PSY2606 ABA Lecture 8 Stimulus control

Lecture 8: Stimulus Control: Discrimination & Generalization

Page 2: Stimulus Control

• Definition: The effects of reinforcement, extinction, and punishment are situation-specific.

• Behavior Response:

  • Continues in situations previously reinforced.

  • Stops in situations where it was not reinforced or was punished.

Page 3: Reinforcement

• Behavior Context: Reinforced in specific circumstances when certain antecedents are present.

• Future Likelihood: More likely to occur in the future under similar circumstances.

Page 4: Extinction

• Behavior Response: No longer reinforced during specific circumstances.

• Future Likelihood: Stops occurring in similar circumstances.

Page 5: Punishment

• Behavior Context: Punished under specific circumstances with certain antecedents.

• Future Likelihood: Stops occurring in similar circumstances.

Page 6: A-B-C’s of Operant Behavior

• Three-Term Contingency: Antecedent (A) -> Behavior (B) -> Consequence (C)

  • For discrimination training, consequences (reinforcer or punisher) must be contingent on the behavior's occurrence only in the presence of a specific antecedent stimulus.

  • Notation: SD → R → SR (Reinforcement) and SD → R → SP (Punishment).

Page 7: Examples

• Example with Phone:

  • Phone rings -> Pick it up -> Talk to someone.

  • Phone doesn’t ring -> Pick it up -> No one there.

  • Outcome: More likely to pick up the phone when it rings.

• Example with Storytelling:

  • Telling stories to friends -> Friends laugh.

  • Telling stories to parents -> No laughs, reprimands.

  • Outcome: More likely to tell stories to friends.

Page 8: Definition of Stimulus Control

• Definition: A behavior is under stimulus control when the probability of occurrence increases in presence of a specific antecedent stimulus.

• Traffic Light Example:

  • Red: Stop (avoids accidents/tickets)

  • Green: Go (gets to destination)

Page 9: Stimulus Discrimination Training

• Procedure:

  • Reinforce behavior in presence of one antecedent (SD).

  • Do not reinforce the behavior when other antecedents are present.

Page 10: Stimulus Discrimination Training Details

• SD (Discriminative Stimulus): Present during reinforcement.

• SΔ (S-delta): Present when behavior is not reinforced.

• Outcomes:

  • SD → Behavior → Reinforcer (SR).

  • SΔ → Behavior → Extinction (EXT).

  • Stimulus control results from discrimination training.

Page 11: Stimulus Control Outcomes

• Behavior is more likely to occur in presence of the SD.

• Examples:

  • Say "I love you" to spouse (SD) but not to colleagues (SΔ).

  • Stop at red light (SD) but not at green (SΔ).

  • Pick up phone when it rings (SD), not when silent (SΔ).

Page 12: Generalization

• Definition: Behavior occurs in presence of stimuli similar to the SD.

• Reinforcement leads to behavior also occurring with similar stimuli in the future.

Page 13: Examples of Generalization

• Parent Request Example:

  • Parent makes a request -> Child complies -> Praise.

  • Outcome: Child complies with various requests due to reinforcement.

Page 14: Labeling Example

• Positive Example: Label the example correctly and receive feedback.

  • Outcome: Able to label novel examples correctly after practice.

Page 15: Discrimination Training in Reading

• Example:

  • SD (large dog) -> Child says "dog" -> Receives praise.

  • SΔ (pony/goat) -> Child says "dog" -> No praise, correction.

  • Outcome: Child more likely to correctly identify large dogs.

Page 16: Generalization Training in Reading

• Example: Small dog, medium dog -> Child says "dog" -> Receives praise.

• Outcome: Child more likely to label any dog as a dog.