2022 Volume 65 Issue 1 Pages 1-19
Since the 1940s, response shaping, also called “shaping of a new operant response,” has been a central issue in behavior analysis. However, most studies have been reports on the artistic practice of response shaping, and limited experimental analysis has been conducted on its control variables. The purpose of this study was to summarize the current status of the scientific research on response shaping and to explore its future prospects. After defining it and summarizing its historical background, studies were reviewed on its success or failure and the experimental analysis of its control variables. Three directions were suggested for the future: standardization of the experimental methods, introduction of an automatic measurement technology of response topography, and a steady experimental analysis of its control variables. The conceptual significance of response shaping is discussed with regard to its current position in modern psychology.
