Behavioral Psychology: Stimulus Control

Questions and Answers

What is stimulus control?

A term used to describe situations in which a behavior is triggered by the presence or absence of some stimulus.

What is the role of the outcome according to Thorndike?

Satisfying outcomes stamp in the connection between the stimuli and the response.

What controls behavior in instrumental behaviors?

Stimuli with which behaviors are associated.

What is a discriminative stimulus?

A stimulus in the presence of which a particular response will be reinforced. Signup and view all the answers

Provide an example of stimulus control.

Unplugging computers during a thunderstorm. Signup and view all the answers

What does Skinner's ABC refer to?

Antecedents, Behavior, Consequence. Signup and view all the answers

In tripartite contingency, S(d) represents the ________.

discriminative stimulus Signup and view all the answers

What factors are important for stimulus control?

Contiguity, contingency, salience. Signup and view all the answers

What is the purpose of generalization and discrimination in learning?

To transfer a response previously learned in one situation to a new but similar situation. Signup and view all the answers

What does stimulus generalization entail?

The extent to which a behavior transfers to a new stimulus. Signup and view all the answers

How does fear conditioning illustrate stimulus generalization?

A person can develop a fear response to a specific snake type, which may become generalized to all snakes. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Stimulus Control

Defined as the influence of a stimulus on behavior based on its presence or absence.
Example: Eating while watching TV shows how behavior can be controlled by environmental stimuli.
Social settings affect speech, illustrating how context can dictate behavior.

Role of the Outcome

Thorndike's principle: Satisfying outcomes strengthen the link between stimuli and responses.

Precedents in Behavior Control

Instrumental behaviors are influenced by associated stimuli.
Antecedents (events occurring before behavior) are crucial in operant conditioning.
Stimulus control describes behavior regulation by antecedents, not just consequences.

Discriminative Stimulus

A specific stimulus that signals the availability of reinforcement for a particular response.

Practical Example of Stimulus Control

Unplugging electronics during thunderstorms demonstrates behavior alteration in response to potential hazards.

Skinner's ABC: Tripartite Contingency

Relationships in behavior determination:
- Antecedent (S) controls behavior.
- Behavior (R) is the action performed.
- Consequence (S(r)) is the immediate result of the behavior.

Tripartite Contingency Components

S(d) = discriminative stimulus (antecedent)
R = response (behavior)
S(r) = reinforcing stimulus (consequence)

Factors Important for Stimulus Control

Learning-related factors include:
- Contiguity
- Contingency
- Salience
Performance-related factors involve:
- Novelty of behavior
- Generalization and discrimination influences

Generalization and Discrimination

Essential for transferring learned responses to new but similar situations.

Stimulus Generalization

Refers to the transfer of a behavior to new stimuli similar to the original.
Fear responses, such as those associated with snakes, demonstrate this principle.

Fear Conditioning and Generalization

Fear, particularly of snakes, exemplifies classical conditioning.
A child's fear linked to a large snake transfers to similarly shaped, smaller snakes, indicating stimulus generalization in action.
This relationship reduces the need for individual conditioning to every variant of stimulus encountered.

Description

Explore the concept of stimulus control and how certain behaviors are influenced by specific stimuli. This quiz will provide examples and help you understand the significance of this psychological phenomenon. Ideal for students of behavioral psychology.