AAMC Psychological, Social, and Biological Foundations of Behavior (PS) Full-Length (FL) 4 Practice Test

The concept that describes the gradual reinforcement of successive approximations to achieve a desired behavior is known as shaping. Shaping involves breaking down a complex behavior into smaller, achievable parts and rewarding those parts as they are learned. This technique allows an individual to gradually learn a desired behavior through positive reinforcement of closer and closer approximations to the final goal.

For example, if the goal is to teach a dog to roll over, initially, the dog might be rewarded for simply lying down. Then, as the training progresses, the dog may be rewarded for moving onto its side, and finally for completing the roll. This stepwise reinforcement is essential in shaping behavior, making it a powerful tool in behavioral psychology.

The other options present important concepts in psychology but do not specifically define the gradual reinforcement process as described in the question. Conditioning refers more broadly to the process of learning associations between stimuli and responses. Reinforcement is a key component of both conditioning and shaping, as it serves to increase the likelihood of a behavior being repeated, but it does not refer specifically to the method of gradual reinforcements of successive approximations. Modelling involves learning through the observation of others rather than through gradual reinforcement of behavior.