TOEFL Speaking Task 3

The concept of 'behavioral shaping' refers to the gradual process of teaching a new behavior by reinforcing successive approximations of the desired behavior. In operant conditioning, shaping is used when a target behavior is too complex or unlikely to occur spontaneously. Instead of waiting for the full behavior, trainers or teachers reward small steps that move closer to the final goal. This method is effective because it breaks down a large task into manageable steps, and each reinforced step increases the likelihood that the next step will occur. Shaping is widely applied in animal training, education, and even therapy.

Professor: Let me give you an example from animal training. Imagine a dolphin trainer wants to teach a dolphin to jump through a hoop that is high above the water. The dolphin doesn’t naturally jump that high on command. So the trainer starts by rewarding the dolphin for simply swimming near the hoop, which is placed underwater. Once the dolphin does that consistently, the trainer raises the hoop slightly and rewards only when the dolphin swims through it. Then the trainer raises the hoop a little more, and rewards the dolphin for touching the hoop with its nose. Step by step, the trainer raises the hoop higher, always rewarding behaviors that are closer to the final jump. Eventually, the dolphin learns to leap fully out of the water and through the hoop, even when it’s several meters above the surface. The trainer never waited for the full jump; instead, each small success built on the previous one.