When shaping a roommate's tidiness, what is the appropriate next step to increase the likelihood of success?

• A. Should proceed in more gradual steps to increase the likelihood of her roommate's success.
• B. Should immediately reinforce only when laundry is perfectly sorted every time.
• C. Should reinforce randomly without criteria.
• D. Should punish noncompliance.

Answer: (A)

Shaping involves reinforcing small, achievable steps toward the desired behavior and then gradually raising the standard. The appropriate next step is to break tidiness into incremental actions and reinforce each step as it happens, moving the criterion upward over time. This builds momentum, makes progress clear, and keeps motivation high. If you waited for perfect laundry sorting every time, or reinforced without clear criteria, progress would stall or be inconsistent, and punishment would be counterproductive. By starting with a doable first step and systematically increasing what's required, the likelihood of lasting change increases.