Stimulus control and generalization of point-loss punishment with humans.
A simple visual cue paired with point loss quietly teaches adults to stop pressing, and the effect fades smoothly along similar cues.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Adults earned points by pressing a button. One line length on the screen meant "you might lose points."
The team tested shorter and longer lines to see if the drop in pressing spread to similar pictures.
What they found
Pressing stayed low only when the exact line length was shown.
Nearby lengths also cut pressing a little, forming a smooth gradient. The punishment effect traveled along the line-length cue.
How this fits with other research
HONIBOWER et al. (1964) first showed this gradient with pigeons and mild shock. The new study proves the same curve happens with humans and point loss.
HAKMCMILLAN et al. (1965) taught us a cue paired with shock becomes a "conditioned punisher." Here, the line length became that cue, but points took the place of shock.
Van der Molen et al. (2010) later showed point loss cuts pressing even when reward rate stays the same. Together, the three papers build one timeline: punishment by stimulus control works across species and across types of loss.
Why it matters
You now know that a warning signal can suppress behavior in a gentle, graded way. In practice, pair a clear cue with any mild response-cost. The cue alone will later curb the response, and the effect will taper naturally as the stimulus changes.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Two experiments demonstrated stimulus control and generalization of conditioned punishment with humans. In both studies, responses first were reinforced with points exchangeable for money on a variable-interval schedule in the presence of one line length (S(D)). Next, a second line length was introduced, and point loss followed every response in the presence of that line (S(D)p). In the final training condition, points were deducted at session end. Response rate was lower in the presence of the S(D)p despite equal rates of points for money in the presence of both stimuli. In generalization testing for Experiment 1, the two lines were included in a 10-line continuum; S(D)p fell in the middle and the trained SD was at one end. Lines were presented randomly, and point delivery and loss contingencies were as in training but with points available in the presence of all lines. For all subjects, response rates were lowest around S(D)p and increased towards the SD end of the continuum. Because testing included only one or two lines beyond S(D), this pattern did not rule out S(D) generalization. Thus, in Experiment 2, stimuli beyond S(D) were added to generalization tests. Response rates did not decrease as a function of distance from S(D), clarifying the demonstration of punishment generalization.
Journal of the experimental analysis of behavior, 2000 · doi:10.1901/jeab.2000.73-261