8- Stimulus Control and Conditional Discrimination

Question 1

We behave in the context of many different stimuli (e.g., auditory, tactile, olfactory). Yet, our behavior is _________ controlled by these stimuli, under different contexts.

Answer 1

Differentially

Question 2

Describe discriminative stimulus (SD).

Answer 2

Sets the occasion for the reinforcement of operant behavior
- Is a signal (if you do this behavior, then you’ll get a reinforcer)

Question 3

Describe S∆.

Answer 3

• An extinction stimulus
• Tells us that reinforcers will NOT be delivered

Question 4

Name some examples of SD.

Answer 4

a. Attempting to breathe under water will not be reinforced
b. Being alert will help you avoid getting hit with clumps of dirt
c. Standing where the bats aren’t will be negatively reinforced

Question 5

What is discrimination?

Answer 5

Specifying the conditions under which orgs. come to behave one way in the PRESENCE o/ some stimuli, and a different way in presence o/ others

Question 6

What you do, depends on what?

Answer 6

Presence o/ discriminative stimuli
- Can be:
a. Things in the environment (e.g. traffic signals, microwave)
b. What other people do (e.g. waiting to speak when someone is talking to you)

Question 7

Explain “The Dog Catcher” example of stimulus control.

Answer 7

Dog will only eat the treat when any name–other than “dog catcher”— is mentioned
- His behavior is under control o/ name of the person who gave him the treat

Question 8

Explain “Moonwalking Bear” example of stimulus control.

Answer 8

• If you were attempting to complete the instruction (count the passes) o/ the team in white, then you would’ve missed the moonwalking bear
• If you saw it, then you behavior was NOT exclusively under the control of the instruction

Question 9

What do we do if we want to know whether we have “tight” stimulus control?

Answer 9

1. Present SD + S∆
2. SD- says that responding will be reinforced
   - S∆- tells you the response won’t be reinforced

Question 10

If we have tight stimulus control over responding, in which condition would you expect more responding – when the SD is present or the S ∆?

Answer 10

When SD is PRESENT

Question 11

Name some examples of testing for stimulus control. What does this mean?

Answer 11

a. High five
- Acceptable → at picnic
- Not appropriate → funeral
b. Football players: pat on backside
- Acceptable → at football game
- Not appropriate → interview

Question 12

Name some examples of testing for stimulus control. What does this mean?

Answer 12

a. High five
- Acceptable → at picnic
- Not appropriate → funeral
b. Football players: pat on backside
- Acceptable → at football game
- Not appropriate → interview

Conclusion: In other words, it’s not always “ok” to emit these responses. It is only “ok” in certain situations (i.e., under specific conditions).

Question 13

What is a conditional discrimination?

Answer 13

Subject to or dependent upon some other event in environment

Question 14

What is the difference between discrimination and conditional?

Answer 14

Discrimination- specifying the conditions under which organisms come to behave one way in the presence of some stimuli, and a different way in the presence of others
- Telling the DIFF. between 2 situations (when reinforcement will and will not follow)

Conditional- subject to or dependent upon some other event in the environment
- There are features o/ the ENVIRONMENT that tell you what those diffs. are

Question 15

What are conditional discriminations?

Answer 15

Differential response to stimuli that depends on the stimulus context (those for which the role of one stimulus depends on others that provide its context)

Question 16

Give an example of discriminate presence vs absence of a toilet

Answer 16

Discriminate presence- Child learning to use bathroom in presence o/ toilet

Absence of toilet- Toilet in store display
- Making a conditional discrimination means your responding is not just under the control o/ toilet, but also other important features of the environment (PRIVACY)

Question 17

What are the 3 procedures that can be used to establish conditional discriminations?

Answer 17

1. Match to sample
2. Oddity Matching
3. Artbitrary Matching

Question 18

How does “Match to Sample” work?

Answer 18

• It’s a simultaneous conditional discrimination procedure
  1. A sample stimulus is presented
  2. Followed by comparison stimuli
  3. Matching responses are reinforced

Question 19

Errors are typically followed by a repetition of the same samples and comparisons on the next trial. It is not an “_______________ ” procedure.

Answer 19

Error-less

Question 20

Errors prevents the establishment of _______ to key position or color

Answer 20

Bias

Question 21

Explain examples of bias.

Answer 21

1. A right-handed person may be more inclined to make a selection that is “on the right.”
   - “Handedness” bias
2. A bias might emerge because one option is more effortful (more _difficult_______________ than another).
   - “Effortless” bias → lift dumbells for $1
   - “Effort” bias → solve algebra problem for 35 cents
3. A bias might emerge because of a color preference.
   - This would be a “_______Color_________ ” bias
   - “Hand me the yellow Lego” (student selects blue instead because it’s favorite color)

Question 22

If a child exhibits a “side bias” (as in the duck example), we may conclude that the child has ________________ particular skills, when in fact the child has not.

Answer 22

Acquired
- Are we teaching the kid to point to the right?
- Or actually tracking/identifying where the duck is?

Question 23

When should we use random rotation when presenting stimuli in a discrete trial training formate?

Answer 23

Teacher- learning
Kid- not learning

Question 24

How does “Oddity Matching” work?

Answer 24

• It’s a conditional discrimination procedure in which one o/ 3+ stimuli differs from the others in some property
• Responses to the “odd” one are reinforced
• Remember Sesame Street video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueZ6tvqhk8U

Question 25

How does “Arbitrary Matching” work?

Answer 25

• A conditional discrimination procedure in which matches are based on arbitrary relations
• There’s no point-to-point correspondence for the sample and correct stimulus
• Point-to-point correspondence- sample and the correct stimulus are the SAME

Question 26

What is an equivalence class?

Answer 26

A stimulus class produced via matchingto sample procedures, and includes emergent relations among its members
- e.g. Teaching generatively

Question 27

What is an emergent relation?

Answer 27

A relation that is inferred or deduced from existing knowledge o/ other relations

Question 28

What are the components of equivalent class?

Answer 28

1. Reflexivity- same as identity matching
   - Ask whether the subject can select “green” when presented w/ green & red comparisons (Green = Green)
2. Symmetry- reversibility o/ a relation
   - If A = B, then B= A
3. Transitivity- transfer o/ the relation to new combinations through shared membership
   - It is with transitive relations that we seek to identify emergent relations
   - If A = B, and B= C, then A = C

Question 29

The relations that are demonstrated without explicit instruction are ________________

Answer 29

Emergent relations

Question 30

The real benefit of a stimulus equivalence teaching paradigm is that you can ________________ learning with less teaching.

Answer 30

More