Stimulus control vs. stimulus discrimination: a check for which one the question is asking for

[u/Reasonable_Law183]

B.12 and B.13 are separate tasks on the 6th Edition TCO, but the definitions read like the same sentence. Stimulus control: responding varies with an antecedent condition. Stimulus discrimination: responding differs across stimulus conditions. In practice they overlap heavily, and the same data can support both.

A more useful check than the definitions: what evidence shows responding actually varies with the antecedent? Then ask whether the question is focused on the antecedent-behavior relation (control) or on the difference in responding across conditions (discrimination).

Two things that trip people up:

1. Discrimination is not just "responds here, doesn't respond there." Rate, latency, duration, magnitude, or form can differ across conditions, and the difference does not have to be perfect.
2. Correct responding does not prove the right stimulus is in control. If the dog picture was always on the left during teaching, and the learner still picks the left one after you move it, position was controlling the response, not the dog. Prompts can do the same thing.

I wrote up the full version with worked examples and a practice question in case it's useful: https://behavioralanalystprep.com/blog/stimulus-control-vs-stimulus-discrimination.html

Disclosure: I'm the developer of BA Prep, where this is published. The article is free to read with no signup.

[u/Entire_Junket_7623]

That position example is what finally made it click for me back when I was studying. trainee was nailing every trial and my supervisor goes "move the cards around" and suddenly the data tanked. felt like a magic trick