A parent first reinforces their toddler for saying "ma." later, the parent stops reinforcing "ma" and only reinforces "mama." then, the parent moves to only reinforcing "mommy." this is an example of:

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Social Studies

Mark Marsh

19 October, 22:43

A parent first reinforces their toddler for saying "ma." later, the parent stops reinforcing "ma" and only reinforces "mama." then, the parent moves to only reinforcing "mommy." this is an example of:

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Brittany Hayes · Answer 1

The correct answer is shaping.

According to the behavioral theory of operant conditioning in psychology, shaping refers to the process in which successive behaviors close to a target behavior are positively reinforced. In this way, the desired behavior is ultimately achieved. In this example, when a parent positively reinforces their toddler's attempts to eventually say the word "mommy", the parent is using shaping to do so.