Stimulus | A physical energy change capable of affecting an organism through one of its receptors: photoreceptors, phonoreceptors, chemoreceptors (gustatory and olfactory), mechanoreceptors (touch), thermoreceptors, and free nerve endings. |
Discriminative Stimulus | A stimulus in the presence of which a given response has a history of being reinforced. |
Reinforcement | A stimulus following a response that increases or strengthens the likelihood of that response occurring in the future, under similar conditions.
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Punishment | A stimulus following a response that decreases or weakens the likelihood of that response occurring in the future, under similar conditions.
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Controlling Variable | An environmental event, most commonly a discriminative stimulus, which controls or determines the likelihood that a given response will be emitted.
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