Understanding Stimulus and Response Classes
Stimulus events can be discussed in terms of their features and relationships to behavior (physical, temporal, & functional). Changes in stimuli occur both as antecedent and consequence events, which affect an individual's response. Think about some of your own response patterns that occur. Within a specific example, identify a set of antecedent stimuli that would demonstrate a stimulus class that influences your response(s), clearly explaining what establishes those stimuli as a stimulus class. Next, discuss your current response(s) to that stimulus class that make up a functional or structural response. Are there other responses that would fit to create a response class? Finally, what specific environmental modifications could you make to alter the stimulus-response relationship?
Review two of your classmates' responses using following ideas as a guide:
- Provide feedback on your peer's example of a stimulus class.
- Are the response class examples clearly and accurately stated?
- Offer an additional suggestion for environmental modifications given this stimulus-response relationship.
- Ask at least one thoughtful follow up question. Reply to Kaylah Healy: One response pattern I exhibit when driving over bridges includes observable behaviors that are triggered by specific antecedent stimuli. The antecedent stimuli include the sight of the bridge, the distance between the bridge and the water, and the sound and feeling of the bridge moving. These stimuli all share features and consistently trigger my reaction, forming a stimulus class (Cowie et al., 2020). My behavioral responses include holding my breath, squeezing the steering wheel, and, on long bridges, needing to lower my head while in the passenger seat. If I am unable to ride passenger, I will avoid the long bridge, taking another route. These behaviors reduce my discomfort and give me some control, which reinforces the pattern and makes it more likely that I will continue to respond in the same way. These are functional responses because they happen directly because of the stimuli and influence how I handle the situation (Hendrickson et al., 2010).Other responses that could fit into this response class might be avoiding looking down at the water or closing my eyes. To change this pattern, I could try environmental modifications such as breathing exercises, desensitizing with smaller bridges or bridges that are not over water, building my tolerance (Collins et al., 2018). These changes could reduce the intensity of my reactions and give me a manageable way to react. Looking at this through the lens of ABA helps me to understand why I react the way I do and what strategies could be implemented to change the behavior over time (Hendrickson et al., 2010; Cowie et al., 2020). By focusing on observable behaviors rather than the anxiety itself, I can make changes that will improve my driving experiences and decrease my dependence on another driver or alternative routes. ReferencesCollins, B. C., Lo, Y., Park, G., & Haughney, K. (2018). Response Prompting as an ABA-Based Instructional Approach for Teaching Students with Disabilities. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 50(6), 343–355. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059918774920Cowie, S., Gomes-Ng, S., Hopkinson, B., Bai, J. Y. H., & Landon, J. (2020). Stimulus control depends on the subjective value of the outcome. Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 114(2), 216–232. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeab.622Jo M. Hendrickson , Robert A. Gable & Richard E. Shores (1987) The Ecological Perspective: Setting Events and Behavior, The Pointer, 31:3, 40-44, DOI: 10.1080/05544246.1987.9944749 Reply to Ciani Ricks: Making a right turn while driving is a response influenced by a stimulus class made up of several antecedent events. These antecedent stimuli include seeing a one-way sign, encountering a dead end that requires a detour, and receiving a GPS instruction to turn right. Although these stimuli differ in their physical features, they form a stimulus class because they share the same functional property of signaling that a right turn is necessary to continue toward the destination. The structural response to this stimulus class is physically turning the steering wheel to the right, while the functional response is successfully continuing travel without error or delay. Other responses may also be part of the same response class because they serve the same function, such as activating the turn signal, slowing down or stopping to ensure safe navigation, or checking the GPS for confirmation of the next direction. An environmental modification that could alter the stimulus–response relationship may be adding a sign that states “No right turn”. This would prohibit me from making a right turn, altering the stimulus class relationship. Another modification is the presence of heavy traffic after the right turn, which may lead to choosing an alternative route and reducing the likelihood of making the original right-turn response. Cooper, J., Heron, T., & Heward, W. (2020). Applied behavior analysis (3rd ed.). Pearson.