Term
| antecedent stimulus class |
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Definition
| a set of stimuli that share a common relationship. All stimuli in an antecedent stimulus class evoke the same operant behavior, or elicit the same respondent behavior. |
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Term
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Definition
| 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 (eg. peanuts, cheese, coconut milk, and chicken breasts are members of an arbitrary stimulus class if they evoke the response "sources of protein"). |
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Term
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Definition
| a stimulus class whose members share a common set of features |
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Term
| conditional discrimination |
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Definition
| 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. |
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Term
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Definition
| 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 presentation of the response prompt follows the instructional stimulus by a predetermined and fixed delay (usually 3 or 4 seconds) for all subsequent trials |
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Term
| discriminative stimulus (SD) |
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Definition
| a stimulus in the presence of which a given behavior has been reinforced and in the absence of which that behavior has not been reinforced; as a result of this history, as SD evokes operant behavior because its presence signals the availability of reinforcement. |
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Term
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Definition
| a variety of techniques for gradually transferring stimulus control with a minimum of errors. |
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Term
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Definition
| stimuli that share common physical forms or structures (eg. made from wood, four legs, round, blue) or common relative relationships (eg. bigger than, hotter than, higher than, next to). |
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Term
| least-to-most response prompts |
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Definition
| a technique of transferring stimulus control in which the practitioner gives the participant an opportunity to perform the response with the least amount of assistance on each trial. The participant receives greater degrees of assistance with each successive trial without a correct response. The procedure for least-to-most prompting requires the participant to make a correct response within a set time limit (eg. 3 seconds) from the presentation of the natural SD. If the response does not occur within the specified time, the applied b behavior analysts presents the natural SD and a response prompt of least assistance, such as a verbal response prompt. If after the same 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. |
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Term
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Definition
| 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 non matching comparison stimuli |
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Term
| most-to-least response prompts |
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Definition
| a technique of 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, most-to-least prompting transitions from physical guidance to visual prompts to verbal instructions, and finally to the natural stimulus without prompts. |
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Term
| overselective stimulus control |
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Definition
| a condition in which the range of discriminative stimuli, or stimulus features controlling behavior, is extremely limited; often interferes with learning. |
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Term
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Definition
| 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 |
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Term
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Definition
| 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. |
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Term
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Definition
| 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. |
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Term
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Definition
| 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. |
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Term
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Definition
| a situation in which the frequency, latency, duration, or amplitude of a behavior is altered by the presence or absence of an antecedent stimulus. |
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Term
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Definition
| A stimulus in the presence of which a given behavior has not produced reinforcement, or has produced reinforcement of lesser quality, in the past. |
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Term
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Definition
| when one stimulus (the SD)signals the availability of reinforcement and the absence of that stimulus (the S delta) signals a zero or reduced chance of reinforcement, responses will occur more often in the presence of the SD than in its absence (the S delta) |
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Term
| stimulus discrimination training |
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Definition
| the conventional procedure requires one behavior and two antecedent stimulus conditions. Responses are reinforced in the presence of one stimulus condition, the SD, but not in the presence of the other stimulus, the S delta. |
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Term
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Definition
| a method of transferring stimulus control that involves highlighting a physical dimension of a stimulus (eg. size, color, position) to increase the likelihood of a correct response and then gradually diminishing the exaggerated dimension until the learner is responding correctly to the naturally occurring stimulus. |
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Term
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Definition
| when the antecedent stimulus has a history of evoking a response that has been reinforced in its presence, the same type of behavior tends to be evoked by stimuli that share similar physical properties with the controlling antecedent stimulus. |
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Term
| stimulus generalization gradient |
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Definition
| a graphic depiction of the extent to which behavior that has been reinforced in the presence of a specific stimulus condition is emitted in the presence of other stimuli. The gradient shows relative degrees of stimulus generalization and stimulus control (or discrimination). A flat slope across test stimuli shows a high degree of stimulus generalization and relatively little discrimination between the trained stimulus and other stimuli; a slope that drops sharply from its highest point corresponding to the trained stimulus indicates a high degree of stimulus control (discrimination) and relatively little stimulus generalization. |
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Term
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Definition
| prompts that operate directly on the antecedent task stimuli to cue a correct response in conjunction with the critical SD (eg. changing the size, color, or position of a stimulus within an array to make its selection more likely). |
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Term
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Definition
| a procedure for transferring stimulus control from contrived response prompts to naturally existing stimuli that begins with the simultaneous presentation of the natural stimulus and response prompt. After several correct responses, a delay is introduced between the stimulus and the response prompt until the student emits the unprompted correct response. Time delay is considered an "errorless learning" technique as students make few or no errors transitioning from the contrived prompt to the instructional stimulus. |
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