Which term describes the ability of a stimulus to encourage some responses and discourage others?
a. Dishabituation
b. Stimulus generalization
c. Stimulus control
d. Negative reinforcement
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is c. Stimulus control.
Stimulus control refers to the ability of a particular stimulus to influence the likelihood of certain responses while inhibiting others. This concept is grounded in behavioral psychology, specifically in operant conditioning, where stimuli play a critical role in shaping behavior.
In stimulus control, specific environmental cues (stimuli) are associated with particular behavioral outcomes. For example, a child may learn that their behavior of asking for a cookie is more likely to be rewarded when their parent is in a good mood (a specific stimulus), compared to when the parent is stressed or busy. The stimulus (parent’s mood) controls the likelihood of the child’s request being successful.
A fundamental aspect of stimulus control is discriminative stimuli, which are stimuli that signal the availability of reinforcement or punishment. For instance, a light turning on in a Skinner box might signal that pressing a lever will result in food. The presence of this specific stimulus controls when the animal will engage in the target behavior (lever pressing) to obtain a reward.
Stimulus control can also be demonstrated in more complex scenarios, such as when an individual learns to behave differently depending on the setting. A person might speak more formally at work (because of the work environment stimulus) and more casually with friends (where a different set of stimuli cues the casual behavior).
This phenomenon highlights the importance of context in influencing behavior. Different stimuli can selectively encourage or discourage certain responses, reinforcing the idea that behavior is not just a result of internal drives but is heavily shaped by external environmental cues.