STIMULUS (Discriminative)
Charles François (2004). STIMULUS (Discriminative), International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics, 2(2): 3203.
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(2) |
| ID | ◀ 3203 ▶ |
| Object type | Methodology or model |
This notion introduced by W.T. POWERS (his page on the web) seems to imply two different meanings:
1) the stimulus reflects a former behavioral reinforcement relative to what it is significant. In turn, it triggers one more reinforcement event . For a driver an example would be: “ On this corner I must turn right to reach my home” and later on “In effect, after having turned right, I am now reaching my home”.
2) the stimulus reflects a number of significant characteristics that help to recognize the corner, as for ex. a one-way traffic sign, a restaurant and a lighting post with the number 23.
The discriminative stimulus is thus related to POWERS' environment function.