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Stimulus Control

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Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior

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Definition

A phenomenon in which a given stimulus reliably elicits a particular learned behavioral response.

Stimulus control has been defined by Terrace (1966) as the extent to which a given stimulus determines the probability that a conditioned response will occur. This observed relationship between an antecedent stimulus and behavioral response is measured by examining the change in response probability over time. As the probability of a behavioral response to a given antecedent increases, the behavior is determined to be under stimulus control (Terrace 1966). However, Macintosh (1977) further defined stimulus control as “an observed relationship between changes in external stimuli and changes in recorded behavior” (p. 481). This definition is likewise important, as it highlights a need for two or more conditions which should be compared (Honig and Urcuioli 1981), specifically in the presence and absence of the stimulus.

Stimulus control can be observed by examining the three-term...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Behavior Core, Department of Comparative Medicine, The University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA

    Mystera M. Samuelson

  2. The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, Gulfport, MS, USA

    Quincy M. Goeke

Authors
  1. Mystera M. Samuelson
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  2. Quincy M. Goeke
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Correspondence to Mystera M. Samuelson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University, Rochester, MI, USA

    Todd K. Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. University of South Alabama, Mobile, Al, USA

    Stephanie Jett

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Samuelson, M.M., Goeke, Q.M. (2022). Stimulus Control. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T.K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55065-7_1705

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