Doing the Right Thing at the Right Time and Place: Stimulus Discrimination and Generalization

1. Doing the Right Thing at the Right Time and Place: Stimulus Discrimination and Generalization Chapter 8

2. Stimulus Discrimination Learning and Stimulus Control • How do we learn to perform certain behaviors at certain times but not others? • Always cues around when behavior is reinforced or extinguished • Situations in which behaviors occur analyzed in terms of: • Antecedent Stimuli – stimuli that exist just prior to behavior • Behavior • Consequences

3. Stimulus Discrimination Learning and Stimulus Control • Stimulus Control • Degree of correlation between a stimulus and subsequent response • Good or Effective stimulus control • High correlation • Stimulus Discrimination • Process by which we learn to emit a specific behavior in the presence of some stimuli and not in the presence of other stimuli • Stimulus Discrimination Training • Process of teaching stimulus discrimination • Controlling Stimuli • Reinforcement in the presence of specific stimuli or extinction in the presence of different stimuli

4. Types of Controlling Stimuli • SD – Discriminative Stimulus for Reinforcement • Response has been reinforced only in the presence of a particular stimulus • Cue that a particular response will pay off • S - Discriminative Stimulus for Extinction • Response has been extinguished only in the presence of a particular stimulus • Cue that a particular response will not pay off • A stimulus may be simultaneously an SD for one response and an S for another

5. Stimulus Generalization • Responding the same way to two different stimuli • Opposite of stimulus discrimination • Unlearned Stimulus Generalization due to Considerable Physical Similarity • Likely to perform a behavior in a new situation if that situation is similar to situation when behavior was learned

6. Stimulus Generalization • Learned Stimulus Generalization Involving Minimal Physical Similarity • Have to learn the stimulus class, or concept • Stimulus common-element class • Set of stimuli, all of which have some physical characteristic in common • Conceptual behavior – emitting appropriate behavior to all members of a stimulus common-element class, but not those that don’t belong

7. Stimulus Generalization • Learned Stimulus Generalization due to Stimulus Equivalence Class • Stimulus Equivalence Class • set of completely dissimilar stimuli in which all members of the class control the same response

8. Effectiveness of Stimulus Discrimination Training • Choose distinct signals • Minimize opportunities for error • Maximize the number of trials • Need multiple trials to learn the behavior • Make use of rules: describe the contingencies • Rules can speed up learning

9. Pitfalls • Can be misapplied • May inadvertently teach others to respond inappropriately to particular cues

10. Guidelines for Effective Stimulus Discrimination Training • Choose distinct goals • Select an appropriate reinforcer • Develop the discrimination • Arrange for several reinforced responses in the presence of the SD • When the S is presented, make the change from the SD very obvious and follow the rules for extinction for the behavior of concern • Wean the individual from the program • Plan natural reinforcers • Plan periodic assessments of behavior to make sure it is occasionally being reinforced and that the desired frequency of the behavior is being maintained in the presence of the SD