Stimulus Control

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Chapter 7

• Stimulus Control

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Stimulus Control

• The effects of reinforcement, extinction, and
  punishment are situation specific

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Reinforcement

• Behavior is reinforced in specific circumstances
  (when specific antecedents are present)
• Behavior is more likely to occur in the future in
  similar circumstances (when similar antecedents
  are present)

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Extinction

• Behavior is no longer reinforced when it occurs
  in specific circumstances (when specific
  antecedents are present)
• Behavior stops occurring in the future in similar
  circumstances

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Punishment

• Behavior is punished in specific circumstances
  (when specific antecedents are present)
• Behavior stops occurring in the future in similar
  circumstances

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A-B-Cs of Operant Behavior

• Antecedent --gt Behavior --gt Consequence
• Contingency of reinforcement
• Three term contingency

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Examples

• A -------------------------gt B
  -------------------gt C
• Phone rings Pick it up
  Talk to someone
• Phone doesnt ring Pick it up No
  one there
• Outcome You are more likely to pick up the phone
  when it rings but not when its not
  ringing.
• A -----------------------gt B -------------------
  -gt C
• With friends tell stories
  friends laugh
• With parents tell stories
  no laughs,
• 
  reprimands
• Outcome You are more likely to tell stories to
  friends but not to parents.

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Stimulus Discrimination Training

• Reinforce the behavior in the presence of one
  antecedent (SD)
• Do not reinforce the behavior in the presence of
  other antecedents.

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• SD discriminative stimulus
• The SD is the antecedent stimulus that is present
  when the behavior is reinforced
• S? S-delta
• The S? is the antecedent stimulus that is present
  when the behavior is not reinforced
• SD ----gt Behavior ----gt Reinforcer (SR)
• S? ----gt Behavior ----gt Extinction (EXT)
• Outcome In the future, the behavior is more
  likely to occur when the SD is present
• Stimulus control is the outcome of stimulus
  discrimination training

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Stimulus Control

• The behavior is more likely to occur in the
  presence of the SD

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Generalization

• Behavior occurs in the presence of stimuli that
  are similar in some way to the SD
• Because the behavior was reinforced in the
  presence of the SD, in the future, the behavior
  also occurs in the presence of similar stimuli.

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• SD----------------gt R --------------gt SR
• Parent makes Child complies Praise
• request
• Repeat with many different requests
• Outcome Compliance to parent requests is
  reinforced and, as a result, the child complies
  with novel requests.

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• SD -------------gt R ---------------gt SR
• Example of Label the example Positive
• extinction correctly
  feedback
• Repeat with different examples
• Outcome Can now label novel examples correctly

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Discrimination Training

• SD --------------------gt R ----------------------
  -gt SR
• large dog child says dog
  praise
• S? --------------------gt R ---------------------
  ---gt Ext
• a pony child says dog no
  praise, correction
• a goat child says dog
  no praise, correction
• 
  
• Outcome Child more likely to call a large dog a
  dog and less likely to call other animals
  dogs

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Generalization Training

• SD -------------? R ---------------gt SR
• Large dog, child says dog
  praise
• small dog,
• medium dog,
• etc.
• Outcome Child is more likely to label any
  dog she sees as a dog

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• Discrimination
• The behavior occurs in the presence of a
  particular stimulus (the SD)
• Generalization
• The behavior occurs in the presence of similar
  stimuli (similar to the SD)