If instruction uses prompts along a gradient and fades them as the learner's accuracy improves, this best exemplifies which concept?

• A. Prompt Hierarchy
• B. Behavioral Reduction
• C. Environmental Enrichment
• D. Noncontingent Reinforcement

Answer: (A)

Prompts used along a gradient and faded as accuracy improves show the teacher’s strategy of guiding a learner through a skill while gradually removing support. This relies on a prompt hierarchy, which is the structured set of prompts arranged from most to least intrusive. You start with enough assistance to ensure a correct response, then systematically fade prompts as the learner gains accuracy, promoting independence. This approach keeps responses correct while reducing reliance on prompts over time, shaping the ability to perform the skill with minimal help.

Other concepts don’t fit because they’re about different practices: changing how often or why reinforcement is given to modify behavior, enriching the environment for more engagement, or giving reinforcement on a time-based schedule regardless of what the learner does.