The Importance Of Shaping

Shaping is the procedure by which reinforcers guide behavior to the desired behavior through successive approximations. In other words, behavior is rewarded every time the behavior gets closer and closer to the desired behavior. For example, to teach a cat to close an open door, it would have to be rewarded when it turns to the door, takes a step towards the door, comes within a couple inches of the door, puts its paw on the door, and pushes the door shut. After moving a step up in this process, the previous behaviors, which were once rewarded, should not be rewarded any more to ensure concentration on the ultimate goal.
A discriminative stimulus is a stimulus that provides a signal that a certain behavior will be reinforced. It guides a behavior to be performed through eliciting a response after associating with a reinforcer.
To shape my behavior, if I do well on a particularly difficult test, i.e. my Calculus final, my parents will usually take me out to get ice cream or frozen yogurt, two items I enjoy consuming, which reinforce my behavior.
Money is to food as a primary reinforcer is to a conditioned reinforcer. (Money is to food as good grades is to personal achievement.)
A primary reinforcer is a reinforcer that acts on our predispositions. It is a naturally reinforcing stimulus, usually

We can apply it to child rearing, as children often learn through imitating their parents, and if their parents do not have good habits, then they are likely to develop the habits themselves. Also, children learn through the consequences of the behavior of others. For example, if an older sibling’s behavior of studying for a spelling test is rewarded with a slice of cake, then the younger child will be likely to repeat the behavior for the same reward. If an older child accidentally touched the stove and cried in pain, the younger child knows not to make the same