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Stimulus Control of Operant Behavior

PERVASIVENESS OF STIMULUS CONTROL. It is difficult to think of an example of operant behavior that is consistently reinforced in all situations.Law of Effect may tell us how organisms learn what to do.But, just as important as knowing what to do is knowing when to do it.Any complete theory of beh

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Stimulus Control of Operant Behavior

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    1. CHAPTER 11 Stimulus Control of Operant Behavior

    2. PERVASIVENESS OF STIMULUS CONTROL It is difficult to think of an example of operant behavior that is consistently reinforced in all situations. Law of Effect may tell us how organisms learn what to do. But, just as important as knowing what to do is knowing when to do it. Any complete theory of behavior must also account for stimulus control.

    3. DISCRIMINATION AND GENERALIZATION Study of stimulus control of operant behavior may have two faces: Discrimination: responding differently to different stimuli. Generalization: responding similarly to different stimuli. Understanding stimulus control involves comprehending processes of discrimination and generalization.

    4. METHODS TO STUDY STIMULUS CONTROL Simultaneous discrimination Successive discrimination Generalization gradient testing

    5. PROCESS OF DISCRIMINATION When different stimuli equivalently predict reinforcement, which controls responding may be beyond experimental control. Salience of stimuli and past history of subject will determine effective stimulus. But, experimenter is not altogether helpless.

    6. PROCESS OF DISCRIMINATION To ensure control of responding by a stimulus requires that it is best predictor of reinforcer availability. Way to do so is discrimination training.

    7. PROCESS OF DISCRIMINATION First example: GV+: poor control by line tilt GV+/G-: good control by line tilt GV+/R-: poor control by line tilt

    8. PROCESS OF DISCRIMINATION Second example: 1000-Hz tone+: poor control by auditory frequency 1000-Hz tone+/no tone-: moderate control by auditory frequency 1000-Hz tone+/950-Hz tone-: strong control by auditory frequency

    9. PROCESS OF DISCRIMINATION If there is no best predictor of reinforcement, then almost any aspect of situation might control responding. When tone is best predictor, one or more aspects of tone will control responding. When frequency of tone is best predictor, that specific aspect of tone will control responding.

    10. Attention in Discrimination Learning We might say discrimination training teaches organisms to pay attention. It teaches which aspects of environment to notice and which to ignore. When tone is S+ and no tone is S-, animal learns to pay attention to tone.

    11. Attention in Discrimination Learning Are there other implications of an attentional interpretation of discrimination learning? One answer is theory that discrimination learning may be a two-step process. One learns to which stimuli to attend. One also learns to do specific things in presence of specific stimuli.

    12. Attention in Discrimination Learning Two-step theory makes predictions about transfer of training effects. Animals trained on one kind of task are later given a second kind of task. Behavioral measure of interest is extent to which training on first task affects, or transfers to, learning second task.

    13. Attention in Discrimination Learning One transfer comparison is critical to attentional theory: intradimensional discrimination shift (different values on same dimension) vs. extradimensional discrimination shift (different relevant dimensions)

    14. Intradimensional Shift vs. Extradimensional Shift

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