Which fundamental skill involves criteria setting and recognizing rewardable response, often using prompting, luring, or shaping to obtain the target behavior?

• A. Timing – reward in timely fashion
• B. Criteria setting – recognize rewardable response
• C. Give feedback, not commands
• D. Obtain rewardable response

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is shaping behavior through careful criteria and reinforcement. You define what counts as a rewardable response (the criteria) and you recognize when the animal hits that mark, delivering reinforcement for that moment. To guide the animal toward the target behavior, you use prompts, luring, or shaping to produce the desired response in steps, gradually raising the criterion as performance improves. This approach is why this choice fits best: it centers on deciding when a response qualifies for reinforcement and using prompts or gradual steps to reach the final behavior.

For example, when teaching a dog to touch a target, you might start by rewarding any contact with the target, then require the nose to touch, then to hold for a moment, each time reinforcing only the behavior that meets the current criterion. This illustrates setting the standard and recognizing the exact moment the animal meets it, while prompts help guide the process and cues are faded as the target behavior becomes reliable. The other options touch on timing, feedback style, or simply obtaining a rewardable response, but they don’t capture the essential practice of setting criteria and using shaping or prompting to achieve the target behavior.