Diana, Sierra, Lauratu, Jennifer, Grecia, Geneva, Alexis, Rhiannon, Emily, Elienai, Ashlyn

Stimulus control changes behaviors. If the context changes, then behavior should change as
well. It has a controlling effect on behavior. Colored lights, cards, people, and even rooms can
have stimulus control. Operant behavior depends on consequences occurring multiple times
during a person’s lifetime to create that stimulus control. Stimulus control simply means that a
stimulus has a control over behavior-that behavior changes in its presence. Discriminative
stimuli are normally compound which creates a very specific desired behavior.
It was explained in the chapter, that it is common for us to create conditions in which
reinforcement is more likely to occur. This is how we can build a strong reinforcement schedule.
There are cues in environments that lead to you the next step of a behavior sequence. These
are the cues that set the context for the next activity are considered discriminative stimuli. For
example, if the “Open” sign is on at Whataburger, I am going to be more likely to drive up to the
restaurant than I would be if the open sign was turned off. The open sign being the
discriminative stimuli. Discrimination means a change of behavior with a change in context,
every discrimination involves at least two stimulus conditions-two contexts and also results from
a learned history.

Mentalistic is everyday talk about knowledge. There is procedural knowledge and declarative
knowledge. Procedural knowledge (knowing how) means that some particular part of the
behavior or category of behavior has been observed. Declarative (knowing about) means that
the behavior referred to is under stimulus control, also refers to discrimination. There is also
scientific knowledge, which is when scientists are speaking and writing in the context of their
research. The knowledge depends on consequences in the behavior of the readers and
listeners. Scientific knowledge and observation is a form of discrimination and discriminates in
order to produce the discriminative stimulus. This behavior is also a form of operant behavior,
where any scientist’s behavior is shaped by other scientists. Just like historians of science,
behavior analysts’s views fall under contextualism, which is that our social environment shapes
science through operant behavior.

Discussion question: How has ABA followed contextualism when it comes to providing
treatment for our communities?

Thoughts: The dynamic of stimulus control has always interest me, we often overlook these
things outside of the world of ABA but to know that they are so important and have so much
control over behavior.