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Updated: Jan 26, 2026
06:57
Modeling Verbal Behavior Deficits with the Stimulus Control Ratio Equation, SCoRE
Published on: May 14, 2019
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Motivating operations affect stimulus control: a largely overlooked phenomenon in discrimination learning
Amin D Lotfizadeh1, Timothy L Edwards, Ryan Redner
1Western Michigan University.
The Behavior Analyst
|September 4, 2012
Summary
Motivating operations alter stimulus control by changing how stimuli evoke behavior. This effect is graded and influences generalization, impacting both conceptual understanding and practical applications in behavior analysis.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Experimental Analysis of Behavior
Background:
- Motivating operations (MOs) have two main effects: value-altering and behavior-altering.
- The behavior-altering effect of MOs includes changes in stimulus control, which has received limited recent attention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review studies on the influence of food or water deprivation (MOs) on stimulus control.
- To highlight how MOs alter stimulus control as a component of the behavior-altering effect.
Main Methods:
- Review of 11 studies examining the effects of food or water deprivation on stimulus generalization.
- Analysis of how varying levels of deprivation impact stimulus control.
Main Results:
- Motivating operations alter stimulus control by modifying the evocative strength of discriminative stimuli and similar stimuli.
- MOs change the range of stimuli that evoke a specific operant behavior.
- These effects are demonstrated to occur in a graded manner.
Conclusions:
- Motivating operations significantly influence stimulus control, affecting the evocative power and range of stimuli.
- Understanding how MOs alter stimulus control has both conceptual and applied significance in behavior analysis.
- Further research is warranted to explore the nuances of MOs' impact on stimulus control.
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