Question

You are giving tennis lessons to a beginning tennis player. Describe how you would teach the proper tennis swing through shaping. Specify:
a.    A reasonable end result toward which you would work
b.    A reinforcer you might use
c.    The specific steps you would take during shaping
d.    When you would use continuous reinforcement
e.    When you would use intermittent reinforcement

Answer 1

a. The end result to be looked for will be a specific tennis swing in the appropriate manner which he will be able to exhibit by himself without instructions.

b. Praise regarding his swing will be the main reinforcer.

c. Firstly, I will teach him the proper technique and then will ask him to observe me and then will make him shadow practice it for sometime - when he will show correct swinging in shadow practice he will be praised - He will be then be thrown balls to practice with - proper swings and shots will be praised. The praising will primarily be for every swing which resembles the best swing and gradually will be for only those swings which really good.

d. Continuous reinforcement will be used at the starting of the shaping sequence when he is just learning the swing.

e. Intermittent reinforcement will be used after he has got some continuous reinforcements and have learned to swing to some extent. This intermittent reinforcement will help him in improving and learning the best swings.