Final answer:
The term for rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior is shaping, which is used in operant conditioning to reinforce behaviors that gradually approach the target behavior.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term that refers to rewarding successive approximations of a desired behavior is shaping. In the context of operant conditioning, pioneered by psychologist B.F. Skinner, shaping is essential because it increases the likelihood of the organism displaying the complex target behavior by reinforcing closer and closer approximations to that behavior. This is why shaping is a critical technique used in animal training and conditioning, allowing behaviors to be modified through reinforcement. Shaping rewards behaviors that are incrementally closer to the desired behavior, such as a dolphin learning to perform a flip upon hearing a whistle after being rewarded with fish.
In operant conditioning, the behavior is followed by a consequence, which can be a reinforcer or a punisher, with the goal to strengthen (reinforcement) or weaken (punishment) the behavior. Positive reinforcement is adding something to increase a behavior, whereas negative reinforcement is removing something to similarly increase a behavior. Shaping utilizes positive reinforcement to gradually lead to the desired behavior.