Psych 282 - Chapter 7 - Stimulus Control, Discrimination and Generalization PDF

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Jeffrey Pisklak ...

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Chapter 7 – Stimulus Control: Discrimination and Generalization Introduction  Antecedents: Stimuli/events that precede an operant response  To understand the modify operant behavior, it is important to analyze the antecedents as well as the consequences Examples of Stimulus Control  Whenever Jake wants extra cash to spend, he asks his mom and she usually gives him money; when he asks his dad, he usually refuses o Result = he asks his mom for money instead of his dad because it was reinforced in the first situation and not reinforced in the second  Stimulus Control: The outcome of stimulus discrimination training o A particular behavior is more likely to occur in the presence of a particular discriminative stimulus (the SD) because the behavior has been reinforced only when the SD was present o The SD has stimulus control over the behavior  Stimulus Class: A group of stimuli that all have the same functional effect on a particular behavior o i.e. Each stimulus in a stimulus class may function as a discriminative stimulus for particular behavior Developing Stimulus Control: Stimulus Discrimination Training  Discriminate Stimulus (SD): The stimulus that is present when a particular behavior is reinforced  Stimulus Discrimination Training: A process in which a behavior is reinforced when the discriminative stimulus SD is present and is extinguished when the S-Delta is present o When the SD is present, the behavior is reinforced o When any other antecedent stimuli except the SD are present, the behavior is not reinforced; during discrimination training, any antecedent stimulus that is present when the behavior is not enforced is called an S-Delta  As a result of discrimination training, a behavior is more likely to occur in the future when the SD is present but is less likely to occur when S-delta is present o SD does NOT cause a behavior to occur, it INCREASES the likelihood that the behavior will occur in the present situation because it was associated with reinforcement of the behavior in the past Three Term Contingency  Three-Term Contingency: The antecedent that is present when the behavior occurs, the behavior, and the reinforcing consequence – also called “contingency of reinforcement” o Involves a relationship among an antecedent stimulus, a behavior, and the consequence of the behavior o SD  R  SR OR SD  R  SP Generalization  Generalization: Takes place when a behavior occurs in the presence of stimuli that are similar in some ways to the SD that was present during stimulus discrimination training o “Generalization is a term which describes the fact that the control acquired by a stimulus is shared by other stimuli with common properties” – Skinner  Generalization Gradient: A graph showing how the strength of response changes with similarity o Steep gradients mean narrow response (stimuli must be very similar) o As stimuli are less and less similar to the SD, the behavior is less likely to occur in the presence of these stimuli Examples of Generalization  Stimulus generalization has also occurred when a response occurs in different circumstances – in a different context, at a different time, or with different people – from those in which it was originally learned o i.e. We can read “MEN”, see the male symbol on a bathroom  Generalization has occurred to all relevant stimuli  Stimulus control can be quite specific, or it can be broad Chapter Summary  An antecedent stimulus is a stimulus that precedes the occurrence of the behavior o An operant behavior is under stimulus control when it is more likely to occur in the presence of a specific antecedent stimulus or a member of specific stimulus class  Stimulus control develops through a process of stimulus discrimination training, in which the behavior is reinforced in the presence of one stimulus (or stimulus class) but is not reinforced when other stimuli are present o The antecedent stimulus that is not reinforced is called an S-Delta o Stimulus discrimination training may occur with reinforcement, punishment, or extinction; therefore, the occurrence or nonoccurrence of a behavior may be under stimulus control o However, it is not the SD that causes a behavior to occur or not occur o Reinforcement, extinction, and punishment are the processes responsible for the occurrence or non-occurrence of a behavior in specific antecedent situations  A three-term contingency involves a discriminative stimulus (SD), a response that occurs in the presence of the SD, and a reinforcing consequence that follows the response in the presence of the SD  When stimulus control is broad or when a behavior occurs in the presence of novel antecedent stimuli that are similar to the initial S D, we say that generalization has occurred o Stimulus control generalizes to a class of stimuli sharing a particular feature or features

Practice Test – Chapter 7 1.

What is an antecedent stimulus? Provide an example.

2.

What does it mean when we that the effects of reinforcement are situation-specific?

3.

What is stimulus control?

4.

Provide an example of stimulus control.

5.

What is an SD? What is S-Delta?

6.

Describe stimulus discrimination training. What is the outcome of stimulus discrimination training?

7.

Provide an example of stimulus discrimination training with reinforcement and an example with punishment.

8.

Does SD cause a behavior to occur? Explain.

9.

What is a three-term contingency? Provide an example.

10. What is stimulus generalization? Provide an example.

11. What is a stimulus class? Provide an example.

12. Provide a situation where stimulus generalization would be desirable. Provide a situation in which generalization would be undesirable....