C2 — Conditioned Reinforcers & C3 — Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT)

Unconditioned Reinforcer

A reinforcer that is effective without prior learning (e.g.

Conditioned Reinforcer

A reinforcer that becomes effective through pairing with other reinforcers.

Pairing

Repeatedly presenting a neutral stimulus with a known reinforcer until the neutral stimulus becomes reinforcing.

Generalized Conditioned Reinforcer

A conditioned reinforcer that is paired with many backup reinforcers (e.g.

Backup Reinforcer

The item or activity that tokens or points can be exchanged for.

Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT)

A structured teaching method using repeated

SD (Discriminative Stimulus)

The instruction or cue that signals reinforcement is available for a specific response.

Response

The behavior the learner does after the SD.

Consequence

What happens after the response (reinforcement or error correction).

Inter‑Trial Interval (ITI)

The brief pause between trials

Mass Trials

Presenting the same SD repeatedly across consecutive trials.

Distractor Trials

Presenting the same SD with unknown distractor items.

Mixed Trials

Presenting different SDs across trials.

Random Rotation

Rotating SDs among known items so the learner must discriminate.

Error Correction

The procedure used after an incorrect response before re‑presenting the SD.

Maintenance

Periodically testing mastered skills to ensure they are retained.