Which term describes a change produced by differential reinforcement of members of the current response class, resulting in a new class?

• A. SHAPING
• B. RULE GOVERNED BEHAVIOR
• C. RESPONSE DIFFERENTIATION
• D. SPONTANEOUS RECOVERY

Answer: (C)

Response differentiation occurs when you reinforce only certain members of the current response class and withhold reinforcement for others. This selective reinforcement changes which forms are maintained, creating a new, more restricted class of responses that are reinforced. For example, if a learner already emits a variety of similar hand movements to open a door, but you reinforce only the movements that resemble a specific, more efficient grip and do not reinforce the others, the repertoire shifts toward that reinforced form, producing a new class defined by those reinforced movements. This is different from shaping, which builds toward a terminal target by reinforcing closer and closer approximations and often broadens the repertoire toward that goal. Rule-governed behavior is about behavior controlled by verbal or written rules rather than differential reinforcement of members within a current class, and spontaneous recovery is the return of a previously extinguished response after time has passed. So the process described is response differentiation.