lion to jump through a burning hoop for the circus. First he feeds the lion whenever it approaches the unlit hoop. Then he feeds it only if the lion jumps though the unlit hoop. And finally, the lion only gets food if he jumps through the burning hoop. Sounds like Travis is using _____.

Answer 1

Travis is using operant conditioning, specifically a technique called shaping, to train the lion to jump through hoops by gradually increasing the difficulty of tasks and providing rewards.

Step-by-step explanation:

It sounds like Travis is using operant conditioning, which is a method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior. Through operant conditioning, an association is made between a behavior and a consequence for that behavior. Travis used a step-by-step approach known as shaping. By providing food to the lion for progressively harder tasks, first for approaching the hoop, then for jumping through the unlit hoop, and finally only for jumping through the burning hoop, Travis reinforced the behavior he wanted. This method, pioneered by psychologist B.F. Skinner, is commonly used to train animals by reinforcing desired behaviors with positive stimuli.