PSYC 356 Lecture Notes - Lecture 15: Alcoholic Drink, Jell-O, Kenneth Spence
PSYC 356 Chapter 8: Stimulus Control of Behavior
Stimulus Control:
●Identification and Measurement
●Influencing Factors
●Elemental vs. Configural Cues
●Learning Factors
Background:
●Thorndike and Skinner agreed that reinforcers occur in the presence of particular
stimuli
●These stimuli could be:
○Features: Loud Tone versus Soft Tone
○Events: Light On versus Light Off
○Environment: Home Cage versus Skinner Box
●Thus, behavior is shaped by STIMULUS CONTROL
●Examples of Stimulus Control:
○Alcohol Consumption
■New girlfriend’s grandma’s house vs Belmar
○Undressing
■At apartment bedroom vs LH2
○TV Watching
■Staring at a TV that is ON vs OFF
Identification and Measurement:
Reynolds (1961): Compound Stimulus
●Subjects: 2 pigeons (#107, #105)
●Training:
○Trained on VI2
○Reinforced pecking of compound stimulus
●Test:
○Presented triangle or circle separately
WHAT HAPPENS?
●Pigeon 107 responds to the red circle
●Pigeon 105 responds to the white triangle
●Stimulus discrimination: Differential responding to 2 or more stimuli
○Stimuli can be distinct
■Color (wavelength-nm)
■Sound (Frequency-cps)
○Stimuli can be shared:
○Cheesy and/ or Meaty
○Meaty and/or Spicy
●Stimulus generalization- responding in a similar fashion to 2 or more stimuli
Stimulus Generalization- Stimulation Discrimination
Guttman and Kalish, 1956:
●Training:
○Pigeons reinforced on VI schedule
○Pecked a yellow/ orange light (580 nm)
●Test
○Presented with various colors at random (520-630 nm)
Stimulus- Response Gradient:
Gradient of responding depends on how
similar stimuli are to the training stimulus
Gradient in Color Blind Pigeon:
Pigeon is unable to discriminate between
wavelength and responds to any light
Stimulus Generalization in the Clinic:
●Essential to success in therapy
●What is learned during treatment must generalize to the outside world
●Through training:
○Reinforcement becomes intermittent
○Sequential steps to new environments
○Numerous examples are employed
What determines which features of a stimulus gain control over behavior?
Sights?
Sounds?
Smells?
1. Sensory Capacity:
●Must be in sensory range
○Unique to species
■Ultrasonic vocalization
○Unique to individuals
■Tasting brussel sprouts
●Stimuli must come in contact with the subject
Ex. Mobiles are often designed for adults not the infants
2. Presence of Other Cues:
●Overshadowing: the strength of one stimulus interferes with the
conditioning of the target stimulus
●Example:
○Big pictures > words
○Perfume > visual cues
3. Types of Reinforcement:
Foree and LoLordo, 1973:
●Subjects: pigeons
●Training:
○Group 1:
Step on treadle in presence of (Light + Tone) to receive
food
○Group 2:
Step on treadle in presence of (Light + Tone) to avoid
shock
●Tests:
○Light + Tone
○Light alone
○Tone alone
●Results:
○Pigeons trained with food respond to Light
■(Vision
—————Food System
)
○Pigeons trained with shock respond to Tone
■(Audition
————Defense System
)
○Reflect “belongingness” of S-O
4. Types of Response:
Dobrzycka et al., 1966:
●Subjects: Dogs
●Training:
○Group 1
: Left- Right Discrimination
Buzzer (in back)- Lift left front leg
Metronome (in front)- Lift right front leg
Document Summary
Psyc 356 chapter 8: stimulus control of behavior. Thorndike and skinner agreed that reinforcers occur in the presence of particular stimuli. Thus, behavior is shaped by stimulus control. Staring at a tv that is on vs off. Pigeon 107 responds to the red circle. Pigeon 105 responds to the white triangle. Stimulus discrimination : differential responding to 2 or more stimuli. Stimulus generalization- responding in a similar fashion to 2 or more stimuli. Pecked a yellow/ orange light (580 nm) Presented with various colors at random (520-630 nm) Gradient of responding depends on how similar stimuli are to the training stimulus. Pigeon is unable to discriminate between wavelength and responds to any light. What is learned during treatment must generalize to the outside world. Stimuli must come in contact with the subject: presence of other cues: Ex. mobiles are often designed for adults not the infants. Overshadowing : the strength of one stimulus interferes with the.