Differential Reinforcement and Shaping: Supporting Skill Development

Differential reinforcement and shaping are foundational behavior-analytic strategies used to build new skills by reinforcing successive improvements toward a target behavior.

Rather than waiting for a learner to demonstrate a complete skill independently, shaping reinforces smaller steps that move performance closer to the desired outcome.

Effective use of differential reinforcement demonstrates clinical judgment, timing, and consistency—skills that develop through practice and feedback, not checklists.