Stimulus-Control Procedures

Abstract

(from the chapter) This chapter discusses stimulus control procedures, focusing on the smallest units of stimulus control, the simple discrimination and the conditional discrimination. The goals of the chapter are to consider: (1) the major forms that simple and conditional discrimination take in the laboratory, (2) standard and essential procedural details and their rationale, (3) methods for establishing the performances, (4) issues of importance to experimenters using discrimination baselines in the study of other independent variables, (5) issues in the measurement of discrimination, and (6) higher-order performances that are investigated within simple and conditional discrimination procedures. The present emphasis is on procedures that can be used with human Ss. Where possible, the authors cite primary sources that will provide a more complete description of a particular procedure and of the rational for its use. The authors also briefly discuss how the choice of apparatus affects important aspects of procedure and measurement. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2004 APA, all rights reserved)