With fading, behavior is changed by gradually changing the antecedent stimulus. With shaping, behavior is changed by gradually changing the response requirement. True or false?

• A. False
• B. It depends on the context
• C. Shaping involves changing the antecedent
• D. True

Answer: (D)

Both fading and shaping are gradual, targeted ways to increase the likelihood of a desired behavior, but they work through different levers. Fading changes the antecedent stimulus or prompts used to evoke the behavior, step by step reducing guidance so the behavior occurs with less support in the natural environment. Shaping changes the response requirement, reinforcing successive approximations toward the final target behavior.

This makes the statement true. For example, with fading you might start with a strong cue or prompt and steadily remove it so the person performs the behavior in response to the actual stimulus alone. With shaping you reward small, correct steps toward a more complex behavior, increasing the criteria each time to move closer to the end goal. Both are about gradual, systematic change, just through different avenues.