Stimulus Control Vocabulary Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms related to stimulus control, discrimination, generalization, and prompting procedures.

Stimulus Control

When behavior occurs more often in the presence of a specific stimulus.

Discriminative Stimulus (SD)

Signals reinforcement is available.

S-Delta (SΔ)

Signals reinforcement is not available.

Stimulus Discrimination

Behavior occurs in the presence of one stimulus but not others.

Stimulus Generalization

Behavior occurs across similar stimuli.

Generalization Gradient

Graph showing how behavior changes across similar stimuli.

Concept Formation

Generalization within a class and discrimination between classes.

Feature Stimulus Class

Stimuli share physical features.

Arbitrary Stimulus Class

Stimuli share functional relationships, not physical features.

Conditional Discrimination

Stimulus control depends on another stimulus.

Matching-to-Sample

Select comparison stimulus that matches the sample.

Identity Matching

Match identical stimuli.

Symbolic Matching

Match based on learned relations (e.g., word → picture).

Stimulus Fading

Gradually removing prompts.

Stimulus Shaping

Gradually changing stimulus features.

Errorless Learning

Teaching with minimal errors through strong prompting.

Prompt Dependency

Behavior relies on prompts instead of natural cues.

Transfer of Stimulus Control

Moving control from prompts to natural stimuli.

Overselectivity

Responding to only one part of a stimulus.

Masking

A stimulus has control but is blocked by competing stimuli.

Overshadowing

One stimulus prevents another from gaining control.

Salience

How noticeable a stimulus is.

Stimulus Onset

When a stimulus appears.

Stimulus Offset

When a stimulus disappears.

High-P Stimulus Conditions

Stimuli associated with high-probability responding.

Low-P Stimulus Conditions

Stimuli associated with low-probability responding.