PSYC 2210 Chapter Notes - Chapter 8: Stimulus Control, Red Color, 10 Nanometer
10 Jan 2014
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Document Summary
As i pointed out earlier, both thorndike and skinner recognized that instrumental responses and reinforcers occur in the presence of particular stimuli. The stimulus control of instrumental behaviour is evident in many aspects of life. Studying, for example, is under strong control of school-related stimuli. The stimulus control of behaviour is an important aspect of how organisms adjust to their environment. The survival of animals (including human animals) depends on their ability to perform responses that are appropriate to their circumstances. Let us look at an experiment by reynolds, where two pigeons were reinforced on a vi schedule for pecking a circular response key. Reinforcement for pecking was available whenever the response key was illuminated by a visual pattern consisting of a white triangle on a red background. Thus the stimulus on the key had two components: the white triangle and the red color of the background.
