What is a discriminative stimulus in psychology

Discrimination is a term used in conditioning that means the ability to distinguish between a stimulus and similar stimuli, to respond only to certain stimuli and not respond to Similar.

Discriminatory stimulus is the technical term in behavioral psychology to indicate something, such as a person or an event, before a behavioral response. It is the opposite of a stimulus generalization, where the person learns that a behavior (such as asking sweets in a grocery store) can also be made in other places with sweets (such as a minimarket). In contrast, a discriminative stimulus is a behavior specifically associated with or triggered by that stimulus. In this Psychology-Online article we will see in depth what is a discriminative stimulus in psychology, what is stimulus discrimination, how it works and examples.

Index

1. What is a discriminative stimulus
2. How a discriminative stimulus works
3. Examples of discriminative stimuli
4. Relationship of the discriminative stimulus with the delta stimulus

A discriminative stimulus it is the one that evokes a specific behavior or a set of behaviors, because in their presence that behavior has produced a reinforcement in the past. An event, a light, a sound, a symbol particular that signals when an operant stimulus will be followed by certain consequences.

It indicates that that reinforcement, for that behavior, is probably available; the discriminative stimulus functions, in fact, as an informant on whether or not to certain behavior in that situation ("now you can do the right thing", "the reinforcer will come").

Discriminatory stimuli are things present in the environment that manage to acquire the value of "signal", and more precisely indicate the consequence that has occurred after having acted in a certain way that can be wait again. Something that "suggests" that if we act in a certain way we can get a reward.

Identifying the discrimination stimulus is important to finding the reinforcement, so what we need to increase the appropriate behavior. However, a discriminative stimulus does not eliminate a behavior: it simply alters its probability of occurrence.

In these articles you will find more information about the classical conditioning and the operant conditioning.

The discriminative stimulus describes something that is the trigger for a specific behavior, and comes first: the behavior therefore follows as a direct result of this stimulus. The conditioned stimulus produces the response, while the discriminative stimulus indicates the opportunity to respond. It creates the opportunity for a specific behavior to occur, because the resulting behavior has already been reinforced in the past.

The anterior or discriminating stimulus is part of a specific process in ABA therapy called ABC, an acronym that - translated from English - means:

• TO. Antecedent: it is the circumstances, actions or events that occur before a certain behavior. Consequence: this is the action or response after the subject's behavior.
• B. Behaviour: this is the subject's response.
• C. Consequence: this is the action or response after the subject's behavior.

Let's see some examples of discriminative stimuli applied to daily life.

• If we see the sign "electronic speed control" (discriminatory stimulus) we know that if we apply the behavior "respect the speed limit and not exceed 50 km per hour", it is very likely that we will return home without a fine.
• We see the light switch (discriminative stimulus); we press the switch (behavior); the light comes on (consequence).
• If the pecking of a pigeon is reinforced when there is a red light, but not when the light is green, The red light it will serve as a discriminative stimulus and the pigeon will learn to peck only when the key is red.
• In an experiment in which a mouse is taught to navigate a maze, it is easier to train the mouse with a highly desirable reward (like peanut butter) than a less desirable reward like a piece of broccoli.

The delta stimulus is the result of the person's learning history: a stimulus, in effect, can be associated with another situation, if it is followed by reinforcement or punishment. When a stimulus is associated with the lack of reinforcement, then we speak of the delta stimulus condition, since which indicates that the booster will probably not be available (if I go to the clothing store I cannot bread).

Therefore, we define as discriminative the stimulus that tells us that if we apply a certain behavior we will obtain a reinforcer, and delta the stimulus that tells us that if we apply this behavior we will not get any reinforcer. This differentiation of stimuli can be helpful in teaching children when is the right time or context to do something. For example, we can make the child wear a bracelet that indicates (discriminative stimulus) that allows do a certain thing that, on the contrary, is prohibited in the absence of the bracelet (stimulus delta).

This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

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• Riccio, R. (2013). Stimoli discriminativi e contingenza a tre termini (3 di 4). Recovered from: http://www.riabilitazionelogopedia.it/home/prevenzione/stimoli-discriminativi-e-contingenza-a-tre-termini-3-di-4/
• Sprout (2021). Discriminative Stimulus in ABA Therapy: Explained. Recovered from: https://www.joinsprouttherapy.com/studio/aba-terms/discriminative-stimulus