Which term applies when a skill trained in one context is performed in additional contexts that share similar stimuli?

• A. Transfer of control
• B. Generalization
• C. Maintenance
• D. Stimulus Control

Answer: (A)

Transfer of control describes how a response that was learned under the control of a specific stimulus can come under the control of similar stimuli in additional contexts, so the same skill appears when those cues are present. In this scenario, the skill trained in one setting is emitted in new settings because the cues there resemble the original stimulus, causing the discriminative control to transfer. For example, if a child learns to request help when a particular prompt is used in class and then also uses that same requesting behavior when similar prompts occur in different rooms or with different staff, the control has moved to those similar cues. This is a precise way to describe stimulus control shifting to related stimuli, which is the mechanism behind this kind of generalization.