Chapter 9
Differential Reinforcement:
Stimulus Control
and Shaping
Big Idea

Similar behaviors are appropriate depending on the
context in which they occur.
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How to promote in-class learning.
Yelling is great at a basketball game but not in your
classroom during sustained silent reading.
Saying “144” is appropriate when a student is presented
with 122 but not when presented 252.
“Bringing responses the learner already
knows under the control of the appropriate
cue or signal is called stimulus control.”
Shaping One strategy for in-class learning.

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“One way of teaching
students to do new
things is by shaping.
The teacher literally
molds or shapes an
existing response into
the desired behavior”
Antecedent
Behavior Consequence
Next slide please.
Antecedent
Behavior Consequence
Next slide for example.
Antecedent
You see red
tail lights go
on in front of
you. SD
Behavior Consequence
You apply
the brakes on
your car.
You avoid an
accident.
Next example.
Antecedent
You see a
sign that says
“Sale.” SD
Behavior Consequence
You enter
store and
make a
purchase.
You extend
your budgeted
money.
Third example next.
Antecedent
You see a
FR5 on a test.
SD
Behavior Consequence
You write
“R+ is given
when 5 behaviors are
performed.”
You get item
correct on the
test.
In-class example next.
Antecedent
Student is
shown a
nickel. SD
Behavior Consequence
Student says,
“nickel” or
“five cents”
Teacher says,
“You got that
Right.”
Next slide for S-Delta .
Antecedent
You see red
tail lights. S∆
Behavior Consequence
You accelerate.
You pay higher
insurance rates
following accident
Next in-class example.
Antecedent
Student is
shown a
nickel. S∆
Behavior Consequence
Student say
“dime” or “ten
cents”
Your correct, “this is
a nickel” or this coin
is worth 5 cents.”
So….
This is data-based student
learning.
Stimulus Control

“A response that occurs
in the presence of SD,
but not in its absence is
said to be under
stimulus control. A
behavior under stimulus
control will continue to
occur in the presence of
the SD even when
reinforcement is
infrequent.”
So…
Example of Stimulus Control

“The first-grader
learns that saying
‘went’ in the presence
of a flash card with
the letters w-e-n-t (SD)
results in praise, but
that the same
response to a flash
card with the letters
c-a-m-e (SD) does not”
Note: The teacher is shaping an appropriate reading behavior.
Antecedent
Ms. Handy begins
her biology lesson
(This should be an
SD for quiet down
and listen.)
Behavior Consequence
Students in the
room continue
to chat among
themselves.
Teacher reinforces
chatting by paying
attention to the
distraction and not
continuing with the
lesson.
How it works in life: Much of the everyday behavior of
adults is a result of discrimination learning.

We answer
telephones when
they ring, not when
they are silent. We
drive through
intersections when
lights are green, not
when they are red.
Consequently, our teaching must be clear because…
Discrimination based on relatively informal or imprecise
patterns of reinforcement develop slowly and are often
imperfect.

Thus, the imperfect
stimulus control
exerted by traffic
signals provides
employment for
numerous police
officers, tow-truck
drivers and
This is
clear.
ambulance
attendants.
A caution light that changes
too quickly is not clear.
Discrimination Training How to...
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Teaching students to
respond appropriately
to specific stimuli is the
teacher’s basic job.
“w-e-n-t” in print should
result in a student
saying “went.” R+
If this happens consistently the teacher has
achieved her objective.

To state with any
degree of confidence
that the response “went”
is under stimulus
control, the teacher will
have to establish that
no other combination of
letters occasions the
response, including
combinations such as
w-a-n-t and w-e-t whose
shape and spelling
closely resemble that of
the SD.
Example # 1

A flashcard indicating
POISON should
occasion a student
with moderate mental
retardation to say
“Poison…It is bad for
you.” and back away,
or call an adult.
Example #2

Dad says, “Pick
up you clothes”
which occasions
the son to go to
the bedroom and
pick up his
clothes.
A Stimulus Control basic
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Notice that for stimulus control
to occur, a subject must be able
to discriminate between two or
more things (e.g., “Poison” and
“Popcorn” & “Pick up your
clothes” and Put on the
Comedy Channel.”)
Next…steps to do.
Establishing Stimulus Control

Identify the target behavior you want.

For example: When asked by his 6th
grade teacher, Phillip will state the
‘squares’ of numbers from 12 to 252,
90% of the time.
First
Establishing Stimulus Control
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Identify the stimulus that you want to be
the SD.

For example: Teacher prepares a
series of flash cards from 12 to 252.
Second
Establishing Stimulus Control
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Plan a reinforcement strategy.

For example: Teacher intends to
initially use a CRF schedule of
reinforcement of praise. She will couple
this with an FR 5 reinforcement
schedule of a pepperoni slice that the
student indicates he enjoys.
Third
Establishing Stimulus Control
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Present the stimulus that you want to
become the SD for the behavior.

For example: With each flashcard, the
teacher “models, leads, and tests.”
“This card says twelve squared. 122 is
144. Say it with me… 122 is 144. How
much is 122? (Pause)
Fourth
Establishing Stimulus Control
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Consequate the behavior.

For example: Yes! Twelve squared is
one hundred and forty-four. (Note:
Every fifth correct response produces a
thinly sliced piece of pepperoni that is
paired with the praise.)
Fifth
Establishing Stimulus Control
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Intermix SDs with the SDs.
For example: Is twelve squared one
hundred and twenty-one. (Note:
Student should respond “No. Twelve
squared is one hundred and forty-four.
Eleven squared is one hundred and
twenty-one.”)
Sixth
Establishing Stimulus Control for Basic
Concepts Like Adjectives OYO

Language allows
humans to acquire
knowledge.
Concepts are
described and,
based on these
concepts, stimulus
control can be
established.
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ACT: How would you
ensure that the 5th
grader in your resource
room learned what an
adjective is?
Describe the schedule
of reinforcement that
you would use to teach
this concept.
What happens when you don’t get the target
behavior when you try to establish stimulus
control?
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When a stimulus does
not occasion the
desired behavior, the
behavior is not under
stimulus control.
To address this,
teachers must resort to
prompting after a
desired SD is presented.
An actor who fails to respond to his cues is prompted
from the wings. Students who fail to respond to an SD
are similarly prompted.
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Prompts may be presented
verbally, visually, or
physically.
(Give an example of each.)
The desired response may
also be demonstrated or
modeled.
(Give an example of each.)
See page + 308.
OYO see rules for verbal, visual, and modeling.
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Hmmm…this looks like Montana to me.
Prompts
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To be effective,
prompts should
focus on the desired
SD.

To reduce the need
for future prompting,
the prompt should
be as weak as
possible.

Once the prompt
has produced the
desired
response,fade the
prompt as quickly as
possible.

Avoid unplanned
prompts.
Physical Guidance
AKA “Putting through”

Typically used for teaching severely
involved persons (e.g., sorting, making
eye contact).
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Also used with non-disabled persons
(See page 314).
Fading the Prompt
Considerable skill is involved in
determining the optimum rate of fading:

…too fast and the
behavior will not
occur frequently
enough for
reinforcement

…too slow and and
students may
become
permanently
dependent on the
prompt.
Two Strategies for Physical
Guidance
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Decreasing assistance
is also known as “mostto-least” prompting.
Level of prompting
virtually guarantees
success.

Graduated guidance
requires the least
amount of
assistance from the
start.
…resort to class notes.
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Task analysis
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Chaining
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Fading
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Forward
Backward
Total Presentation
Shaping