Discrimination
Ch 12
TODAY
DISCRIMINATION TRAINING
STIMULUS CONTROL
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIFFERENTIAL
REINFORCEMENT AND
DISCRIMINATION TRAINING
PROCEDURES
Reinforcement
After
Before
Behavior
Differential Reinforcement
of 2 Response Classes
Reinforcement
Before
John has
no praise
Behavior
After
John hits
ball with
some skill
John
receive
praise
Behavior
After
John hits
ball with
no skill
John
receives no
praise
Extinction
OPEN
NO OPEN SIGN
OPEN
What happens when the
open sign is present?
Reinforcement
OPEN
After
Before
No open
door
Behavior
Push on
door
Door opens
Reinforcement
OPEN
After
Before
No open
door
Behavior
Push on
door
No open
door
What if the store is closed?
Reinforcement-Based
Discrimination
SD
OPEN
SIGN
Before
After
Behavior
SD
NO OPEN
SIGN
After
Reinforcement-Based
Discrimination
SD
OPEN
SIGN
Before
No open
door
After
Open door
Behavior
Push on
door
SD
NO OPEN
SIGN
After
No open
door
Reinforcement-Based
Discrimination
SD
OPEN
SIGN
Before
No open
door
After
Open door
Behavior
Push on
door
SD
“CLOSED”
SIGN
After
No open
door
Discriminative Stimulus (SD)
OPEN
SIGN
A stimulus in the presence of which a
particular response will be reinforced
Examples– Brelandless target, “open”
sign, smile on a face
D
S
OPEN
S-delta (SD)
A stimulus in the presence of which a
particular response will not be
reinforced
D
S
“Closed” sign
Reinforcement-Based
Discrimination
SD
Brelandlesss
target
Before
Chicken
has no food
After
Chicken
has food
Behavior
Chicken
pulls the
trigger
After
SD
Breland
Chicken
has no food
Reinforcement-Based
Discrimination
SD
Written word
“shoe”
Before
Student has
n tokens
After
Student has
n + 1 tokens
Behavior
Student says
“shoe”
SD
After
NOT written
word “shoe”
Student has
n tokens
Reinforcement-Based
Discrimination 
SD

Before
Behavior
Child has
no cookie
Child asks
for cookie
SD
No 
After
Child has
cookie
After
Child has
no cookie
Reinforcement-Based
Discrimination
After
D
S
Before
Student has
no answer
Student has
answer
Behavior
Student
asks
questions
D
S
After
Student has
no answer
Discrimination Training
Procedure
Reinforcing a response in the presence
of one stimulus and extinguishing it in
the presence of another stimulus.
D
S
Discrimination Training
Procedure
• Reinforcing a response in the presence of
one stimulus and extinguishing it in the
presence of another stimulus.
D
S
Discrimination Training
Procedure
• Reinforcing a response in the presence of
one stimulus and extinguishing it in the
presence of another stimulus.
D
S
Discrimination Training
Procedure
• Reinforcing a response in the presence of
one stimulus and extinguishing it in the
presence of another stimulus.
D
S
Discrimination Training
Procedure
• Reinforcing a response in the presence of
one stimulus and extinguishing it in the
presence of another stimulus.
D
S
Stimulus discrimination
(stimulus control)
The occurrence of a response more
frequently in the presence of one
stimulus than in the presence of
another, usually as a result of a
discrimination training procedure
D
S
Discrimination training vs.
Response Differentiation
(differential reinforcement
procedure)
How are these different
EXAMPLE: lever pressing by a water
deprived mouse
Differential Reinforcement vs.
Stimulus Discrimination
One Response
Class
Two Response
Classes
One Stimulus
Two Stimuli
No
differentiation
or
discrimination
Response
differentiation
Stimulus
discrimination
Combined
differentiation &
discrimination
No differential reinforcement
and no stimulus discrimination
Does not matter if light is off or if force
is weak, give water reinforcer for every
lever press
Reinforcement
Before
Rudolph
has no
water
Behavior
Rudolph
presses
lever
After
Rudolph
has water
Differential Reinforcement vs.
Stimulus Discrimination
One Response
Class
Two Response
Classes
One Stimulus
Two Stimuli
No
differentiation
or
discrimination
Response
differentiation
Stimulus
discrimination
Combined
differentiation &
discrimination
Differential Reinforcement
What matters?
Only the force
Light off does not matter
If presses with 20g of force, the water
reinforcer is delivered
Differential Reinforcement
of 2 Response Classes
Reinforcement
Before
Rudolph
has no
water
Behavior
After
Rudolph
used 20
grams of
force
Rudolph
has water
Behavior
After
Rudolph
uses < 20g
of force
Rudolph
has no
water
Extinction
Differential Reinforcement vs.
Stimulus Discrimination
One Response
Class
Two Response
Classes
One Stimulus
Two Stimuli
No
differentiation
or
discrimination
Response
differentiation
Stimulus
discrimination
Combined
differentiation &
discrimination
Discrimination
What matters?
Only if light is on, even if force is weak,
if presses lever, the water reinforcer is
delivered
Reinforcement-Based
Discrimination
SD
After
Rudolph
has water
Before
Rudolph
has no
water
Behavior
Rudolph
presses
lever
After
SD
Rudolph
has no
water
Discriminated Reinforcement
SD
Before
After
Behavior
M270
presses the
lever
After
SD
Discriminated Reinforcement
SD
After
Light on
Food
Before
Behavior
No food
M270
presses the
lever
After
SD
Light off
No food
Discriminated Reinforcement
SD
After
Light on
Food
Before
Behavior
No food
M270
presses the
lever
After
Establishing
Operation:
SD
Food
deprivation
Light off
No food
Discriminated Reinforcement
SD
After
Mom smiling
Cookie
Before
Behavior
No cookie
Joe asks
for cookie
SD
After
Mom
frowning
No cookie
Discrimination and Verbal
Behavior
A discrimination training procedure can
be used to establish correct verbal
responses

Correct color naming
Verbal Behavior
Tacts – naming or labeling
Tact Contingency
SD
After
Red car
Before
Behavior
Child has
no snack
Child says,
“this is a
red car”
After
SD
Green car
Verbal Behavior
Mand – a request that is reinforced by
receiving what has been requested
Incidental teaching
A teacher requires that a student emit
the proper form of a request before
reinforcing that request, in the student’s
regular environment.
Mand Contingency
SD
After
Red car
Before
Behavior
Child has
no red car
Child asks,
“May I
have the
red car?”
SD
Green car
After
Prompt
A supplemental stimulus that raises the
probability of a correct response.
Types of prompts



Verbal instructions
Modeling
Physical guidance
Undiscriminated reinforcement
contingency
VS.
Discriminated reinforcement
contingency
Undiscriminated reinforcement
contingency
There is no sdee associated with the
reinforcement contingency
Discriminated reinforcement
contingency
The reinforcement contingency is in
operation only when the sdee is
present, not when the sdelta is present.
If a response is never reinforced, that is
plain old extinction.
TESTS, pg 225
Criteria for diagramming discriminated
contingencies






Sdelta contingency test
Same before condition test
Response test
Extinction/recovery test
Operandum test
Different before condition test