Devise a shaping plan to teach your dragon a complex
operant behavior. Your shaping plan must include the following components:
- The behavior (trick, skill, etc.) must be a combination of behaviors that requires a series
of steps to achieve. - Your shaping plan should involve at least one secondary reinforcer.
a. If you only want to use one outcome across the whole plan, it will need to be the
same secondary reinforcer. If your plan involves multiple outcomes at different
phases, the other outcomes may be primary or secondary reinforcers. - Your plan must involve at least three distinct phases
a. Each phase must have a clear starting point (what behavior is like at the start of
the phase, and what it should be like at the end of phase).
b. Describe the operant procedure, the behavior, and reinforcement schedule.
c. Identify an observable benchmark you would use to determine if the phase
should be ended.
d. You must use at least two different schedules of reinforcement in your plan. - Include a concluding discussion about the motivation and/or utility of the shaped
behavior.
You are welcome to use information from previous activities to inform what stimuli and
behaviors might be useful for this assignment (but you are not limited to them). You have a lot
of latitude for what trick or skill to teach your dragon, but remember that this assignment (as
with all other assignments) is meant to assess your learning. Make sure you use the concepts
covered in this course accurately and that you thoroughly apply all relevant concepts..
Sample Solution