What Is Operant Stimulus Discrimination?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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In operant conditioning, discrimination

refers to responding only to the discriminative stimulus and not to similar stimuli

. For example, imagine that you have trained your dog to jump in the air whenever you say the command, “Jump!”

What is an operant stimulus?

In operant conditioning,

behavior is controlled by external stimuli

. For example, a child may learn to open a box to get the sweets inside, or learn to avoid touching a hot stove; in operant terms, the box and the stove are “discriminative stimuli”. Operant behavior is said to be “voluntary”.

What is an example of a discriminative stimulus?

A discriminative stimulus is the antecedent stimulus that has stimulus control over behavior because the behavior was reliably reinforced in the presence of that stimulus in the past. … In the example above,

the grandma

is the discriminative stimulus for the behavior of asking for candy.

What is the discriminative stimulus in operant conditioning?

(symbol: S

D

) in operant conditioning, a

stimulus that increases the probability of a response because of a previous

history of differential reinforcement in the presence of that stimulus.

What is an example of operant stimulus generalization?


Potty training

is a good example of stimulus generalization in operant conditioning. When a child is learning to use the toilet, rewards are often used to increase the desired behaviors.

How do you explain a stimulus control?

“Stimulus control is a term used to describe

situations in which a behavior is triggered by the presence or absence of some stimulus

. For example, if you always eat when you watch TV, your eating behavior is controlled by the stimulus of watching TV.

What is a stimulus in behavior?

Stimuli are

events in the environment that influence behavior

. A single stimulus can serve many different functions. Listed below are several functions that a stimulus can serve. … An observing response is sometimes necessary for presentation of the discriminative stimulus/stimuli.

What is a stimulus illustrate with an example?

A stimulus is anything that can trigger a physical or behavioral change. The plural of stimulus is stimuli. Stimuli can be external or internal. An example of external stimuli is

your body responding to a medicine

. An example of internal stimuli is your vital signs changing due to a change in the body.

What are the 3 principles of operant conditioning?

  • Reinforcement (Central Concept ): A phenomenon in which a stimulus increases the chance of repetition of previous behavior is called reinforcement. …
  • Punishment: …
  • Shaping:

Why is stimulus discrimination important?

Stimulus generalization can have an important

impact on the response to a stimulus

. Sometimes individuals are able to discriminate between similar items, but in other cases, similar stimuli tend to evoke the same response.

What makes a stimulus discriminative?

A discriminative stimulus is a stimulus that

when it is present, it generates a particular response and the response is usually faster, more frequent, and more resistant to extinction

. … A discriminative stimulus (Sd or S

D

) is created when the response is reinforced in its presence, but not when it is absent

​ 1 ​

.

What is the difference between stimulus generalization and discrimination?

In stimulus generalization, an organism responds to new stimuli that are similar to the original conditioned stimulus. … On the other hand, stimulus discrimination occurs

when an organism learns a response to a specific stimulus

, but does not respond the same way to new stimuli that are similar.

What happens when a discriminative stimulus is present?

The presence of a discriminative stimulus causes

a behavior to occur

. Stimulus discrimination training may also occur with punishment. A behavior is less likely to occur in the presence of the SD. … A behavior is more likely to occur in the presence of the S-Delta.

What is stimulus generalization in simple terms?

Stimulus generalization is

the evocation of a nonreinforced response to a stimulus that is very similar to an original conditioned stimulus

. The stimulus generalization model presupposes identical elements that enable generalization to occur.

What is generalization example?

Generalization, in psychology,

the tendency to respond in the same way to different but similar stimuli

. … For example, a child who is scared by a man with a beard may fail to discriminate between bearded men and generalize that all men with beards are to be feared.

How do you promote stimulus generalization?

One way to promote generalization is

to reinforce the behavior when generalization occurs–

that is, to reinforce the behavior when it occurs outside the training situation in the presence of relevant stimuli. This allows relevant stimuli to develop stimulus control over the behavior.

Diane Mitchell
Author
Diane Mitchell
Diane Mitchell is an animal lover and trainer with over 15 years of experience working with a variety of animals, including dogs, cats, birds, and horses. She has worked with leading animal welfare organizations. Diane is passionate about promoting responsible pet ownership and educating pet owners on the best practices for training and caring for their furry friends.