Final answer:
The question involves Operant Conditioning in Psychology where behaviors are modified through reinforcement and shaping while controlling for extraneous variables using sound experimental design. Reinforcement schedules and shaping procedures are crucial for learning and behavior modification.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to the concept of Operant Conditioning, a type of learning where behavior is controlled by consequences. Key processes involved include shaping, where successive approximations of a desired behavior are reinforced; extinction, when a conditioned response decreases because the unconditioned stimulus is no longer paired with the conditioned stimulus; and spontaneous recovery, where a previously extinguished response can reappear. In designing experiments to study these phenomena, it is critical to control for lurking variables by using random assignment and ensure the experimental design includes proper controls. This ensures that the explanatory variable is isolated and any differences between treatment groups can be attributed to that variable, demonstrating a cause-and-effect relationship.
- Reinforce any response that resembles the desired behavior.
- Then reinforce the response that more closely resembles the desired behavior, and stop reinforcing the previously reinforced response.
- Continue this process, reinforcing closer approximations until only the desired behavior is reinforced.
Such an approach differs from continuous reinforcement, where every occurrence of a behavior is rewarded, and fixed ratio reinforcement schedule, where reinforcement is delivered after a predictable number of responses. Proper experimental design and understanding of reinforcement schedules are essential for effectively studying and shaping behavior within an Operant Conditioning framework.