Autoshaping involves the animal learning to perform a response to a conditioned stimulus without any explicit prompting.

• A. Autoshaping
• B. Extinction
• C. Proofing
• D. Counterconditioning

Answer: (A)

Autoshaping is when the animal learns to perform a behavior in response to a conditioned stimulus, even though no one cues the action. By pairing the cue with reinforcement, the cue itself becomes a signal that the reward is coming, so the animal starts performing the behavior as soon as the cue appears. This automatic response to the cue, without explicit prompting, is what defines autoshaping.

Extinction involves the decline of a learned response when reinforcement is removed, not the emergence of a response to a cue. Proofing is about maintaining or shaping a behavior across different contexts, not about learning a new cue-driven response. Counterconditioning changes one emotional or behavioral reaction to a stimulus by pairing it with something more positive, rather than teaching a cue-driven action.