Stimulus-Control Procedures

Abstract

The term stimulus control refers to “any difference in responding in the presence of different stimuli” (Catania, 1992, p. 372). Virtually all of the behavior in our everyday lives involves stimulus control. When a driver approaches a red light, he puts his foot on the brake pedal. When approaching a green light, he keeps his foot on the gas pedal. The driver’s responses are thus under the stimulus control of the light’s color. Analyzing existing stimulus control and analyzing the development and stability of stimulus-control relations are central to the understanding of normal and abnormal human behavior. Moreover, much of experimental psychology involves the study of stimulus control. Issues addressed under the rubrics of learning, concept formation, memory, and sensory processes usually involve differences in responding in the presence of different stimuli, and thus involve issues of stimulus control. In addition, stimulus-control procedures are used to generate behavioral baselines for the study of the effects of drugs or other physiological manipulations. As such, stimulus-control procedures are discussed throughout this volume.