Which term is defined as reinforcing or punishing a response in the presence of a discriminative stimulus and extinguishing or allowing recovery in the presence of a non-SD?

• A. Discrimination Training Procedures
• B. Stimulus Control
• C. Transfer of control
• D. Generalization

Answer: (A)

Discrimination training procedures involve reinforcing or punishing a response only when a particular discriminative stimulus is present, and withholding reinforcement or allowing extinction when a non-SD (the S-delta) is present. This creates differential reinforcement across stimuli, so the response becomes more likely in the presence of the SD and less likely (or extinguished) in the presence of the non-SD. Over time, the organism learns to emit the behavior selectively in the SD and not in the non-SD, which is the defining feature of discrimination training. Other terms describe related concepts but not the exact training arrangement: stimulus control is the general influence of antecedent stimuli on behavior; transfer of control refers to moving control from one stimulus to another; generalization is responding to similar, non-identical stimuli. The described procedure aligns best with discrimination training procedures.