Chapter 17 - Stimulus Control Flashcards
antecedent stimulus class
A set of stimuli that share a common relationship. All stimuli in an ___ ___ ___ evoke the same operant behavior, or elicit the same respondent behavior.
arbitrary stimulus class
Antecedent stimuli that evoke the same response but do not resemble each other in physical form or share a relational aspect such as bigger or under (e.g. peanuts, cheese, coconut milk, and chicken breasts are members of an arbitrary stimulus class if they evoke the response “sources of protein”)
concept
A stimulus class whose members share a set of common features.
conditional discrimination
Performance in a match-to-sample procedure in which discrimination between the comparison stimuli is conditional on, or depends on, the sample stimulus present on each trial.
constant time delay
A procedure for transferring stimulus control from contrived response prompts to naturally existing stimuli. After the student has responded correctly to several 0-sec delay trials, after which the presentation of the response prompt follows the instructional stimulus by a predetermined and fixed delay (usually 3 to 4 seconds) for all subsequent trials.
errorless learning
A variety of techniques for gradually transferring stimulus control with a minimum of errors
feature stimulus class
Stimuli that share common physical forms or structures (e.g. made from wood, four legs, round, blue) or common relative relationships (e.g. bigger than, hotter than, higher than, next to).
least-to-most response prompts
A technique of transferring stimulus control in which the practitioner gives the participant an opportunity to performs the response with the least amount of assistance on each trial.
The participant receives greater degrees of assistance on each trial. The participant receives greater degrees of assistance with each successive trial without a correct response. The procedure for _______ ______ requires the participant to make a correct response within a set time limit (e.g. 3 seconds) from the presentation of the natural SD. If the response does not occur within the specified time, the applied behavior analyst presents the natural SD and a response prompt of least assistance, such as a verbal prompt. If after the same specified time limit tbe participant does not make a correct response, the analyst gives the natural SD and another response prompt, such as a gesture. The participant receives partial or full physical guidance if the less intrusive prompt does not evoke a correct response.
matching-to-sample
A discrete trial procedure for investigating conditional relations and stimulus equivalence. A matching-to-sample trial begins with the participant making a response that presents or reveals the sample stimulus; next, the sample stimulus may or may not be removed, and two or more comparison stimuli are presented. The participant then selects one of the comparison stimuli. Responses that select a comparison stimulus that matches the sample stimulus are reinforced; no reinforcement is provided for responses selecting the nonmatching comparison stimuli.
most-to-least response prompts
A technique transferring stimulus control in which the practitioner physically guides the participant through the entire performance sequence, and then gradually reduces the level of assistance in successive trials. Customarily, least to most prompting transitions from physical guidance to visual prompts to verbal instructions, and finally to the natural stimulus without prompts.
overselective stimulus control
A condition in which the range of discriminative stimuli, or stimulus features controlling behavior, is extremely limited; often inetrferes with learning.
overshadowing
Occurs when the most salient component of a compound stimulus arrangement controls responding and interferes with the acquisition of stimulus control by the more relevant stimulus.
progressive time delay
A procedure for transferring stimulus control from contrived response prompts to naturally existing stimuli that starts with simultaneous presentation of the natural stimulus and the response prompt (i.e., 0-sec delay). The number of 0-sec trials depends on the task difficulty and the functioning level of the participant. Following the simultaneous presentations, the time delay is gradually and systematically extended.
response prompts
Prompts that operate directly on the response to cue a correct response. The three major forms of response prompts are verbal instructions, modeling, and physical guidance.
stimulus blocking
Occurs when a competing stimulus blocks the evocative function of a stimulus that has acquired stimulus control over the behavior. (sometimes called masking) Stimulus blocking can be mitigated by rearranging the physical environment, making instructional stimuli appropriately intense, and consistently reinforcing behavior in the presence of the instructionally relevant discriminative stimuli.
stimulus delta
A stimulus in the presence of which a given behavior has not produced reinforcement, or has produced reinforcement of lesser quality, in the past.
stimulus discrimination
When one stimulus (the SD) signals the availability of reinforcement and the absence of that stimulus (the Sdelta) signals a zero or reduced chance of reinforcement, responses will occur more often in the presence of the SD than in its absence (Sdelta)
stimulus discrimination training
The conventional procedures requires one behavior and two antecedent stimulus conditions. Responses are reinforced in the presence of one stimulus conditions, the SD, but not in the presence of the other stimulus (Sdelta)
